GETTING AWAY FROM IT ALL
The wild landscapes of Argyll offer walkers dramatic scenery, rich history and a very real sense of being at the very edge of the earth, finds Jamie Dey
The rugged landscape of Argyll, from windswept beaches to towering Munros, is filled with a rich, regal history as well as a sense of being on the edge of the world. In some ways this is accurate; the beaches of the Kintyre peninsula, such as Machrihanish, are a top destination for surfers from across the world, with huge waves rolling in off the Atlantic. Further west are the Paps of Jura, remote hills overlooking the isolated beauty of windswept Islay, from where the next landfall is North America.
Back on the mainland a different waterside stroll can be enjoyed by the Crinan Canal, a nine-mile link between the Sound of Jura and Loch Gilp. Above the canal is Dunadd Fort, which was originally a small Iron Age hill fort where the Kings of Dalriada were thought to have been crowned between 500 and 900AD – a footprint in a flat stone at the top is believed to have been part of the coronation ritual.
More history can be found at the nearby Kilmartin Glen which has more than 350 historic sites within a six-mile radius. A line of chambered cairns in the glen date back more than 5,000 years but are not treated like Stonehenge with big fences. Clambering into them is allowed, as long as you take care.
If entering Argyll from Glasgow, you leave Loch Lomond and are confronted with a view of the gnarled rockfaces of the Cobbler; not the highest point, but the most dramatic mountain in the Arrochar Alps. This is somewhere walkers have been enjoying since Victorian times and especially since the early part of the last century when workers from shipyards and factories of the Clyde would head up at weekends, sometimes making the journey by bicycle.
Once they had enjoyed a day among the rocky summits, many slept in bivouacs under the rocks, such as the Narnain Boulders passed on the way up to the Cobbler. Another way into the area is on the ferry from Greenock to Dunoon, the short boat trip across the Firth of Clyde making it feel like you are truly journeying to a remote area. Beyond Dunoon lies the Cowal Peninsula with pretty villages and the beaches and rocky coast of the Isle of Bute to the south. Going north you reach Puck’s Glen, home to one of the best short walks in Scotland. You can see why it was given the name as you walk through a deep cleft lined with moss-covered rock and dripping vegetation. When the sunlight glints on the burn below you almost expect to see the sprite himself.
More greenery, on a much larger scale, is found along the road at Benmore Botanic Garden, a great place to wander for as long as you like with displays of rhododendrons and other imported blooms, as well as giant American redwoods. Further north is another good man-made place for a stroll. Ardkinglas has a brilliant woodland garden above Loch Fyne and is a perfect destination before or after lunch at the famous oyster bar down the road (or try The George in Inveraray).
On the west of Argyll’s coast is Oban, a gateway to the Inner and Outer Hebrides and somewhere to enjoy seafood by the harbour, or take a trip to see basking sharks, dolphins and possibly whales. To reach the town by road you pass the Cruachan range of mountains which include two Munros and make for one of the finest mountain circuits anywhere in the country.
Arriving in Argyll from the north, more fine mountain landscapes are reached as you head south of Rannoch Moor (the huge massif of Bidean nam Bian above Glencoe is the highest point of the former county of Argyll). This is an area for mountaineers and hillwalkers and the Bridge of Orchy is a good spot to base yourself, not only because of its wonderful hotel.
But whether it is the mountains, glens or coast, the chance of seeing wildlife amid the stunning scenery, from eagles – sea and golden – to red deer, is always present.