Page 183 - Microsoft Word - Guiding light final version 1413 2306 big print.doc

very loud penetrating voice and I grabbed her and said: ‘Davina, you have come into your own today. Here is where your voice will be vital! Get up on that park bench and deliver the news!’ More and more passengers arrived off the train and, as the guide’s announcement filtered through, there were angry outbursts and demands for a refund of their outlay. The news had to be repeated over and over again until all the guests had left the train. My urge was to escape as soon as possible out of here! I gathered a group together to climb up to McCaig’s Folly above the town. What a relief it was to be out of that pressure cooker!’
Cancellation and chaos
‘We were heading for Oban in two coaches to catch the ferry to Mull. On reaching Craignure, our passengers disembarked on foot and then boarded our waiting coaches at the end of the pier. Our next stop was across the other side of the island at Fionnphort for the short ferry crossing to Iona. As we waited for the passengers, we were informed that the ferry to Iona had been CANCELLED, due to strong cross- currents and winds! Cancelled? Oh no! This meant our whole day had to be re-arranged but to do what? A visit to Iona Abbey had been arranged, followed by lunch in one of the island’s hotels. When I gave my colleague the bad news, he turned a deathly white with panic. He wanted to about-turn immediately and head back to the mainland on the next ferry. I disagreed. Frantic phone calls ensued; first to our tour manager who agreed with me that we should stay on Mull; second, to cancel the lunch on Iona and third, to book a different lunch venue on Mull at short notice to accommodate 40 people! The last task was not easy but we eventually persuaded the Mishnish in Tobermory to cater for us as best they could. Phew.
Next we had to return to the coaches to give our guests the bad news about Iona. They were wondering what the delay was and sat stony- faced while we explained the situation and then tried to be upbeat about the alternative plan for the day.
It is a long drive from Craignure to Tobermory and we used the time to tell them all about Iona Abbey during the journey. We had also purchased a video on the Abbey to be shown on each of the coaches on the way home. In Tobermory lunch was understandably slow. After lunch, some came on a walking tour and others went shopping along the length of the bay. Late afternoon we boarded the coach to return to Craignure to catch the ferry back to Oban. It was a hair-raising day for the guides but we survived, with guests who were reasonably satisfied, if disappointed about Iona.’
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