It is fair to say that our 2 week Scottish adventure didn’t really get off the the best of starts or the best of weather. We had been lulled into a false sense of security by the great week of weather towards the end of March- we had iddilic images of barefoot walks on the beach in shorts and T-shirts. Without giving too much away, the shorts remained in the cupboard, the walking shoes and boots were well worn and merino base-layers were the order of most days and nights!
Having dropped into see Mum before we departed in Yorkshire, our route north was a favourite one through the Yorkshire Dales heading for the M6. We made an impromptu stop off at the Ribblehead viaduct as the evening sunset was so beautiful- the benefits of the campervan is that we stayed the night and enjoyed one of our favourite places- just because we could.
Onwards and northwards we headed, via Sedburgh- a potential relocation village for us when we sell up and retire early in September. It didn’t disappoint in the spring sunlight- looking iddilic as the village prepared for the busier months of summer visitors. We were intrigued as to how quickly we could get to the Scottish border from this potential future base- 60 minutes to Scotland, 15 minutes to the Lake District and situated in the Yorkshire Dales National Park- we think our decision is made about where we want to live next year!
Heading into the Dumfries & Galloway peninsular, Jackie had spotted a great set of wild camps on the Park for the night App in the Galloway forest around Loch Doon. We knew we had a bit of time as our ferry to Arran wasn’t booked until the Tuesday. As we turned off the main road north, we could not believed what we found- we felt in absolute wilderness on the shores of the hidden Loch within minutes- we could have been in one of the most northern regions of the Highlands, but yet were so close to the border. Down the single track road we pootled, past the osprey viewing point and eventually, a few miles later, at the dead end of the road at the ruins of Doon Castle. Having scoped out various wild camping spots along the way, we chose what we thought was the best, at the head of the loch, in an elevated position sheltered by a sheer rock face. The weather broke early and we hunkered down for the night in an uber-cosy location as the storm passed overhead.
We knew the forcast for the next 24 hours was pretty wet, so after a blustery start, we headed straight for the port at Ardrossan ready for the early sailing the following day. We chose a harbour parkup at Saltcoats- a small neighbouring town to Ardrossan. It was not the prettiest, a typically shabby coastal town, but it did have a Witherspoons pub for beers and a cheeky laptop charge! Giving credit where credit is due, it was a ridiculously peaceful parkup considering it was in the centre of the town. In a much more urban environment that we are normally use to, we were never bothered once and had a very peaceful night.
Another wet and windy start saw us up early, excited for the adventures ahead on the island- even Jackie was keen to get going! When we pulled up at the port, things didn’t look good. Our ferry to Arran was cancelled- in fact all ferries to Arran were cancelled for the day. The Cal-Mac staff were wonderful, but very clear in their advice that there were no slots available on any ferries for the next 48 hours, with very few available thereafter in the lead up to the Easter break- a significant change of plan was required. After quickly reevaluating our plans in the Asda carpark, we headed north for the luxury of cheap showers and a water top-up at one of our favourite locations in Scotland- the Kings House in Glen Coe.
The weather didn’t abate one bit, in fact it got wilder. After a pint, we hunkered down for the night on the moors behind the Kings House- enjoying the wonders of a warm van with full 4G signal for a night of streamed movies. Our initial pla was then to put our route in reverse, heading for Oban via the coastal route that we had never explored and then continuing further south to Kintire and at some point look to catch the mini roll-on ferry across to Arran when the weather improved.
After a long and stormy night on the moors, we headed south via the coast as planned. This was sooo pretty- winding roads hugging the coast, miniature harbours and picturesque hamlets. We constantly asked the question how can we be so close to civilisation, and yet feel so much in the wilds? Classic Scotland, we had all the weathers in one hour- from icy rain, to sleet, to clear skies and sunshine. The joys of going with the flown with very few plans resulted in us discovering an absolute hidden gem. Looking at our adventure bible- the Wild Scotland book, we headed for the island of Easdale- a tiny car free community off Seil in the Firth of Lorn. Little were we aware that it had the smallest passenger ferry service known to man- with a unique and foolproof system to call the ferry. Press the call button at the harbour- a light switches on- the ferry men see the light from the island and head on over to pick you up! On the tiny ferry boat we had school children returning home, people with their weekly grocery shopping and the local post man on his rounds- all in an open boat that seated no more than 8 people!
Easdale is a community consisting of a small collection of modest houses with a beautiful community hall and pub at the centre of the island. The only mode of transport on the island were wheel barrows to help with any heavy loads. It made us think- our lives are so complex, and yet could be so simple if we cared to take it back to the things that are really important- a roof over our head, food in our bellies and good people around us. Not that we were thinking about moving to such an Island community- it would be far too restrictive for our travel plans, but it made us think about how different life could really be.
We headed further south, wild camping at the forest at Cairnbaan. In the evening, we finally had clear skies and we headed off for an impromptu forest walk, climbing to Cruanch Mor and the Dunardy view point for stunnning 360 degree sunset views to finish off a day of discoveries.
We woke early and decided to take the peninsular drive to Tarbett that looked particularly wild and scenic from the hints on the OS Map. It didn’t disappoint, rolling coastal roads that dived down into the most beautiful and isolated hamlets. As we wandered around the port of Tarbett as it slowly woke up to the new day, the met office app tempted us with a surprise forcast of 48 hours of bluebird skies and sun, so we made the impulsive decision to make a run for the ferry. This was the mini, roll-on ferry from Claonaig to Lochranza on Arran. The ferry took no advanced bookings, it was just a matter of turning up and wait. We were hopefully for the 1250 ferry- after seeing two ferries depart from the slipway without room for us. We eventually got the 1350 ferry after much anticipatory stress- there really is a God and he was looking down on us at that time on the slipway!
We realised that we were potentially catching Arran at its very best, but wow it’s a beautiful island. After settling into the quaint little campsite at Lochranza, we again dived straight into the Wild Scotland book for inspiration and headed off on an evening walk to the isolated Lagan Cottage on the coast. The walk over the moors was challenging, but the views of a snow capped Goat Fell and herds of wild deer roaming close by certainly took our minds off the up hill effort. Logan Cottage was rather underwhelming, but nevertheless stunningly isolated, right on the coast after a 2 mile walk. We returned around the coastal path, which at sunset was particularly beautiful, via the Fairy Dell and it’s cottages which were much more appealing! Once back at the campsite, we indulged in hot showers and a bloody freezing first BBQ of the season- once the sun went down the temperatures plummeted like a stone. For once, I was really good, with an evening of no alcohol and a subsequent good nights sleep with tired and humming legs.
As I staggered out of the van for the obligatory early morning pee, I was greeted with the presence of a huge deer wandering the campsite, having an early morning graze. He was certainly not perturbed by my presence, acknowledging me with a brief glance and then carrying on his morning wander. Never did Jackie get out of bed as quick! Moments like this will stay with us for a lifetime, as will watching the lambing nursery set up on the adjacent golf course. We are not sure what the golfers felt about this, but it was great entertainment watching the skipping carnage unfold from the van doors. We knew that the day was going to be a bluebird day so had always planned to climb Goat Fell along the ridge line from Coire nam Meann. The climb was challenging, but the views were spectacular- 360 degree views of Kintyre, the Scottish mainland and even the Northern Irish coast in the distance. After a well earned recovery from an epic day on the hill, we dropped into Brodick for a resupply at the CoOp- which meant ice cream for tea, along with a BBQ steak and a chilled Friday night watching the lambs settle down for the night.
We woke to a day of moving on- with absolutely no clear plans where to head for. It’s always best to make plans over food, so we breakfasted at the renowned Sandwich bar next to the Lochranza ferry slipway- they didn’t have a breakfast menu (by the time we were up and about anyway), so we opted for the local slow cooked beef brisket & piccalilli focaccia sandwich. A tasty, and rather messy affair later, we decided to head south via the west coast to see what we could find. A brisk walk up to the Coire Fhionn Lochan in the mountains managed to work off any residual energy from the beef brisket sandwich. A great little place to shelter from the breeze, bask in the sunshine and take in the beauty of it all. With it being a Saturday, we were conscious that the island would inevitably shut down on Sunday, so we headed to the nearest town (read village) of Blackwater. Not much was happening in Blackwater, apart from the unique bakery that runs on a 100% honest box principle- it was unbelievable! The shop cupboard is stocked in a morning and closes when there is no stock- pick your bread, drop your money in the box and close the cupboard- job done.
After a laze on the beach, we found an great forest wildcamp that we had to ourselves for the night, overlooking the Mull of Kintyre at sunset.
The next morning, we were quickly up and off on the culture trail, visiting the Kings Caves- according to local legend, a hiding place of Robert the Bruce and where he had his famous encounter with the spider. A short drive then to the Machrie Moor stone circles. Dating from the Neolithic period (5000+ yrs ago), these towering ceremonial monuments have lasted the test of time. I am happy to say that the sheer history of this place freaked me out and caused me to think some really serious thoughts about our minuscule place on the history timeline.
After all of this deep thought, we needed one thing…a craft gin sat in a cozy shack right on the beach with ideally an open fire to keep us warm. A good job that we stumbled upon Arran Botanical Drinks in Brodick then!
After such a lazy afternoon being looked after by the staff at the bar, we headed south to Lamlash Bay, hoping to get a ferry across to the Holy Isle in the morning to visit the Buddhist community on the island. This wasn’t to be, as the summer ferry timetable hadn’t yet started, so we had to make alternative plans, guided as always by the Wild Scotland book.
We ate a late breakfast in Whitling Bay, taking the opportunity to cook our own bacon butties by the sea, at the same time as trying to photograph the elusive oyster catchers that seemingly have an innate sense of when photographers are anywhere close by! More culture followed for the rest of the day, with a climb to the giants graveyard, another climb to Loch Garbad for a lazy lunch and a beautiful time spent in the wilderness community library in the Eas Mor Forest. The library was a such a lovely place that reinstilled our confidence in modern society- not one sign of damage or vandalism was evident, with lovely messages and artwork left by visitors of all ages pinned to the walls and ceilings.
We found a fab spot to wildcamp overlooking Pladda island and lighthouse. It was so mild that we managed to have our first open fire of the season as we cooked and watched the sun set.
Yet another lazy start followed by a morning walk on seal shores, then pancakes, syrup and coffee by the sea. We knew that the weather was going to be against us today, so a quick visit to Kilmory beach- one of the best beaches on the island via the associated Neolithic burial chamber (of course!). If you are visiting Kilmory, head down to the beach and turn left (east) as that leads you to the miles of sandy beach that is not immediately apparent. If you turn the other way, you face miles of pebbly beach that is much less attractive. We popped into the Lagg Distillery because we could, and what an impressive structure and visitor experience that is. Even if you don’t like whiskey (like us), the visitor centre is just really well done. As the weather deteriorated for the day (sleet in April!?!), we settled into Seal Shore campsite who had kindly rolled our booking over from when we had our ferry crossing cancelled. Hot showers, an afternoon in the van chilling and drinking followed by an early night. We are not sure if after a busy few days there is anything better than an enforced slow down- it certainly did us the world of good.
It was a rather dank start to the following day…but we had plans to take advantage of the amazing afternoon and evening weather that was predicted. A final explore of the last few remaining parts of the Wild Scotland book yet to be checked off, a food resupply in Brodick and then a wild camp on the west coast to watch the sun set over Kintyre, hopefully with another campfire to boot. We had the best afternoon on the beach, with Jackie producing some creative beach art, followed by an evening sitting outside the van, with a fire, county music(!) and a drink. There was no better way to round off our time on the island than this.
Up and off early for the morning ferry from Lochranza, we were somewhat scuppered by an email that arrived just as we pulled onto the ferry, cancelling our accommodation at late notice for Loch Lomond on good Friday due to unforeseen forestry work. If we had known a moment earlier, we would have probably stayed on the island for another day. However, it wasn’t to be and we made hasty plans to tick off a few things that we wanted to visit on Kintyre, and then head back home as planned via Loch Fyne and Loch Lomond, but wild camp just outside the Loch Lomond restriction zone on Good Friday… if we could find a spot. Fingers crossed that it all worked out. We spent the rest of the day nipping up and down peninsulas on the west coast of Kintyre, ever amazed at the tiny communities that exist in such remote places.
As we moved closer to home, we realised how much more crowded places were becoming. After over a week on the island, we were not used to crowds and it unsettled us both. We think that this was a good thing as it showed how much we enjoyed our time in the relative solitude of the island. We did one last explore of a Wild Scotland recommendation of the forest of Asknish before we hit civilisation again. The forest did not disappoint, leading us around a 5 mile trail of dense forest, stunning loch views and the fleeting sightings of wild deer.
Bizarrely, we also stumbled upon the Asknish timber dock in full flow, loading an enormous cargo ship with timber from the local area. This was an unexpected sight to behold and will stay with us forever, always reminding us of where the huge piles of cut logs eventually wind up.
Inveraray was far too busy for us on Good Friday, so we quickly continued north for a quick stop off at the Loch Fine Oyster Farm Shop and a not so quick stop at the Loch Fyne brewery at the head of the Loch. The brewery is one of our favourite stop offs as the staff in the brew house always offer a warm welcome and a cold beer after a long drive.
So that’s it, the morning after we woke in the forest at the foot of the Rest and Be Thankful mountain pass and headed south for the end of the holiday. We always hate this time of any trip, but reassure ourselves that it must be the sign of a really good adventure if we feel this way. The journey home always feels long, but it is a great time to reflect on all the amazing things that we have done in the last 2 weeks, as well as thinking ahead to our next trip. Will it be the Pembrokeshire coast at the May half term, or one last trip to the Scottish Islands before the midges arrive in June? The excitement begins again…
Richard & Jackie.
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