Scotland: Little trips - Kyles of Bute & Argyll
Sep 5th, 2016, 03:12 PM
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Scotland: Little trips - Kyles of Bute & Argyll
Today’s day-trip is by car from Glasgow to my home village of Tighnabruaich in Argyll. It has been close to 15 years since my last visit, I have now no living relatives there. A little bit about my background first as some of what follows might fit in better.
I was born in a very small farm cottage (or croft) located at Ardlamont, around five miles from the village. My father was a sea captain and spent long, long periods away. My mother died when I was 4yo and I was brought up at the cottage by two uncles and my grandmother. My father married again when I was 15yo and we moved from Tighnabruaich to a port town in North Ayrshire. I know that my family has been in this part of Argyll since, at least 1652 (the year of the oldest parish record that we have found) so it’s quite a heritage. If you come along with me on this journey, you’ll read about places that nobody ever visits simply because they don’t know they exist! But, I do.
It’s in two parts.
Journey time outwards: 2hours 50 minutes (allow yourself around 4.5 hours though to get the best of the places visited in this part of the trip report)
PLACES: Loch Lomond, Rest and be Thankful, Loch Fyne, Otter Ferry, Kilfinan, Millhouse, Ardlamont and Kames
My other nephew Murray was the driver today and he did a great job. Once again, we struck it lucky with the weather as we left Glasgow that May morning. It was sunny and clear although still a wee bit cold.
From my home, it is a very easy journey to Loch Lomond. Heading on to the city’s Great Western Road (the A82) we drove past Old Kilpatrick, Bowling and Alexandria (in years gone each town housed enormous number of shipyard and textile workers) and in only 35 minutes or so we had started the journey along the banks of the loch. I need to say that the A82 is an excellent road, busy in parts but well maintained and sign-posted.
LOCH LOMOND: Today it looked magnificent. The hills all around us had a very noticeable blue caste, which I’d never seen before. It was the time of year for the bluebell of course so I think that is what was causing the effect. This is a wonderful drive, the road easy (still the A82) and with it being mid-week reasonably quiet. Soon we arrived in Tarbet and by my reckoning this drive along a large part of the loch took only about 30 minutes.
We took a sharp left at Tarbet onto the A83 arriving in Arrochar around 10 minutes later. Although we were spoiled for scenery driving along Loch Lomond I loved the landscape here as you curve around the head of Loch Long. Staying on the same road I could feel the climb beginning as we continued along the same road, now heading west, towards the Rest and be Thankful.
REST AND BE THANKFUL: For me, this is a must-see. I’ve always loved the views here, many of the hillsides are completely tree covered, the mixture of colours fantastic and small lochs in a few places. I looked down, as I always do, at the old Military Road far below. Started in the mid 1700’s it connected Dumbarton with Inveraray and is still sometimes used as a diversion when the road we are on today is blocked. I now know, thanks to the Internet, that Rest & Be Thankful are the words inscribed on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original military road in 1753.
Site address: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/t...ankful-p250101
We turned left at the first junction, around 20 minutes later, onto the A815, the road to Dunoon.
The glorious scenery continues and soon, on our right, we see the head of Loch Fyne. This very old road winds its way down Loch Fyne, but on the opposite side of the loch to Inveraray, which we can clearly see.
This is a bonnie drive down and in around 25 minutes, we reach Strachur and stop for our first coffee-break at the Creggans Inn. It was easy access for me, a wee bit expensive but worth it, just to sit and enjoy the view. From Glasgow to this point has taken us just less than two hours.
We started the journey again, ignored the left hand turn to Dunoon, turning right A886 towards Otter Ferry instead. Again, you’ve loch-side views to the right and 10 minutes or so later we came to another junction. Turning right again me moved onto the B8000 (signpost says Tighnabruaich Coastal Route) and then first left, signposted 'to Kilfinan'. We were now on a narrow road which eventually becomes single-track. Soon we arrive at the very pretty and not too often visited Otter Ferry.
OTTER FERRY: I remember this little hamlet from my very earliest years. It was my grandmother’s favourite picnic spot. Here is the little pier where the ferry across the loch started from, a small tearoom and not a lot else. There is one large restaurant a little further along the beach away from the road. On the pier we had a panoramic view of the loch, hills and mountains.
VisitScotland has a page about the large restaurant and it’s worth checking out because there are a good few photographs of the hamlet itself:
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/f...ferry-p1188231
After wheeling me back from the pier, we drove the steep hill out of Otter Ferry, continued on the B8000, heading for the old village of Kilfinan, the parish administrative centre in days gone by.
KILFINAN: A very pretty little place, a few shops and somewhere refreshments. The 13th century church here has some very ancient stones in its cemetery and it also houses the Lamont Vault.
If you have an hour to spare then perhaps I can suggest a small detour to somewhere few people know about. It’s called Clady House (Tigh-Cladaich), and is a ruined settlement that sits at the loch-side.
TIGH-CLADAICH: I only know about Clady House because of my grandmother’s interest and a family connection. You cannot see it from the road and it is not signposted anywhere. The little houses were exclusively used by herring fishermen and their families. I do know from official records found when I did our family tree that I had some ancestors here, all herring fishermen, almost all of whom died before they were 40yo due to what was described as ‘water in the lung’, which I think is possibly pneumonia. I understand the little cottages were built in the early 1800’s but now you can only see the outline of each. To see it, drive through Kilfinan village and at the first turning right you will see a signpost that says Otter Estates. Walk down the road (about 15 minutes) and keep on it until you get to the sea. Look around just above the sandy beach and you will find the ruins.
Today, we pass the access road to Clady House and I see for the first time in years a small loch on the left hand side. It’s called Melldalloch and in the middle of it is a small island. On it is an ancient round-house built between the mid-7th and early 6th centuries BC. When I was at school we were taken here a few times.
Again, here are some details:
https://canmore.org.uk/site/139150/melldalloch-island
We continued on, through the little village of Millhouse and soon, on the left, we look along almost the length of the Island of Arran. The road is high at this point and the views fantastic. We are now looking down onto the roofs of Ardlamont House.
ARDLAMONT: The road winds first through the service areas of Ardlamont House, the home of the Lamont family for centuries then along past the mansion itself including its little schoolhouse. Ardlamont Estate was a major employer of local folks, from servants to farm workers and many in my family worked for them. They were a hugely influential family.
Details are here: https://canmore.org.uk/site/98691/ardlamont-house
Continuing on you come to a junction. If you turn right, you will be taken to Point Farm. Just past the farm are two very large rocks where you’ll find ancient cup and ring marks. Public access is allowed.
We turned left at the junction and got the first view of the family croft. Sadly, it now is roofless and around it is completely overgrown. I hope someday it will be bought and renovated because it deserves to be turned into a happy home again. We spent a good bit of time here then headed towards Kames village.
Driving along this single-track road we passed first the farm called KIldavaig and then another called Carry. This was a farm when I was young but now it has been converted into the offices of a sailing school, has a small shop and tea and coffee is available. They also now have in two of the fields large wooden chalets but they do seem to blend in with the surroundings.
ACHADACHOUN: Just after the farm, there are trees on either side of the road and only a few yards further on I could see a stream on the left hand side. I can’t now do this but know that if you follow that stream up the steep hill (there is no footpath and this is not signposted) you will come to another ‘secret’ place, a ruined hamlet. Inhabited until about 1915 what is there now is the outline ruins of five or six small homesteads. I’d family here too and the last time I’ve been able to find any of them living there was the 1911 census. You have wonderful uninterrupted views from the hilltop towards Bute and the settlement has atmosphere, that’s for sure.
Continuing along the road (still on the B8000) we pass Blairs ferry then the large tank-landing area built during WW2 (This whole stretch of the coast was taken over by the government at that time and used for DDay landing practice exercises).
We now start climbing up into Kames Village, which has some of the best views of the area, and in a few minutes, we will arrive in Tighnabruaich. There are not any things of note in Kames and its hub is the Kames Hotel. When I was young, the hotel bar was known as the glue pot. Once in, you were stuck and just couldn’t leave. Mind, there wasn’t a lot else to do in the evenings there when there was no television and scarcely a radio signal!
Next: Tighnabruaich, Ormidale, Colintraive, Rothesay, Wemyss Bay and Glasgow
Bill
I was born in a very small farm cottage (or croft) located at Ardlamont, around five miles from the village. My father was a sea captain and spent long, long periods away. My mother died when I was 4yo and I was brought up at the cottage by two uncles and my grandmother. My father married again when I was 15yo and we moved from Tighnabruaich to a port town in North Ayrshire. I know that my family has been in this part of Argyll since, at least 1652 (the year of the oldest parish record that we have found) so it’s quite a heritage. If you come along with me on this journey, you’ll read about places that nobody ever visits simply because they don’t know they exist! But, I do.
It’s in two parts.
Journey time outwards: 2hours 50 minutes (allow yourself around 4.5 hours though to get the best of the places visited in this part of the trip report)
PLACES: Loch Lomond, Rest and be Thankful, Loch Fyne, Otter Ferry, Kilfinan, Millhouse, Ardlamont and Kames
My other nephew Murray was the driver today and he did a great job. Once again, we struck it lucky with the weather as we left Glasgow that May morning. It was sunny and clear although still a wee bit cold.
From my home, it is a very easy journey to Loch Lomond. Heading on to the city’s Great Western Road (the A82) we drove past Old Kilpatrick, Bowling and Alexandria (in years gone each town housed enormous number of shipyard and textile workers) and in only 35 minutes or so we had started the journey along the banks of the loch. I need to say that the A82 is an excellent road, busy in parts but well maintained and sign-posted.
LOCH LOMOND: Today it looked magnificent. The hills all around us had a very noticeable blue caste, which I’d never seen before. It was the time of year for the bluebell of course so I think that is what was causing the effect. This is a wonderful drive, the road easy (still the A82) and with it being mid-week reasonably quiet. Soon we arrived in Tarbet and by my reckoning this drive along a large part of the loch took only about 30 minutes.
We took a sharp left at Tarbet onto the A83 arriving in Arrochar around 10 minutes later. Although we were spoiled for scenery driving along Loch Lomond I loved the landscape here as you curve around the head of Loch Long. Staying on the same road I could feel the climb beginning as we continued along the same road, now heading west, towards the Rest and be Thankful.
REST AND BE THANKFUL: For me, this is a must-see. I’ve always loved the views here, many of the hillsides are completely tree covered, the mixture of colours fantastic and small lochs in a few places. I looked down, as I always do, at the old Military Road far below. Started in the mid 1700’s it connected Dumbarton with Inveraray and is still sometimes used as a diversion when the road we are on today is blocked. I now know, thanks to the Internet, that Rest & Be Thankful are the words inscribed on a stone near the junction of the A83 and the B828, placed there by soldiers who built the original military road in 1753.
Site address: https://www.visitscotland.com/info/t...ankful-p250101
We turned left at the first junction, around 20 minutes later, onto the A815, the road to Dunoon.
The glorious scenery continues and soon, on our right, we see the head of Loch Fyne. This very old road winds its way down Loch Fyne, but on the opposite side of the loch to Inveraray, which we can clearly see.
This is a bonnie drive down and in around 25 minutes, we reach Strachur and stop for our first coffee-break at the Creggans Inn. It was easy access for me, a wee bit expensive but worth it, just to sit and enjoy the view. From Glasgow to this point has taken us just less than two hours.
We started the journey again, ignored the left hand turn to Dunoon, turning right A886 towards Otter Ferry instead. Again, you’ve loch-side views to the right and 10 minutes or so later we came to another junction. Turning right again me moved onto the B8000 (signpost says Tighnabruaich Coastal Route) and then first left, signposted 'to Kilfinan'. We were now on a narrow road which eventually becomes single-track. Soon we arrive at the very pretty and not too often visited Otter Ferry.
OTTER FERRY: I remember this little hamlet from my very earliest years. It was my grandmother’s favourite picnic spot. Here is the little pier where the ferry across the loch started from, a small tearoom and not a lot else. There is one large restaurant a little further along the beach away from the road. On the pier we had a panoramic view of the loch, hills and mountains.
VisitScotland has a page about the large restaurant and it’s worth checking out because there are a good few photographs of the hamlet itself:
https://www.visitscotland.com/info/f...ferry-p1188231
After wheeling me back from the pier, we drove the steep hill out of Otter Ferry, continued on the B8000, heading for the old village of Kilfinan, the parish administrative centre in days gone by.
KILFINAN: A very pretty little place, a few shops and somewhere refreshments. The 13th century church here has some very ancient stones in its cemetery and it also houses the Lamont Vault.
If you have an hour to spare then perhaps I can suggest a small detour to somewhere few people know about. It’s called Clady House (Tigh-Cladaich), and is a ruined settlement that sits at the loch-side.
TIGH-CLADAICH: I only know about Clady House because of my grandmother’s interest and a family connection. You cannot see it from the road and it is not signposted anywhere. The little houses were exclusively used by herring fishermen and their families. I do know from official records found when I did our family tree that I had some ancestors here, all herring fishermen, almost all of whom died before they were 40yo due to what was described as ‘water in the lung’, which I think is possibly pneumonia. I understand the little cottages were built in the early 1800’s but now you can only see the outline of each. To see it, drive through Kilfinan village and at the first turning right you will see a signpost that says Otter Estates. Walk down the road (about 15 minutes) and keep on it until you get to the sea. Look around just above the sandy beach and you will find the ruins.
Today, we pass the access road to Clady House and I see for the first time in years a small loch on the left hand side. It’s called Melldalloch and in the middle of it is a small island. On it is an ancient round-house built between the mid-7th and early 6th centuries BC. When I was at school we were taken here a few times.
Again, here are some details:
https://canmore.org.uk/site/139150/melldalloch-island
We continued on, through the little village of Millhouse and soon, on the left, we look along almost the length of the Island of Arran. The road is high at this point and the views fantastic. We are now looking down onto the roofs of Ardlamont House.
ARDLAMONT: The road winds first through the service areas of Ardlamont House, the home of the Lamont family for centuries then along past the mansion itself including its little schoolhouse. Ardlamont Estate was a major employer of local folks, from servants to farm workers and many in my family worked for them. They were a hugely influential family.
Details are here: https://canmore.org.uk/site/98691/ardlamont-house
Continuing on you come to a junction. If you turn right, you will be taken to Point Farm. Just past the farm are two very large rocks where you’ll find ancient cup and ring marks. Public access is allowed.
We turned left at the junction and got the first view of the family croft. Sadly, it now is roofless and around it is completely overgrown. I hope someday it will be bought and renovated because it deserves to be turned into a happy home again. We spent a good bit of time here then headed towards Kames village.
Driving along this single-track road we passed first the farm called KIldavaig and then another called Carry. This was a farm when I was young but now it has been converted into the offices of a sailing school, has a small shop and tea and coffee is available. They also now have in two of the fields large wooden chalets but they do seem to blend in with the surroundings.
ACHADACHOUN: Just after the farm, there are trees on either side of the road and only a few yards further on I could see a stream on the left hand side. I can’t now do this but know that if you follow that stream up the steep hill (there is no footpath and this is not signposted) you will come to another ‘secret’ place, a ruined hamlet. Inhabited until about 1915 what is there now is the outline ruins of five or six small homesteads. I’d family here too and the last time I’ve been able to find any of them living there was the 1911 census. You have wonderful uninterrupted views from the hilltop towards Bute and the settlement has atmosphere, that’s for sure.
Continuing along the road (still on the B8000) we pass Blairs ferry then the large tank-landing area built during WW2 (This whole stretch of the coast was taken over by the government at that time and used for DDay landing practice exercises).
We now start climbing up into Kames Village, which has some of the best views of the area, and in a few minutes, we will arrive in Tighnabruaich. There are not any things of note in Kames and its hub is the Kames Hotel. When I was young, the hotel bar was known as the glue pot. Once in, you were stuck and just couldn’t leave. Mind, there wasn’t a lot else to do in the evenings there when there was no television and scarcely a radio signal!
Next: Tighnabruaich, Ormidale, Colintraive, Rothesay, Wemyss Bay and Glasgow
Bill
Sep 5th, 2016, 03:49 PM
#2
OMG!!
I haven't read beyond the first sentence "to my home village of Tighnabruaich"
What memories! When I lived in the UK one winter my ex plus our Airedale and Scottie decided we wanted a rural Hogmanay (this was long before the internet and we just had a small guidebook to hotels and B&Bs in Scotland0 On spec we rang up the Kames hotel a mile down the road from Tighnabruaich to ask if they had a opening over New Years. The owners chatted a bit and came back on the line and said "Yes, we can accommodate you."
When we arrived the night of 30 Dec (after getting our Morgan stuck in the snow on the single track across to Auchenbreck and me slogging down the hill through the snow to the nearest farmhouse thinking hubby staying with the car in case a tractor or something came along would be more helpful getting the car out) . . . Well upon arrival at the hotel we discover we are the only guests. The hotel was normally closed all winter but when paying guests rang up -- they thought 'sure, why not'
And it was the BEST Hogmanay ever!!! we were wined and dined (and boiler maker-ed and feted by all the locals including a poacher who tried to my ex to go hunting w/ him.) for three days and no one in the pub would let us buy a round. We went first footin' and just had the most glorious time
Will DEFINITELY look forward to this one
(I once drove over Rest and be Thankful during a heat wave when the road surface was actually <i>melting!)
I haven't read beyond the first sentence "to my home village of Tighnabruaich"
What memories! When I lived in the UK one winter my ex plus our Airedale and Scottie decided we wanted a rural Hogmanay (this was long before the internet and we just had a small guidebook to hotels and B&Bs in Scotland0 On spec we rang up the Kames hotel a mile down the road from Tighnabruaich to ask if they had a opening over New Years. The owners chatted a bit and came back on the line and said "Yes, we can accommodate you."
When we arrived the night of 30 Dec (after getting our Morgan stuck in the snow on the single track across to Auchenbreck and me slogging down the hill through the snow to the nearest farmhouse thinking hubby staying with the car in case a tractor or something came along would be more helpful getting the car out) . . . Well upon arrival at the hotel we discover we are the only guests. The hotel was normally closed all winter but when paying guests rang up -- they thought 'sure, why not'
And it was the BEST Hogmanay ever!!! we were wined and dined (and boiler maker-ed and feted by all the locals including a poacher who tried to my ex to go hunting w/ him.) for three days and no one in the pub would let us buy a round. We went first footin' and just had the most glorious time
Will DEFINITELY look forward to this one
(I once drove over Rest and be Thankful during a heat wave when the road surface was actually <i>melting!)
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Sep 5th, 2016, 04:18 PM
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LOL janis. So, you get stuck in the glue pot then? (See the end of report!) Do you remember the little pier that the Kames Hotel overlooked? I remember being told that it was built specifically to ship explosives from Kames Gunpowder Works at Millhouse, just over the hill. Not sure if that's true so I need to check it out.
Bill
Bill
Sep 5th, 2016, 04:28 PM
#4
"Do you remember the little pier that the Kames Hotel overlooked?"
Yes -- for sure.
"There are not any things of note in Kames and its hub is the Kames Hotel. When I was young, the hotel bar was known as the glue pot.Once in, you were stuck and just couldn’t leave."
Ha Ha . . . yes -- that was us.
So our paths cross again -
Yes -- for sure.
"There are not any things of note in Kames and its hub is the Kames Hotel. When I was young, the hotel bar was known as the glue pot.Once in, you were stuck and just couldn’t leave."
Ha Ha . . . yes -- that was us.
So our paths cross again -
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Sep 6th, 2016, 09:00 AM
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"Next: Tighnabruaich, Ormidale, Colintraive, Rothesay, Wemyss Bay and Glasgow."
Be still my heart---I can't wait.
Am loving this. Marvelous
Be still my heart---I can't wait.
Am loving this. Marvelous
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Sep 6th, 2016, 09:53 AM
#6
This is a great ride down (what is for me) something of a memory highway rather than memory lane.
I was a lecturer at Strathclyde University in the mid-1970s (regional planning) and spent a fair amount of time on the Cowal Peninsula supervising grad students doing various projects and thesis work in several locations. These included looking forward (wasn't long) to the day the US Navy would bug out from their Holy Loch sub tender station, and a LOT of time out on Loch Fyne dealing with the prospects of oil rig construction at Portavadie including the now-ghost village of Pollphail. Not a happy chapter in Scotland's history IMO.
Anyway, boom-and-bust history aside, it's a splendid and gorgeous area, also a bit off the beaten path for visitors. The lovely wee chapel in Kilfinan (and the marvelous hotel next door) are still key destinations.
I'm enjoying this drive with you <i>a lot.</i>
I was a lecturer at Strathclyde University in the mid-1970s (regional planning) and spent a fair amount of time on the Cowal Peninsula supervising grad students doing various projects and thesis work in several locations. These included looking forward (wasn't long) to the day the US Navy would bug out from their Holy Loch sub tender station, and a LOT of time out on Loch Fyne dealing with the prospects of oil rig construction at Portavadie including the now-ghost village of Pollphail. Not a happy chapter in Scotland's history IMO.
Anyway, boom-and-bust history aside, it's a splendid and gorgeous area, also a bit off the beaten path for visitors. The lovely wee chapel in Kilfinan (and the marvelous hotel next door) are still key destinations.
I'm enjoying this drive with you <i>a lot.</i>
Sep 6th, 2016, 10:46 AM
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I'm loving this Bill. Thank you. I've only been once to Scotland (Turnberry) and I could see Arran clearly from there. Just checked out your places on Google maps and now understand that you could see it looking down north to south. It was the other way for me!
This is the kind of report that makes me want to go straight back. Why? Local knowledge of places folks would never know about but are worth finding.
J.
This is the kind of report that makes me want to go straight back. Why? Local knowledge of places folks would never know about but are worth finding.
J.
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Sep 6th, 2016, 03:39 PM
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Thank you everyone. Gardyloo, what you write has been very interesting to me. As a child I spent a lot of time at Portavadie and/or Asgog Bay, usually with one of my uncles and always on a Sunday. My uncles seemed always to be at a loss on that day of the week because no work could be done apart from feeding the hens and milking the few cows. They couldn't even listen to the radio as that was not allowed to be switched on.
I read a few years ago that a marina and chalets have been built close to Pollphail which I understand is still standing but in a very bad conditon. Thank goodness the development wasn't at Asgog which was and hopefully still is a stunning and deserted little beach.
Bill
I read a few years ago that a marina and chalets have been built close to Pollphail which I understand is still standing but in a very bad conditon. Thank goodness the development wasn't at Asgog which was and hopefully still is a stunning and deserted little beach.
Bill
Sep 7th, 2016, 05:24 AM
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Bill, just been reading this again. I've gone back to it because you wrote that the area was used in WW2 for D-Day landing practise. A bit of a WW2 buff here and been trying to find out more about this but not had much luck. I got my books out but unsure if I'm looking for the right information and location. One thing would help though, just as a starting point for me. Do you know or did anyone ever mention if it was all controlled by Combined Ops at Inverary? That's the closest Ops I can find to where you were.
J.
J.
Sep 7th, 2016, 09:39 AM
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Thank you LCBoniti.
Joe, it's now so long ago but I vaguely remember being moved to my great aunts in Kilfinan. I have never heard of Combined Ops though. What I can tell you is the army blocked off 5 miles of the coast road from Blairs Ferry in Kames to Blindmans Bay. All folks living along that route were moved. We were one of the families.
As a kid and well after the war right up to when my dad and I left, I regularly found empty shell cases at the beach and there were many coils of rusted barbed wire on the sand too.
There is a book I have here that gives a lot of detail about Tighnabruaich/Kames during wartime and you might find it on Amazon. It’s called, The Kyles, A Celebration of 100 years by Iain Thorburn (mostly about the game of shinty but with loads of additional stuff).
Bill
Joe, it's now so long ago but I vaguely remember being moved to my great aunts in Kilfinan. I have never heard of Combined Ops though. What I can tell you is the army blocked off 5 miles of the coast road from Blairs Ferry in Kames to Blindmans Bay. All folks living along that route were moved. We were one of the families.
As a kid and well after the war right up to when my dad and I left, I regularly found empty shell cases at the beach and there were many coils of rusted barbed wire on the sand too.
There is a book I have here that gives a lot of detail about Tighnabruaich/Kames during wartime and you might find it on Amazon. It’s called, The Kyles, A Celebration of 100 years by Iain Thorburn (mostly about the game of shinty but with loads of additional stuff).
Bill
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