Tarbert and back

Hi all,
Don't Wednesdays come around fast when you're on holiday. It seemed like we'd only just got to our lodge, but we were already halfway through our holiday on the banks of Loch Sween. During the last few days we'd noticed a steady stream of traffic passing our lodge and because it is a dead-end we were curious about where they were going. Now when I say steady stream, I'm not talking A34 at tea time, in this neck of the woods a car every half hour is considered a traffic jam.


Anyway, before we set off to see the harbour town of Tarbert which sits at the entrance to the Mull of Kintyre, we decided to follow the dead-end road that passed our lodge to see where it went to. The answer was a village called Kilmory which had a splendid house which can be seen above. About half a mile later the road came to a sudden stop on a headland above the Point of Knap. From here we took in a stunning view of the Paps of Jura before returning whence we came. During this short trip we also passed the ruins of Sween Castle and noted that there was a campsite almost adjacent, so that was where all the traffic was going.


We soon passed our lodge and followed the Crinan canal back to its source at Ardrishaig and carried on along Loch Fynne to Tarbert. We were impressed with Tarbert and especially the full Scottish breakfast we had in a cafe that overloooked the harbour. Above is a photo of Tarbert with its multi-coloured houses. Having filled ourselves up with grub and looked around a few shops we left Tarbert and went on a circular tour, down the north side of Loch Tarbert where we could see ferries heading out to sea bound for Islay, and around Kilberry Head and back to Ardrishaig.


It was a wonderful trip with sea and coastal views on one side and rolling hills and forest on the other. Here and there we came to deserted beaches where we stopped for a while to drink tea from our flask and walk the dog. It was a long day and by the time we got back to our lodge we were both knackered. However, knackered we may have been, but we were also both full of pleasant memories.


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Snake in the Grass

Hi all, this post is a detour from my tour of Scotland because I have a couple of interesting things to tell you about.
The first thing of interest was something that I recently came across in my garden when I was weeding the borders. It gave me quite a fright until I realised what it was. My wife photographed it for me and you can see the photo below.


It was about a foot long and my first thought was that it was a snake. However, closer examination and a reference book revealed that it was just a slow worm. It is interesting to note that the reference books also said that slow worms are common throughout England. If that's true, how the hell did I manage to reach 60 without seeing one somewhere before. Have any of you ever seen one? Anyway, just to make matters more complicated, although it is called a worm, it is in fact a legless lizard. If ever you come across one, the tail gives it away. The tale of a slow worm is not so pointed as that of a snake. having said that, you should always be careful with reptiles and if you come across one with a zig zag pattern down its back, don't even bother sizing up its tale because it will be an adder, they are poisonous and will bite you on the ass.
If you do find a slow worm in your garden please don't bash it with a spade. Although they look like snakes they are completely harmless and eat slugs so really they deserve a big kiss.


The second item of interest is that my latest book Carp Rustlers is now available on amazon's kindle and in other ebook formats through smashwords.com. (The kindle cover is pictured on the right.) If you fancy reading a detective story where the main character doesn't have the cliche 'attitude' you might enjoy it. It is the first book in The Fishing Detectives series and although fishing is fundamental to the plot you don't have to be an angler to enjoy it.

(The picture on the left is the Smashwords cover.) Now you may well ask how I finished up with two covers? The simple answer is that I couldn't decide which looked the best. If you have any views I'd be pleased to hear them.
If you would like more details or a free sample download for you pc please click here.

In my next post normal service will be resumed with the tour of Scotland

Ardrishaig and Ellary

Hi all,
Time flies when you are on holiday and it was Tuesday already. Yesterday we went north, so today a change of direction was called for, so we decided to go south and explore the top end of the Mull of Kintyre. We did a little shopping in Lochgilphead and then followed the bank of Loch Gilp to Ardrishaigh. We took a short stroll along the front and then went in search of a venue for lunch.As it happened we didn't have to look far as a nice little restaurant called the Grey Gull, which sat in an elevated position overlooking the loch, caught our attention. We soon found ourselves at a window table and after we'd chosen from an extensive menu we watched a gang of gannets plunging into the loch looking for some food of their own. We had the Moroccan lamb and it was delicious. Fully satisfied, we carried on along the bank of Loch Fynne and then turned right, to head across the peninsular. This was a single track road and the area was very sparsely populated. We stopped often to stretch our dog's legs and take photographs of the scenery and anything else that caught our attention.
By the time we'd reached the small village of Lochead, we'd seen some wonderful scenery which in places was saturated with primroses.
Eventually we came to the tip of Loch Caolisport where we picnicked in perfect isolation and took photos of a clutch of cormorants as they stretched there wings to dry.
Having had our batteries charged, by nothing more than peace and quiet, we carried on along the loch to Ellary which is a small hamlet in a very special setting. Remote would be a good description, with a large proportion of the the few cottages being used for holiday lets. As we turned and headed back along the road whence we came I couldn't help but wonder why the road hadn't been continued around the headland and into loch Sween. We were only a few miles from our holiday lodge as the crow flies, but there was only one road into Ellary and it stopped there. We'd just have to take the thirty mile journey back the way we came and take in the beautiful scenery from the opposite direction and I'll leave you with a picture of that.
If you would like to see more photos of Scotland or see our artwork please click here.
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Loch Melfort & Arduaine

Hi all, having had a relatively quiet day on Sunday, when we attacked the Cragnish Peninsular, today we thought we'd head north towards Oban. We like flowers and solitude, so lunch in a pub and a walk around Arduaine Gardens seemed like a good idea.


We travelled slowly along the A816 taking in the splendour of the scenary as we went along. Every few miles we would have to stop the car to take another photo or try to immerse ourselves deeper into the scenery by walking the dog.
Have you ever looked at something that is so incredibly beautiful that you don't know what to to about it. An emotion builds up inside that makes you want to eat it. Well in this part of Scotland it is like that all the time; if I could eat the views I'd be obese in week.


Talking of food, by the time we got to Loch Melford it was lunchtime so we called in at the Melfort Hotel. If ever there was a hotel in a beautiful setting this was it. (Photo above). Positioned in a lofty position at the corner of a bay it had magnificent views across the sea to several islands. The large dining room took in this view and they could also be enjoyed from the terrace outside.

Having enjoyed our meal we carried onto Arduaine gardens which were now within yodeling distance. The gardens at Arduaine cover twenty acres and go right down to the sea. Usually when one visits a garden that is so close to the ocean, the plants are a bit grim because they have taken a battering from the sea air.
Not so here, the lavish planting of trees and shrubs has provided the plants with such shelter that all the plants were in good order. Spring was a good time to visit because the show of azealeas was fantastic. The weather was kind while we walked around Arduaine and we sat for a while enjoying a seat that was bathed in warm sunshine and looked over a calm bay. Oh how I wish I was there now.

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Keilmore and Danna Island

Hi all,
having sampled a very civilised breakfast in Tayvallich, we carried on with our journey down the lonely Craignish pennisular. We were following the only road (it would be called a lane where we live) along the southern banks of Lock Sween. The terrain was very changeable; heathland, moor and mountains passed us by while searing beautiful images into our souls at every turn.
We travelled for mile after mile through this remote land and didn't pass a single car. Eventually we reached the tip of the penninsular and came to the village of Keilmore. I say village, there was, as far as I could see, only one building and that looked like a semi-detached. However, what it lacked in size was more than made up for by the scenery. Across the sea, the people who lived in the house would have a perfect view of the Paps of Jura. Very nice on a summer's day I thought, but I can't imagine what it must be like in winter when a roaring gale is threatening to rattle the putty out of their windows.
According to the map, Kielmore is also the home to Keil's Chapel, which is a short walk away around the headland. It's a 12th century building, that houses some grave slabs of a similar vintage. We are not religious and looking at old grave stones seems an odd thing to do when surrounded by such beauty, so we didn't bother. Instead we wandered around the foreshore of Loch na Cille, took a few photos then returned up the single track road towards Tayvallich. At the tip of Loch na Cille we noticed a little track going off to the right and being in a cavalier mood we decided to see where it led to.
It followed the loch around opposite to where we'd just been at Keilmore and with the exception of one ruined building the place was completely deserted. The photo above shows the building in its splendid setting. If it ever came up on Homes Under The Hammer, I might be tempted to put a bid in myself. While we were stopped at this building I checked the map and found that we were heading for Danna Island, so we carried on until we could go no further then we turned around and headed back to the lodge. The weather might not have been great, but we'd had a perfect day. We'd seen very few people and hardly any cars, yet we had spent the whole day in the most glorious scenery one can imagine. It was just me, my wife and Buzby and in our world, days don't come any better than this. I will leave you with another picture of Loch Sween.
If you want to see some more of my photos, our paintings or the images I have created with my newly acquired pyrography iron Please click here If you want to know more about my books, including The Fishing Detective: Carp Rustlers, which has just been published on Kindle Click here

Loch Sween & Tayvallich

Hi all,
after our long journey up to our rented lodge, (Photo on the right) situated on the bank of Loch Sween we were dissapointed to find that the weather wasn't as good as we'd hoped for. However, it wasn't raining cats and dogs so perhaps it would get better. We decided that we'd have a quiet day out on our first treck around the area and have a run (in the car)down the narrow Craignish penisular. A nice trip along the other side of Loch Sween, opposite our cottage, looked like a good plan. Hopefully we'd find somewhere to eat and a relaxing day would be on the cards. We started off by retracing our journey back to the top of Loch Sween, taking our time to admire the scenary and take in views with pretty, but deserted boats bobbing about on the water. I alway think it is strange that whenever I go where boats are mooored, they are always deserted. Why did their owners buy them?
Going down the other side of Loch Sween we found the scenary much to our liking. There were views of the water and lots of trees underneath which grew carpets of bluebells. Bluebells are my favourite flower and there isn't a better view anywhere in the world than a British bluebell wood in spring. There are times when we moan about this country, but the fact that we have most of the world's population of bluebells counts for something. This year, the warm spring has been very nice, but the bluebells came and went too quickly, and the may flowers on the hawthorn bushes have also gone when they should just be coming out.Anyway, we carried on with our drive down the peninsular and we were pleased that although it was still cloudy the rain seemed to have stopped. I guess we must've travelled about twenty miles when we found civilisation, as we rounded a sharp corner on the side of the Loch, the harour of Tayvallich came into view. This is the only settlement on the Craignish peninsular with around 142 dwellings in which live a population of just over 200 people.

Tayvallich, is in fact a fishing village with a well situated and sheltered harbour. On Sundays, it is supposed to be very busy when the bay is full of week-end sailors. However, we arrived on a Sunday and there was hardly a soul to be seen. Perhaps the dull weather had put them off. The one thing we did see when we were walking through the village was a harbour-side cafe. This meant it was decision time, did we eat here or look for something else? Actually, and I hate using the term, but it was a no brainer. I'd looked at the map a couple of times that morning and knew this was the only community on the penisular, so if we didn't eat here we'd probably have to go hungry.
Anyway, we were very glad we gave it a try and ate one of the most memorable breakfasts we've ever had. A delicious full Scottish is what we devoured, while sitting at a table by a big window overlooking the gorgeous loch. Our holiday had started very well, and we both hoped it would carry on in the same way because if it did, it would be just grand.
In my next post we will carry on down the penisular to the tip at Keillmore.
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Crinan Continued

Hi All, in my last post about Scotland, I left you in Lochgilphead, so today we will continue on the journey along the beautiful Crinan Canal to equally beautiful Loch Sween.
The photo above shows where the Crinan Canal meets the sea
However, before we embark on that journey, a few facts about the Crinan Canal might be of interest.
The Crinan Canal is only nine miles long and was built to save ships from Loch Fyne, (which included those leaving the Clyde) from having to make a long and sometimes hazardous journey around the Mull of Kintyre.
Although the Canal is pretty short, by canal standards, it took about seven years to complete. Work started in 1794 and, due to one difficulty after another, it wasn't opened until 1801. The Canal begins on Loch Fyne in a little town called Ardrishaig and carries on to the small port of Crinan, which is wonderfully situated on the Atlantic coast.
Anyway, having filled our car with groceries we left lochgilphead and turned onto the A83 going North. However, we wouldn't be on it for long because a couple of miles later we turned left at Cainbaan and picked up the Crinan Canal. There are a couple of lovely locks to explore here and it is interesting to watch ocean going yatches going through them instead of barges.
We followed the canal for a few miles until we reached our turning for Loch Sween. Just before Bellanoch basin, we took a small road to the left and proceeded towards Achnamara. This part of Scotland is rugged and remote, but hell, it's beautiful(Sorry about the oxymoron). For several miles we followed the single track road which clung to the banks of Loch Sween and then swooped through valleys of trees by turn. Eventually we found the cabin we had rented for the week and we were pleased to find that the view over the Loch from it was just as described in the brochure. Every evening of that holiday we spent looking through the window and watching otters playing in the water
Talk about heaven; I think this was it. If you would like to see more photos of Scotland or even some of Staffordshire Please click here. You will also be able to see my efforts regarding my new hobby of Pyrography
If you would like to find out more about me or my books Please click here.
PS Peter Silvester suggested adding more photos to my blog. Thanks Pete, I hope you enjoy this week's batch.