Argyll - The Kintyre Way

The Kintyre Way runs for 100 miles from Tarbert to Machrihanish, weaving its way down the Kintyre Peninsula through a varied landscape of beach, moorland and woods. I walked it during one of the weeks of my May holiday. These days there seems to be an irresistible draw for me in springtime for outdoor trips that provide that glorious mix of coast and mountain as well as terrain that provides the rich sounds of the dawn chorus. As usual, I had done little planning for the trip. I just packed a rucsack and headed off with a bus ticket and a map.

I started at the north end of the trail at Tarbert. Setting out, the path climbed steeply above the village and its quaint harbour, passed Tarbert Castle and continued onwards through mixed woodland. Looking back, Tarbert perfectly demonstrated its name. It comes from the Gaelic word meaning a portage where boats would have been hauled across a narrow isthmus of land between two bodies of water. Here Tarbert connects West Loch Tarbert and Loch Fyne.

The trail continued to pull me uphill until eventually I emerged on top of the spine of the peninsula. I would do this several times during the walk. The views here stopped me in my tracks. Islay and Jura drifted hazily offshore and from this angle, Arran looked like a jumbled mass of ridges and peaks that reminded me of Skye.

From the high ground, the trail dropped to the east coast of the peninsula at Skipness and wandered south for a few miles to Claonaig. After here I climbed again, picking my way up through oak woods carpeted with bluebells. I loved this section though. It felt wonderfully wild as it followed an old path meandering across the open moors. The whole trail felt wild to be honest. Aside from people in the villages that it passed through, I met only one other person on the trail itself. 

I dropped down to Clachan now where the trail threaded its way through coastal woods and across little sandy beaches. Further on, this gave way to several miles of tough walking along a shingle shoreline. Added to this, heavy squalls blew in every twenty minutes on a strong westerly wind. It was hard going. At least the view to the island of Gigha, just offshore at this point, provided a pleasant distraction. 

The beach walking eventually ended at Taylinloan where you can catch a ferry over to Gigha, something I want to do on a future trip. But for now I pressed on into the evening looking for a place to camp. Climbing up into the hills again, I found a beautiful spot for the tent at the peaceful, old ruins of Braids Farm.

Next morning, the trail continued over rolling hills, eventually dropping down to Carradale using a series of pretty woodland paths. Here, Arran seemed close enough to touch. Then needless to say, it was time to climb again over those hills. There was a treat first at least.

For a short section of trail, the route passed through the grounds of Torrisdale Castle and right by the gin distillery here. It made me laugh to see the sign at the start of this section which read "Welcome to the Gintyre Way". I didn't sample the gin but did have my first coffee and cake on the trail. It was just as well because I ended up waking far into the evening before I found a spot for the tent. 

The one advantage of the long walk was a short walk the next again day which put me into the peninsula's main settlement of Campbeltown with time to explore. Campbeltown has been settled since the sixth century. Once a centre for fishing, coal mining and whisky production, its economy is now based on farming and tourism. It has a very fine waterfront, with boats clustered in the harbour and a long promenade. I especially liked the sculpture here that marks the start of the Caledonia Way cycling route. Its called "The Cask" and is a nod to the fishing and whisky industries of old. 

South of Campbeltown the Kintyre Way follows a minor road to the village of Southend which is well named. A tiny hamlet at the very bottom of the peninsula, Southend has a golden crescent of beach and a distant view to Ireland on the westerly horizon.

I had a few miles of road walking after Southend through the lush, green fields of the local farms. At Amod, I took an alternative to the official Kintyre Way which passes over Amod Hill. The winds were up again and it seemed unlikely that I would find a suitable camp spot on the open hillside. So I opted instead for the forest track that continues above the Breakerie Water. It was a good decision because I hit the jackpot with my camp spot that night.

A little way up the glen were the ruins of Glenahanty farm. It was a delightful spot to camp with the tumbled down stonework of the old farm walls gradually being reclaimed by ferns and wildflowers. The river murmured close by and woods enclosed small pastures. The evening birdsong was rich and varied with an owl taking over after dark.

I was reluctant to leave Glenahanty the next morning but the final day of the trail lay ahead and what a day it would be. Climbing back into the little hills above Glenahanty, I soon rejoined the main Kintyre Way. It headed north, contouring above the dramatic sea cliffs of Cnoc Moy. At one point the path was uncomfortably close to the edge and gave me the heebie jeebies. But generally the path was well engineered for the foot traveller and picked a safe way through the rocks and drops. At times, I would look up ahead and the path appeared to disappear over an edge but when I got to the edge, the path had always found a way through gentler ground to continue onwards. Down below Atlantic waves crashed onto the rocks until eventually at Innean Glen the steep slopes gave way to a crescent of sandy beach. Here were the remains of old structures, remnants of the people who once lived and farmed here. 

The trail eventually climbed up out of Innean Glen to cross boggy moorland before descending to the end of my walk at Machrihanish. Looking back on the trip, the Kintyre Way is not a walk of endless dramatic scenery or single points of immense beauty. But it was wonderfully empty and took me on a delightful meandering journey through quiet hills, hidden woods and deserted beaches. I will go back some day.

Fact File
All the photos on Flickr

Start: Tarbert

Finish: Machrihanish
Public transport: Citylink bus from Glasgow to Campbeltown stops at the start at Tarbert then I returned to Glasgow catching the same bus in Campbeltown at the end of my walk. A local bus runs about three or four times a day from Machrihanish to Cambpeltown. 
Accommodation: The first night I took the ferry from Claonaig over to Lochranza on Arran to use a camspite there and took the first ferry back over in the morning. I booked a hotel room in Campbeltown the day before I would arrive there but I think I was lucky as there is not a lot of accommodation. The other nights were wild camping.
My route: The route is well described on the Walkhighlands site. At the turn off at Amod Farm, I stayed on the road and took the next forest track to the left after the house at Dalsmirren. It passes Glenahanty and climbs to another abandoned farm at Largiebaan to rejoin the official route just beyond here.