Cowal is a land of quiet corners - beautiful and very much off-the-beaten-track. Rugged mountains such as Beinn an Lochan and Beinn Bhuidhe in the north give way to gentler hills, peaceful glens and a lovely coastline to the south. We should not see many people on the hills and we can often have the shore to ourselves too.
South-west Cowal has many prehistoric riches: a number of burial cairns and standing stones and also a wealth of iron age forts. Around here the views from the shores of Loch Fyne towards Arran's sharp peaks are dramatic, and the Kyles of Bute around Tighnabruaich are especially beautiful. Further north, near Strachur, we'll see medieval Castle Lachlan on its shore-side rock and can try to imagine the life of early christian monks at the ruins of Kilbride chapel.
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St. Blane's Chapel, Bute
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Across the Kyles (Gaelic 'caolas' = narrows), the Isle of Bute lies with its head tucked between two of Cowal's prongs while its tail seeks the open sea. A lovely sliver of land, Bute is a geological and scenic hybrid of highland and lowland. North of Rothesay and Loch Fad (Gaelic 'fada' = long) the hard highland schists of Cowal are continued on Bute, but the island's southern half is geologically lowland, except at its southernmost tip where the basalts of Garroch Head and St. Blane's Hill echo the ruggedness of the north. Our day on the island takes in this volcanic tail where steep little hills and rocky coasts look out to Arran's jagged skyline. Amongst the natural beauties are some man-made ones: the remains of mediaeval St. Blane's chapel, sitting serenely in a wooded hollow, offer a marked contrast with the ruined strength of a vitrified hill fort, less than a mile away above a rocky shore.
Wildlife
For those interested in wildlife, there are good numbers of mammal species throughout the peninsula, including red and roe deer, otters, red squirrels and pine marten. In the sea lochs are common seals, porpoises and otters. Encounters with mammals can be unpredictable, but, as our week will take us into a range of habitats, we will certainly see lots of birds. On the hills and moors, for example, we could come across curlew, snipe, raven, red grouse, ptarmigan and golden eagle (at least 3 pairs in Cowal). On one or two of the hill lochans there are red-throated divers. Woodland gives flycatcher and redstart, warblers, finches and tits, with buzzards soaring overhead and sometimes black grouse. The shore gives many species, amongst which oystercatcher and heron, with eider and merganser nearby, are constant presences, while in summer the call of the sandpiper is a special mark of the west highlands. Offshore we can see the spectacular knife-dive of a gannet on a feeding trip from the colony on Ailsa Craig.
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The programme day-by-day
A typical week, subject to variables such as the weather and any alterations to take account of lambing and deer stalking, could be as follows:
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Castle Lachlan, Loch Fyne
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Saturday
We meet in the afternoon in Glasgow (city or airport). From Glasgow to Strachur, near where you will be based for the week, takes a little under one and a half hours.
Sunday: Strachur and Strathlachlan
Our first day takes us amongst rugged little hills overlooking Loch Fyne and along its quiet shores where seals and sea birds live peacefully beside the ruins of an early Christian chapel, a medieval castle and an abandoned farming township.
This area, with its birch and oakwoods fringing open hill land has been the home of the clan MacLachlan since at least the 15th century. Other records suggest that they have been here much longer than that.
9-10 miles (14-16 km) and 1200 feet (380m) - on a mixture of track, path and hill.
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Above Loch Goil
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Monday: Loch Goil
We can choose from 2 possible walks.
Either an end-to-end walk taking us through wild hill country between Loch Fyne and Loch Goil. There are a number of different possible routes that we could take, but we'll be starting from Strachur and finishing at Lochgoilhead. We might climb to a hill top or traverse a remote pass: either way we will be crossing some rugged country, the home of ptarmigan and eagle, where few people normally go. Features of all routes, particularly the passes, are some attractive river sections where dippers can often be seen splashing in the stream to feed. On one line, the likeliest, there is a hill lochan and a magnificent waterfall.
The shortest and likeliest option for this walk will be about 7 miles (11 km) with 1100 feet (340 m) of climbing.
The other walk we can do is in the Ardgoil hills which dominate the village of Lochgoilhead and command glorious views over the length of a beautiful sea loch - Loch Goil. The most rugged of these hills - the Steeple - belies its 1280 feet (380m): with its silver-grey cliffs of schist, steep slopes and several landslip caves it has the feel of a much bigger mountain. By the way, the landslides happened at the end of the ice age, 10 000 years ago, so there's no likelihood that anything's going to fall on your head today!).
We may also walk part of the old track known locally as the 'Duke's Path' (once a major route for the Dukes of Argyll between their Inveraray home and the Lowlands); from it we can climb any one of a number of hills, small or large, depending on the weather and the fitness of the party - whatever our choice, the views will be good, with a high possibility of seeing a herd of red deer.
The minimum of this option is 5 miles/8 km only, with a little over 1300ft /400m of ascent, but there is some steep (and quite a lot of rough) going. If we go well, we may cover up to twice this distance and height.
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On the slopes of Ben Lomond
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Tuesday: Loch Lomond
We will take the passenger ferry across Loch Lomond to Rowardennan on the eastern shore. Loch Lomond is the largest fresh water loch of Scotland. The loch also crosses the highland fault line, noticeable in its changing character and more rugged terrain moving from south to north.
We will do a circular walk through Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and along open hillside of the slopes of Ben Lomond with spectacular views across Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alpes. Ben Lomond is a nature reserve, owned by the National Trust of Scotland.
7miles/11km, 1475ft/450m ascent.
If the group is very fit, we might even walk up Ben Lomond (974m/3193ft), the most southerly Munro in Scotland.
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Inveraray from the
watchtower at Dun na Cuaiche
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Wednesday: Ardkinglas House and Inveraray
Today is a gentler day. We're going west of Loch Fyne to Inveraray. We will have a tour of Ardkinglas House, designed and built in 1907 by Robert Lorimer one of Scotland's leading architects. Lorimer was allowed a free hand and the result is a large neo-baronial style mansion of over 80 rooms set in its own gardens.
Inveraray Castle, set in elegant planned grounds and beside the equally planned and equally elegant white-painted 18th century town, is well worth seeing and there are excellent walks in the estate. Perhaps the best of these - all on path and track - takes in the riverside and some varied woodland on its way to the 700 feet high (220m) top of Dun na Cuaiche. The view from the watchtower here is the very best there is of Inveraray, the castle and Loch Fyne.
Afterwards we will take a walk around the town, perhaps visiting the very good museum in the former jail and courthouse (accurate and interesting social history, not at all ghoulish tat). There is also an excellent museum at the old farming township of Auchindrain, a 15 minute drive away. There's nowhere better for gaining an insight into the life lived in the pre-clearance highland countryside.
The walk is about 4 miles (6km) and 700 feet (220m), depending on the detail of the route.
Thursday: Isle of Bute
Southwards, to-day, to the Isle of Bute, to its south end to see the wide seascapes of the lower Firth of Clyde, with views to Arran's wild mountains and to Ailsa Craig. The walk is a circular one along the coast past Glencallum Bay and Garroch Head, returning north across lava hills. Apart from the views, attractions include seals and seabirds, while those interested in history will particularly enjoy seeing the substantial ruins of a 12th century chapel with a much older early-Christian enclosure, both set in beautiful surroundings. The graveyard near the chapel includes a Viking hogback-style gravestone. There is also lots of geological interest along the shore.
6 to 8 miles (10 - 13 km) and up to 1000 feet (300m) depending on detailed variations on the day. Some rough going beside the shore, but otherwise mostly easy underfoot. Easy option of visiting Mount Stuart House instead; a glorious gothic palace in extensive wooded grounds.
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The Cobbler
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Friday: Arrochar Alps
Today's walk takes us to the summit of one mountains of the Arrochar Alps, as a fitting climax to our week. We've had a fairly gentle day on Thursday, so should be OK to make the most of today.
The Cobbler is one of the hills we might do. Superlatives are appropriate for this mountain with its dramatic rocky top. This is a real mountain walk with some scrambling. This will be a hard day, but one offering great rewards, with views far into Argyll and across Loch Lomond - weather permitting! - and a sense of achievement.
6 miles (9km) and 2990 feet (910m)
Note: If weather conditions are poor, we may take an alternative walk at lower level.
Alternative hills along Loch Eck side: Beinn Donich (easier), Beinn Mohr. The choice will depend on the group's fitness.
Saturday
After breakfast, we will take you back to Glasgow (city centre or airport).
Am I fit enough?
Our walking / hiking holidays are designed for people who are fit and used to walking all day. We will walk up to 11 miles (17 km) per day with on average 1000ft/300m ascent. On one day the ascent might be up to 3000ft/900m. There are 1 or 2 easier days. Our routes sometimes traverse pathless glens, climb mountains or thread remote passes. On most days as much of our time is spent off path as on it. Scotland can be very wild and tough going: 10 miles here is often much harder than 10 miles elsewhere. All that said, we don’t want to break any speed records, especially not when going uphill and you’ll have all the rewards of walking in one of the most beautiful and fascinating parts of the Highlands and Islands.
If you're still not sure whether or not you can cope after you've read this and the details of the week's programme, please get in touch to discuss it further.
Accommodation
You will be based in Strachur for the week. As with all About Argyll's holidays, this will be in carefylly selected accommodation, either a B&B or a hotel, as you prefer. You can rely on the quality of the accommodation that we find for you - its comfort, its food and the welcoming nature of those who run it.
Details of where you will be staying will be sent to you well in advance of your holiday.
Clothing and equipment
You will need to bring boots with a good tread that provide adequate ankle support, warm clothing, waterproofs (top and over-trousers) and a rucksack big enough for your spare clothes, a packed lunch and whatever else you normally like to have with you (binoculars, a camera, etc.). Boots are especially important. They don't have to be particularly heavy, but wearing ultra lightweight ones may mean your feet get wet and trainers definitely aren't adequate nor, on some of the rougher and steeper going, however short it may be, are they safe.
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Dates and prices for 2010
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Description
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8 days (Saturday to Saturday), accommodation in Strachur in carefully selected B&B or hotel.
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Walking
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6 to 11 miles (10 to 18 km) daily, with a mix of rough going and path. Four quite strenuous days, though not at a fast pace, and two gentler ones, with less ascent.
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Code
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Date
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B&B
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Hotel
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Comments
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| LL1 |
29 May - 5 June |
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£645.00
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£855.00
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single room supplement:
B&B £50.00
hotel £100.00 |
| LL2 |
24 - 31 July |
with English/German speaking guide |
| LL3 |
4 - 11 September |
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Groups of 4 or more can book other dates. Please ask.
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The price includes:
- The services of our well-qualified, well-informed and welcoming guide
- Small groups - usually between 4 and 8
- An attractive, well-thought-out walking programme
- Carefully selected accommodation - B&B or hotel, double/twin room - plus picnic lunches on walking days
- Transport by minibus and ferries, as needed, throughout your holiday, including evenings and from/to Glasgow/Glasgow airport at its beginning and end
- Get-togethers to set the scene for the next day
- Entrance fee to museums, if visited
For full details on booking and insurance, please click here.
