Just Coasting

Day 230 – Corran Ferry to Glengalmadale 13.5 miles 1185′ of ascent

Monday 5th September 2022

We packed up and left our Airbnb at 8.00 and headed to Appin where we retrieved Jill’s car. It seemed silly to drive it back to our B&B last night only to bring it back again today and so we had left it in the community car park at Appin overnight. We headed for Corran and were immediately waved on board the waiting ferry.

Once across, we headed to Glengalmadale; after six miles of “A” road, we turned onto the very windy, narrow “B” road. We left Jill’s car by the Steading at Glengalmadale and returned to Corran where we parked the car right next to the ferry and set off. It was about 10.30 when we started walking with the sun shining and a gentle breeze.

For the next two days we will be walking in a generally southerly direction as we get to the southern end of the Morvern Peninsula. Scotland has many wild places but three peninsulas are particularly recognised as being remote and relatively inaccessible; Morvern is the first, then comes Ardnamurchan and finally Knoydart.

The “A” road from Corran along Loch Linnhe

The first six miles are on a A road which runs by the sea. The traffic comes in intermittent groups related to the ferry disgorging cars and lorries. The few cars and lorries do come very fast but we were wearing hi-vis tops and kept our ears tuned for approaching vehicles. We heard then saw a colony of seals basking on an islet in the loch.

Tye A road was easy, quite pleasant walking

At Inversanda it was nonetheless a pleasure to turn onto the “B” road to Kingairloch which barely rates its “B” rating. It is narrow and has passing places and not a very good surface. More importantly for us, though; it had virtually no traffic.

After a short stiff climb over the slopes of Meall a’ Bhraghaid and past Lochan Doire Bhraghaid, the road follows the coast.

The road is squeezed into a narrow coastal margin of an average of 100m or so and we had great views back up Loch Linnhe towards Fort William; we may have been looking at Ben Nevis but I could not make a certain identification. We could see across the loch to where we had been walking yesterday and down the loch to Lismore and Mull. We took lots of photos because that is what you do when the sun shines but can I remember where they were taken? The old Viewranger app I used to use had a view in which the date stamp of anywhere along a recorded route could be viewed so all I had to do was to match the time when the photo was taken with the same time on the route record to pinpoint the location. Since the demise of Viewranger I have been unable to find anything which provides easy access to the time stamp in a GPX file.

We stopped for a late lunch and sat on rock just above the sea. After lunch we continued with more of the same.

At once point the route of the road has been cut into the rocks and there was an elderly parapet/wall on the seaward side but I think it would collapse if a vehicle hit it.

We arrived at Glenglamadale and the car feeling that it had been a very hot thirteen miles.

Now we just had to drive back along the narrow winding road to Ardgour and then take the main road to Lochaline where we are staying in a one bed apartment at the Old Fire Station and very nice it is too.

Day 229 – Appin to Corran Ferry 21 miles

Sunday 4th September 2022

We ferried one car to North Ballachulish and returned to Appin with the other car to resume walking. It was a wet, grey morning; the mountains were grey shadows and the lochs dull. We were all togged up in waterproofs and set off along the cycle path for Route 78. It makes for easy, mindless walking; there was very little view and I kept my head down to keep the rain off my glasses. We did officially enter the Highland region.

Sometimes the cycle path is on the seaward side of the road and we had glimpses of the water usually between the trees. We soon decided that it was easier to follow the cycle path pretty much regardless.

Near Dalnatrat I was surprised when we turned a little inland and started to climb. The OS map gave no indication of a route this way, though I found it on Google Maps. It was a bit of a long-cut, parallel with the road, but it did go through a nature reserve where they are re-habilitating wild cats and so that made it worth it.

The track was tarmac all the way and the forest was very densely planted and dark.

Even in September there were pleasing wildflowers by the main road.

Just before Duror we turned left up a no-through road to Cuil. From there a path contoured through a glen overlooking the sea to Ardsheal Farm and Ardsheal Hotel. The path was not difficult to follow but, even though it was wet and muddy, it made a welcome change from tarmac.

Ardsheal Farm is actually a holiday let as were two other neighbouring houses. All of them were unoccupied. We wandered onto the patio of the farm to admire the view and there was a rather welcoming patio table and chairs. It seemed rude not pull out a couple of their patio chairs and eat our lunch enjoying the view.

We borrowed a a deserted patio for our lunch.

Across Loch Linnhe to Inversanda Bay which is on tomorrow’s walk

After lunch we continued along the tarmac track until we reached Ballachulish.

The sun broke through the cloud like a spotlight on the Ballachulish Bridge

We crossed on the steel bridge which was opened in 1975 to replace the ferry. From there it was just a few hundred yards to the car.

View from Ballachulish Bridge towards Corran and Morven

Since it was only just gone 15:30 we decided to extend the walk. Jill drove the car to the Corran Ferry and I walked there.

Jill parked the car at the Corran Ferry and walked back to Ballachulish

Meanwhile Jill started to walk back to Ballachulish and we crossed somewhere in the middle.

We crossed roughly halfway; we were walking fast having left our day-sacks in the car.

When I got to Corran, I drove the car back to Ballachulish where Jill joined me bearing ice creams she had bought at the nearby garage; the afternoon had steadily improved and it was now a glorious sunny day and 20 degrees. It was worthwhile getting the extra four miles walked today and since it was just a rather tedious road walk it didn’t really matter that one of us had walked it in the opposite direction.

Day 228 – Benderloch to Appin (Accrosrigan) 16.5 miles

Saturday 3rd September 2022

Last night it rained heavily. Fortunately it was the rain that had been forecast for us today and so, with it moving through earlier than expected, we had a largely dry day excepting for the last few minutes.

We drove to Benderloch and, after getting sandwiches from the famous “pink shop” (which is a village store not a gay shop but is painted pink), we started walking.

We got onto the cycle path National Cycle Network Route 78 which goes to Fort William. The path is next to or close to the main A828 road. The road is not that busy or at least it was not on a Saturday morning. Even so the tarmac of the cycle track was preferable. There was not a much of interest all the way to Dallachullish where we crossed Loch Creran and very soon we were in an almost trance-like state. Soon after starting I was drawn to a roadside stall. We have seen plenty of roadside “eggs for sale” stands with honesty boxes. However, this was a stand selling fresh oysters which were in a cool box complete with an honesty box for payment.

An attractive church conversion near Benderloch

We were woken from our walking reverie by a voice with an American accent calling out. Looking back we could see a woman in a recumbent trike coming along behind. She was well set-up with flashing lights which I think is really important for recumbents. As she passed she called, “Two more to follow.” A few minutes later, a second cyclist appeared riding a traditional cycle and she said, “Hello” in an American accent as she cycled past. There was no sign of the third member of their party. We continued on and I had forgotten that there were three cyclists and so, when another female cyclist went past, I said, “Haven’t you gone past us once already?” to which she replied in perfect American that she was the third of their party. A few moments later she stopped and came back to chat to us. She had seen my “Just Coasting” sign on my rucksack and was keen to learn more. Even though she (Anne Doyle, annedoylebiking.com) was some considerable time behind her colleagues, she chose to walk with us for a few minutes and we chatted about our respective trips and discussed walking and cycling particularly as we age. That was pleasant interlude.

A short distance across the Dallachullish Bridge and we turned left to follow around the rather square Appin Peninsula. This road was a single-track road with passing places but there were relatively few vehicles. As we walked we got glimpses of the sea and a slightly confusing mixture of headlands and islands that interlock so that they look like a continuous band of land.

A four-wheel drive of the sort that looks like a golf buggy came towards us and we stepped out of the way but it stopped right by us and the male driver of similar age to us asked about our walk around the coast. I asked how he knew about and he said he had passed us in a different vehicle some way back and he had noticed my “Just Coasting” sign. We had the usual exchanges and then I remarked that he and his wife did not sound local. He came from Woburn but his wife was an Edinburgher. We said we were from Aylesbury and he related how he used to go to the Friar’s Music Club which was very much “the club” for up and coming musicians (David Bowie, Genesis et al) in the 1970s when we lived there.

We then walked around the little peninsula that projects from Port Appin. It has a large natural arch at the far end which is not marked on my old the OS map but is on more recent versions – perhaps the earlier surveyors didn’t spot it. We sat nearby and had lunch.

The joy of a comfortable bench for a lunch break

The lighthouse on Sgeir Bhuidhe of Port Appin

Shortly after resuming after lunch the rain started rather sporadically so we donned waterproofs and then sheltered in a shop in Port Appin. In Port Appin we were bombarded with interest by a car load of Americans who seemed in awe of our efforts and we bumped into them three or four times in the short walk through Port Appin.

Then we had an easy walk along the road and then along a cycle track over the Jubilee footbridge over a river estuary and to Castle Stalker (which is a popular subject for photographs and paintings) and then up to the A828 and our car.

Day 227 – Kilmore to Benderloch 18.5 miles 323’ of ascent

Friday 2nd September 2022

We dropped one car at Benderloch and then drove back to the village hall at Kilmore.

The first four miles or so were on the A861 and it was quite narrow, quite hilly, quite bendy and had quite a lot of traffic. So we had hi-vis tops on and Jill had a flashing red cycle lamp on her rucksack. It kept us on our toes, listening for approaching vehicles and timing when to jump onto the verge where there was one. Concentrating like that made the miles slip past and soon we reached the the start of the pavement that runs into Oban.

We turned off before reaching Oban to pass behind the hospital to Gleann Shealeach and so we were going south rather than north. This brought us past a radio transmitter station and down to the shore of the Sound of Kerrera where the road goes past the Kerrera ferry terminal and eventually into Oban.

We have been to Oban many times before. It is an important ferry terminal for the islands and so always seems to be busy. However, the centre of the town now has a rather rundown feel to it. I suspect its finest hour was back in the 1920s and 30s. We picked up a couple of items of shopping we needed and bought filled rolls for lunch and continued northwards along the sea front. The north end is definitely the smarter part of town with attractive hotels and guest houses, probably late Victorian or Edwardian.

The road we were following is a no through road to Ganavan and as you approach Ganavan there is a “Millionaire’s Row” of smart, newer houses.

Being a dull day, the beach at Ganavan was empty but most of the benches were occupied with people having their lunch. We took the only remaining bench and settled in for our lunch.

For the next section I had planned a route around the cliffs to Dunbeg. No paths were marked on the OS maps but satellite images showed a number of paths on the headland and so it seemed it ought to be a goer.

There was a wide, grassy path leading away from the beach and also a tarmac National Cycle Route. The grassy path gave me optimism. A local dog walker appeared coming towards us and so I stopped to ask whether the headland could be walked around. He quite categorically said it was not possible unless we were prepared to cross a “crevice”. I think that was Scots pronunciation for a “crevasse”. He explained it would be a good leap and that it was 60’ deep and not something he would try. Jill’s knee means she is not confident about doing much leaping especially across a 60′ crevasse so that was a non-starter. (Since then I have looked back at aerial photos and other walkers’ blogs and I think we were mis-informed because other walkers have certainly gone that way.)

We followed the cycle route which went over the headland but more inland and soon came to Dunbeg where we had to walk along the verge of the A85. This is the main trunk route from Glasgow to Oban and it has plenty of traffic. It is not especially wide and so the central white line and the white line at the edge of the road are rumble strips to help keep motorists on the carriageway.

Fortunately we only had about a mile and a half of this torment before we took a long cut along the “old road” and when we came back the A85 just before Connel there was a pavement.

We stopped for some coffee on a bench overlooking the mouth of Loch Etive. Loch Etive is a sea loch and at Connel there is a narrowing and a natural weir under the Connel Bridge. The falls can flow in either direction depending on the state of the tide which must be a rare thing in the world of waterfalls. Today it was falling out to sea since the tide was going out.

We made a rather circuitous route to the bridge because I was under the impression that there were pedestrian access steps – there are not. Just follow the road. Connel bridge was a rail bridge which was adapted to carry cars by making, in effect, a long level crossing so it carried either cars or trains but not at the same time. When the branch line was closed it became exclusively a road bridge.

Once across the bridge, there is a cycle path which we followed all the way to Benderloch. We went past the Oban Airport Terminal which is new and smart. I wondered if there was really enough air traffic to justify an airport but I see that it services Islay, Colonsay and Tiree.

Benderloch has a café-cum-bookshop but of course it was closed when we arrived so we just headed back to Kilmore to collect the car.

Day 226 – Kilmelford to Kilmore 17.8 miles 565’ of ascent

Thursday 1st September 2022

We left one car at Kilmore village hall, the end of today’s walk and drove back to Kilmelford and left the other car at their village hall. Then we set off down the road towards Melfort where there is a harbour and marina for smart boats. It was a clear, sunny day and warming up fast. The road is a single track road with passing places and it seemed remarkably busy for the first couple of miles. We had good views over Loch Melfort.

A wonderfully still day looking over Loch Melfort

At Kilchoan House there was a lot of activity and the noise of a helicopter winding up disturbed the peace. I have no idea if it was a business or pleasure activity going on but we watched as it took off and disappeared in a southerly direction.

The public road ends after 5.5 miles just before Dagnish. Here we took an established estate track that climbed up and over the peninsula to drop down to the sea just south of Ardmaddy Castle.

Seil Island in the mid ground and Mull in the distance

Ardmaddy Bay in the foreground, then Seil Sound and Seil Island, then Firth of Lorne and Mull in the distance

The gardens at Ardmaddy are open to the public but with a long walk still to go we decided to miss out on visiting the gardens.

From here, we were on tarmac and were for the rest of the walk. It was pleasant enough walking up the lane to join the B844 at about ten miles into our walk. This B road services Seil Island which is joined to the mainland by a bridge – Clachan Bridge – and to the island of Luing which has the more tenuous link of a ferry from Seil. This just meant the road had a significant amount of tourist and other traffic.

We were disappointed to see quite a lot of Japanese knotweed though we did also see some vans of a specialist weed killer firm and so some efforts are underway to try and eradicate it.

We were more than ready for lunch but there was a lack of any bum-perches until we were opposite Loch Seil where we made do with a grassy bank of the right height, shaded by some overhanging trees and we settled in for lunch.

After lunch we continued along the road to Kilinver and thence to the A816 which challenged us for the next three miles. Generally it is quite wide and has reasonably good sight-lines but that just means that the traffic, when it comes, comes fast. Oddly our nearest mishap was a “little old lady” who drove not too fast at all leaning forward with both hands firmly on the steering wheel. Either she failed to see me or ignored me (despite me waving my arms at her) and did not move out at all.

We did have some good views over Loch Feochan

We made it to the village in one piece, retrieved the car and went back for the other car and headed off to our next B&B in Dunbeg just north of Oban.

Day 225 – Kilmartin to Kilmelford 17.7 miles 558’ of ascent

Wednesday 31st August 2022

Today’s walk had a choice, either we could walk the main A816 road from Kilmartin to Ardfern or we could walk through the forest on good estate tracks to Ormaig and then, where the track runs out, find our way through the forest and on to open ground beyond and thereby back to the A816 just before Ardfern. The main problem with the first option is that the A816 climbs via a very bendy route and part of the descent is enclosed between concrete walls leaving no refuge for walkers if vehicles come from both directions at the same time.

Photo taken on our way back showing why walking along the A816 could be hazardous.

Though not a very busy “A” road the lorries and cars seem to come very fast and are not familiar with seeing walkers and neither do they apparently know how to pass them safely. Taking the off-road route would mean we could visit the cup and ring marked stones at Ormaig, the big downside being getting through un-pathed forest until we reach the open ground. We know a couple of walkers have followed this route but that was back in 2018 and a lot of forest can grow in the four years since then but we nonetheless decided to try the off-road route.

The walk along the estate track from Kilmartin was pretty simple. There is an excellent compressed grit track and it was not too badly hemmed in by trees and so it was really quite enjoyable.

These stacks of timber have been there for several years

Euroforest is the UK’s largest timber harvesting company.

After about 5 miles we came to Ormaig and the neolithic stone art. Ormaig is not a village but a single dwelling and some farmland and I was not convinced that the house had been occupied recently. The rock art really is magnificent and nearly as good as that at Auchenbrek but all the better for being deserted.

Half a mile later the track, which was now solely a forestry track and having left the only habitation at Ormaig, ends abruptly. There is a neat, T-shaped turning area on a level platform and then nothing but forest. I had surveyed aerial images of the area which made it look fairly easy to walk through but it is difficult to know how old the images are and aerial pictures are tricky to interpret.

When we reached the end of the track, my heart sank because there was thick scrub and woodland hard up to the edge of the track with no obvious way through at all.

The end of the track; our target is a track at the base off the crag ahead.

So for any walkers intending to follow this route this is how to do it, at least this is how we got through. I would recommend having a small pair of loppers with you.

From the end of the track we went to the left-hand stub of the turning area and forced our way through the young birch forest and bracken that was growing exuberantly. The land falls away quite steeply. Ahead I could see two or three wooden power pylons and I guessed these went through the firebreak I was aiming for. Jill took the lead, determined to press on after I said I thought we might need to walk the four miles back to tackle the A road instead. After heading down a steepish bank and across a boggy area, we came to what appeared to be the last pylon of the line which did not make sense. In fact the power line drops over a bit of a cliff and disappeared into the trees. Getting down this cliff presented a problem. We scouted into the mature woodland but the cliff was higher there. We came back to the wooden pylon and a few yards on the east side we found a place where the cliff was only about 6 ft high and covered in grass and almost had foot holds. As we clambered down we could see that some of the turf had been kicked out, indicating someone had passed this way in recent weeks.

Once down, we got through to the old firebreak and walked under the line of the pylons until fallen trees blocked our way and the power cable was dragged down beneath them. We skirted around the tree roots on the right-hand side and entered mature forest which was surprisingly easy to walk because the rows of trees were straight and most of the lower branches were absent. Soon we came to an old drystone wall. I would happily have climbed over the wall to a quad bike track on the other side but Jill’s female intuition and a dubious path dictated that we should follow along the wall to our left. Then, through the trees, I could see what looked like fence post leaning against the wall which I thought might have been used as an aid to crossing the wall. When we got closer it was apparent that we were looking at a bit of ladder side on. It was a short aluminium ladder propped against the wall. There was no ladder on the other side. With the aid of the ladder we were soon over the wall. How very curious that someone should bring a ladder deep into the woods to cross this wall. One must assume the intention was to cross the wall a number of times but presumably only in one direction or more likely they swing the ladder over to get down the other side and then pass the ladder back to hide it. Poachers perhaps?

On the grassy track on the far side of the wall

We were happy to be on a grassy track running across rough pasture on the hillside.

We joined the road at exactly the place where Jill propped her bike when we cycled from Land’s End to John o’ Groats

Jill’s bike beside gate at Loch Craignish in 2009

We were soon back at the A816, right opposite a standing stone and yet another chambered cairn and so we went across ostensibly to have a look but really we thought it would be a good place to sit and have coffee.

There were some cows with their very young calves in the field but they were not in the least worried by us.

Looking back; we emerged from the forest on the left a grassy track around the side of the crag.

After coffee we walked about ¾ mile along the A816 to the turn off to Ardfern. Now it was safe walking along a quiet road.

Ardfern is a pleasant village with an “active” feel to it. It has a marina with some pretty expensive looking yachts in it.

We tuned up a road past the school to a track that took us across the peninsula to Lunga; Lunga comprised a large house with many estate holiday cottages.

We walked on and came to Craobh Haven where we sat on a convenient bench and ate our lunch. We had a great view over the bay out to the islands of Shuna and Luing. The sun streamed down on us and it felt very hot though in reality I doubt if the temperature even reached 20 degrees. The village looks slightly artificial as indeed it is; it was constructed as a holiday village in 1983.

The village of Craobh Haven was built in 1983 though it looks more like 1930s

After lunch we had about a mile of firm track along the bay to bring us to the A816 once more. We put on our high visibility waistcoats and psyched ourselves up for walking along the main road again; we had about five miles to go. It was an exercise in listening for traffic and then getting onto the verge where available. One or two vehicles got very close.

If we stepped onto the verge that seemed to give them licence not to move out at all. On one occasion a car overtook another car right next to us probably going nearly 70 mph. I guess the driver had not actually seen us when pulled out to overtake; anyway it seemed much too close for comfort.

There was one lighter moment for us when a pine marten crossed the road ahead of us. It was too quick and distant to get a camera out. We did also have some good views over Loch Melfort.

At last we came to Kilmelford and found the car safely at the village hall. We knew we would again be too late for tea at Kilmartin so drove on a little further into the village where we hoped we might get a cup of tea at the café above the village shop – we had stopped there for morning coffee on our cycle through Kilmelford in 2009.

Sadly the café, now vegan, was closed but the shop itself was able to provide ice creams and take-away teas so we sat on the bench outside to enjoy those before heading back to Kilmartin.

Day 224 – Bellanoch to Kilmartin 6.4 miles 418′ of ascent

Tuesday 30th August 2022

We stayed at our cottage in Cumbria last night and drove to Bellanoch this morning. We are trying new logistics this time. The buses were really not going to work out very well (if at all) and so we have brought two cars with us rather than a car and a bike; Jill was concerned that the distances and hills involved for me to cycle back to the car at the end of some of the walks would be too demanding and take too long. Using two cars is a bit profligate in these days of inflation and high fuel prices but we are in the fortunate position of being able to do so and, for this part of Scotland’s west coast, needs must.

A very straight roads across the salt marsh

We drove to Kilmartin, left one car there then headed back to Bellanoch where we squeezed into the last parking space by the canal bridge and headed off at about 2pm with about six miles to walk. The first couple of miles was across the salt marshes which form a large area at the head of Loch Crinan. On the far side we followed the road to Duntrune Castle but turned off by the lodge. Some walkers have gone on past the castle and forged their own path above Loch Craignish but we are not quite up for that level of adventure.

We followed a slightly overgrown path past an old fort that was completely obscured by trees. Just as I was mentioning to Jill that there was a chambered cairn somewhere hereabouts, we came into a field and there it was right ahead of us. We had a look around and I remarked how nice it was to see the burial site with no railings, information boards or tourists. We had a good nose around and moved on.

A mile or two further and I said we would pass another chambered cairn and a stone circle. These were grander affairs and had all the trappings of an historic monument including a minibus of tourists parking in front of the “No Parking” sign and disgorging a number of middle-aged and elder folk, too lazy to walk from the official car park that we had used to eat our lunch.

The afternoon turned out to be tour de force of prehistoric monuments because, after that, there were at least three other chambered cairns on our route. I never cease to be amazed by the activity of these stone-age folk and cannot get my head around how apparently slowly their civilisation developed.

This restored chambered cairn has a lid and a rooflight.

We came into Kilmartin just too late to get a cup of tea at Lucy’s Cabin and so we headed back to pick up the other car and then ferried it up to Kilmelford, the end of tomorrow’s walk and drove back to our B&B in Lochgilphead.

Day 223 Barnluasgan to Bellanoch 14.8 miles 1317′ of ascent

Friday 5th August 2022

Today is the last day of this session and we have an almost circular walk with only a couple of miles between the beginning and end. Then we head back to Cumbria for a night on our way back to Yorkshire.

We left the bike padlocked to the railings by the canal bridge at Bellanoch and drove to the car park at Barnluasgan. The uppermost peninsula of Knapdale that we are walking around today splits at Tayvallich and two fingers project southward. There is a road going down each finger some distance but there is no alternative way back and so they cannot be walked around in any meaningful way. Sometimes I think it would be interesting to walk down some of the peninsulas even though we would have to return by the same route, however, we need to keep getting round the coast if we are to finish this project. At Tayvallich the peninsula is less than half a mile wide and so we will cut across there and follow tracks up the west side.

We left Barnluasgan at about 8.10 and we followed the B road to Tayvallich. It is a single track road with passing places but early in the morning there was not very much traffic and it is a dead-end road. The local authority dust-cart went past us and a little later it stopped on its return. I was amused to see the driver hop out and trot down to the loch side and take a photo of the beautiful, still Caol Scotnish. Caol means narrow or slender as indeed this narrow strip of water is. Presumably today was particularly photogenic or perhaps it was a new driver overawed by the beauty of his new round.

Caol Scotnish ends at Tayvallich harbour. Tayvallich is a popular village with a remarkable natural harbour. The overall harbour is neatly tucked into the side of the loch protecting it from the sea but almost dividing the harbour are a couple of rocky promontories and rocky islets making the inner harbour completely protected from rough seas. There were a good number of sailing craft and this helps the village support a pub/restaurant and a shop/tearoom. In addition there a number of galleries. We stopped at the tearoom and had coffee and a scone.

From Tayvallich we had a short, almost level, walk across the peninsula to Carsaig.

From here a forestry track vaguely follows the west side of the peninsula. Unfortunately being a forestry track it is for the most part hemmed in by trees and therefore views were largely absent.

As we walked I saw three highland cattle cross the track, I assumed on a cross track. They had something around their necks which were not bells and so I guess they may had been GPS trackers. When I got to the point where they had crossed there was no sign of them. There was no cross track and no evidence of damage to the vegetation. The cattle had just disappeared into the forest leaving no indication of their presence.

Sometimes we had rather distant views of the sea

We were briefly on the coast near Dounie

Above Ardnoe Point at the north end of this peninsula there is a view-point complete with two picnic benches and an information board. We were looking across to Jura and Scarba and between them is the notorious Gulf of Corryvreckan and its whirlpool, which is the third largest in the world and very dangerous. When the tide is flowing fast the roar of the whirlpool can be heard from Ardnoe Point, indeed Wikipedia records that it can be heard 10 miles away.

The view across Loch Crinan and the entrance to the Crinan Canal

We paused for our lunch on the benches and enjoyed the sunshine, breeze and views. Continuing along the track for half a mile or so brought us to a path which descends steeply to the shore and then follows it into Crinan.

The chimney for the pyroligneous acid works.

At Crinan Harbour we passed this wonderful chimney and I have subsequently discovered that it is a scheduled monument. It was the chimney for the pyroligneous acid works. As its name clearly indicates that was the process of distilling wood to make crude acetic acid which was used as a mordaunt in the Glasgow calico-dyeing industry.

We followed a path to the hotel and the entrance to the Crinan canal. Formerly it had two locks giving access to the sea but now one gate has been concreted leaving a berth on the canal side. The other lock is very much active. Being the height of summer there were a good number of boats going along the canal. The canal is nine miles long, has fifteen locks and seven bridges and takes a day to transit; for £13.50 for a single transit seems like very good value. It seems that these days it is only operational during the summer season.

The twin entrances to the Crinan Canal; only the nearer one is useable.

Several years ago when I cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats, we cycled along the Crinan Canal (towpath of course, we don’t walk on water, let alone cycle on it) from Lochgilphead to Bellanoch. Today we walked from the west end to Bellanoch and so we have pretty much traversed the entire length of the canal.

Open (for boats) swing bridge at Bellanoch

The towpath is a formal surfaced path and so it was easy going and we soon came to the swing bridge at Bellanoch which was open for a boat to pass along the canal when we arrived and so we sat on a bench and had the remains of our lunch and chatted to a female cyclist who was heading to the passenger ferry from Tayvallich to Jura.

Once we had finished our coffee, I got on my bike and headed up the hill to Barnluasgan and retrieved the car. Then we settled in for the long drive back for an overnight stop in Cumbria with Joe, Natalie (and Frank), glad to be using the time for heading home rather than sitting around in Ardrishaig and spending another night at the disappointing Grey Gull Inn.

Day 222 – Balimore to Barnluasgan 13.6 miles 1000′ of ascent

Thursday 4th August 2022

Today we were going to continue going around the middle peninsula of the three Knapdale Peninsulas. There are no buses around here and so we will again be using my bike to retrieve our car.

We drove around to Balimore where we finished last night but down the west side of the peninsula because there is no connecting public road around the tip between Ellary and Balimore. (We did that walk there-and-back yesterday.)

The car park at Balimore where we turned round yesterday

We left the bike at Achnamara by the village hall and continued on to Balimore and left the car in the car park there. There had been rain overnight but it was a bright, clear morning with a gentle, cool breeze though the sea looked flat. The walk would be entirely along the road but the road is a very minor B road with passing places and we encountered very few cars.

Such a beautiful morning looking across to Jura

The road descended gradually to the village of Kilmory which has no sign post to announce the village; just a finger post directing to Kilmory Chapel. As we passed through at 9.00 it all looked deserted though when I cycled back through the village at noon there were cars squeezed into passing places and lots of activity on the beach.

There was obviously water in the air somewhere

We had clear views across to Jura, though rain must have been in the air because there was a rainbow.

We passed Castle Sween which had the sunlight on it. It is part of the Ellary Estate and has a large holiday home park and so we did not venture any closer.

Castle Sween ( note the return of Heras fencing to historic monuments)

The road runs quite close to the shoreline and so we had quite good views all morning. We stopped for coffee and perched on some rocks above the beach.

Jill suggested that after coffee, it would be more efficient if I walked on at my own slightly faster pace to where we had left the bike and then head back up to retrieve the car. I pressed on and came into Achnamara at about midday. It took a few minutes to unlock the bike and pack things I didn’t want into my daypack and padlock it with my cycle-lock to a sign post.

I set off but I was only ¼ mile up the road before I met Jill. We had a brief exchange and I pedalled on since I had about 10 ½ miles to cycle back to the car.

The cycle was quite pleasant in the sunshine though a bit of a breeze had picked up and the surface of the loch definitely had waves on it whereas before it had been flat.

A Roberts Cycle; they don’t make them any more.

I was back at the car shortly before 13.00 and half an hour later I was back with Jill. We drove to the car park at Barnluasgan and left the bike there padlocked to a tree then drove back to Achnamara and parked the car by the village hall and started the 3½ mile walk to the end of the route at Barnluasgan.

The miles slipped by quite quickly with little of interest. Once back at the bike I hopped on and pedalled back to get the car.

It may seem a bit complicated using bike to get us between parts of the walk but it seems to have worked for us when buses are not an option and taxi firms seem to be non-existent.

The tiny village of Achnamara, where I left the bike first of all came to my notice the following morning as I was listening to Radio Four and happened to hear the racing tips when a horse called Achnamara was tipped to win at Newmarket. It came in fourth out of four. I hope that is not an omen.

Day 221 – Achahoish to Balimore 12.6 miles 1300′ of ascent

Wednesday 3rd August 2022

Today was a slightly complicated day logistically so; please concentrate! We would drive to Achahoish Church and leave my bike there and then drive on to Achahoish school where we finished last night (we walked an extra four miles yesterday). We would then walk to the bike at Achahoish Church and I would cycle back to Achahoish school to the car and bring the car and bike to Ellary where I would leave the bike and drive back to Achahoish Church. We would then walk to Ellary where the road ends and follow an estate track to Balimore, where the public road running down the west side of the peninsula beside Loch Sween, starts (or finishes). We would then turn back to retrace our steps to Ellary, I would cycle back to Achahoish Church to get the car returning to Ellary to pick Jill up and the rucksacks before returning to our hotel. I hope you have followed and understood that. I am not going to repeat myself but you can re-read it.

We awoke to wind and rain and the prospects did not look good. We drove to Achahoish Church, locked the bike to a tree and drove on to Achahoish school two miles away. We started off; Jill chose to carry her rucksack but I left mine in the car so Jill suggested that I might as well walk on ahead of her to the bike so I could return to get the car all the sooner. This I did. As I cycled past her, Jill she said that she might as well just keep walking on past Achahoish Church towards Ellary and I could catch up with her in my own time. So I pedalled my way to the school, put the bike on the back of the car and started to drive to Ellary. It then occurred to me that, if I could find a space to park the car near Ellary, I could cycle the bike back to Achahoish Church and start walking again to catch up with Jill and the car would be at the end of the walk. I could still leave my rucksack in the car as we would rendezvous there for coffee. I passed Jill and paused to explain the change to the Grand Plan. I drove on to Ellary where I managed to squeeze the car well off the road and I started my ride back to Achahoish Church to re-padlock the bike to its tree. When I started back from there on foot I was was probably 2-3 miles behind Jill but, as agreed, she would wait for me at the car.

It all worked well. We set off from the car for the second time at about 11.30. We were going to walk through to Balimore on the other side of the peninsula where the public road starts/ends. Tomorrow we can then drive to the road end at Balimore to resume our walk.

Ellary, the big house is hidden by the trees.

There is a gate across the track and it had a rather amateur sign saying “Road Closed.” We were not dismayed because we were only walking through (such signs are of course to deter motor vehicles) and continued on our way.

The path ascends in a zig-zag up the hill side. It is a fairly easy path being twin-tarmac strips obviously laid many years ago. Partway up there was memorial bench to a couple who holidayed there often. Further on there was a picnic bench overlooking Loch Meadhonach.

Another mile on, and we could hear a digger; as we got closer we could see barriers on the track and a second digger. As we approached, we could see that an old bridge was being replaced and at the moment there appeared to be just a cattle grid supported on two girders across the void.

We reached the new grid and waited until the digger driver on the opposite side stopped and got out of his cab and we asked if we might cross. He indicated that we could go ahead. I crossed first. The cattle grid had flat topped rungs with perpendicular ties between alternate rungs. I found crossing not too bad but the rungs were quite widely spaced and inevitably watching my feet meant that I could see through to the river rushing through the gorge three metres below me.

The metal grid was wet from the rain and my shoes did not grip well. There was no parapet or handrail. Jill followed but after one step onto the grid, she baulked. Jill does not have a good sense of balance and hates stepping stones and crossing streams. Encouragement was not going get Jill across but she spotted a sheet of chipboard (it had probably been used for shuttering) on the bank beside me and and asked if we could lay that across the cattle grid. It was not long enough to span the entire grid but it was just enough that Jill only need take a single step on the cattle grid each end of the piece of wood.

The workman looked on with some amusement and when we said that we would be returning this way, he explained that after lunch he would be laying concrete right across the approach to the cattle grid which would probably make it impassable. We explained that we had about 1½ miles to get to the road end where we would turn around and return immediately and so we would be back within the hour.

The remains of the old “bridge” – also a cattle grid but with cylindrical bars which would have been even more challenging

We walked on fast to reach the road at Balimore and turned round immediately and headed back. En route the workman passed us on a quad bike and so we guessed he was going off for his lunch and had not started concreting yet.

We turned around and headed straight back

On the return trip we repeated the process with the piece of shuttering and got Jill across safely. If she had not felt able to cross then we would have had to walk the mile and a half each way from the road end at the start of tomorrow’s walk but this was one of very few obstacles that really had nearly “stopped us in our tracks”.

We then walked about a mile to the picnic bench and settled in for lunch over-looking Loch Meadhonach which looks like a lily pond. Then it was just a twenty minute stroll back to the car.