A kids’ TV favourite from the past brought his own brand of wacky fun to a sleepy Argyll village.
The Timmy Mallett in Taynuilt show arrived via train, and the star had his trusty bike in tow.
Now an artist, Mr Mallett is “having a go” at circumnavigating Britain on his bike with his paints.
He is documenting his adventures on social media and is painting some of the stunning landscapes he finds on his way.
The star enjoyed the famously scenic train journey from Glasgow to Oban and praised the train driver, who featured on his Twitter page.
Thanks Phil our cheerful train driver and onboard team commentary for making Glasgow-Oban one of the best train journeys in Britain
Here's hoping @ScotRail reintroduce a proper timetable without all the cancellations that are plaguing the system#roundbritain@VisitScotland pic.twitter.com/Iw1SPO2vsf
— Timmy Mallett (@TimmyMallett) June 7, 2022
Mr Mallett, 66, stayed in Taynuilt on Monday night so that he could take a popular local cycle route from the village through Glen Lonan to Oban the following day.
He later boarded the St Hilda, a former tall ship berthed at Dunstaffnage, near Oban, for a cruise.
They visited Kerrera, where Timmy took the opportunity to paint on the small island in Oban Bay.
He dined with guests on the intimate cruise ship on Tuesday night before sailing back to Dunstaffnage this morning.
Wacaday was a popular children’s TV series which ran from 1985 – 1992 and included word association games such as Mallett’s Mallet. Michaela Strachan co-presented the show for two seasons.
Mr Mallett stayed at Taynuilt Guest House on the recommendation of a friend who had stayed there previously.
Timmy’s TV heyday
Amusingly, the operators of the guest house didn’t recognise him at first, despite the familiar face not having changed much, along with his choice of fashion.
Ruairidh Duncan, 31, and Callum Sim, 25, are too young to remember Mr Mallett’s TV heyday.
Ruairidh said: “He arrived by train after having travelled across Britain.
“He was speaking to the train driver and the driver came out of the cab and gave him directions to the main street.
“They gave him a running commentary describing the beauty spots all the way up the road from Glasgow.
“Timmy was cycling the Glen Lonan road into Oban, which is a very popular cycle route. He said the place was ‘utterly beautiful’, which I’ve since learned is his famous catchphrase.”
‘Utterly beautiful’
“Timmy was talking to locals on the train, he was very friendly. He was very happy to see everyone and kept saying everything was ‘utterly beautiful’.”
After checking into the guest house, Mr Mallett’s first stop was the village shop to buy midge repellent.
He then headed to Taynuilt Pier where he painted a landscape of Loch Etive.
Talking about Timmy Mallett in Taynuilt, Ruairidh added: “I didn’t even know he was famous.
“He had a flag attached to the back of his bike, it said ‘Timmy Mallett travel of a lifetime’ and that’s when I clicked.
“The first thing he said when he arrived was, ‘I need to do something about these midgies,’ before he even got his bag up the stairs he wanted to go to the shop to get some midge spray.
Water colour and midges… Hmmmmm
This is the result!#thecyclingartist #roundbritain pic.twitter.com/PYw5AnJAB7— Timmy Mallett (@TimmyMallett) June 6, 2022
“He didn’t tell me who he was when he first arrived. He went out and did a painting on the pier and when he came back I told him – I know who you are now!
“Timmy asked me, ‘did it take you that long?’
“He told me that the reason he came here was because a friend of his stayed in April. She also recommended the cycle route.
“He wasn’t looking for any star treatment. All he wanted was a couple of rolls on sausage, Linda McCartney ones because he is vegetarian, with egg on them.”
Mr Mallett has published a memoir, following the journey of a two-month bike ride through France and Spain four years ago, taking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route.
Conversation