Crinan Canal via Glasgow

Hi all,
carrying on with my clockwise tour of Scotland, in 2006 we decided to take a holiday close to the Crinan Canal and booked a lodge on the side of Loch Sween. We had ventured into this area three years previously when on holiday on the banks of Loch Awe. On one of our trips out we visited the Crinian Canal and fell in love with the place.
Bellanoch Basin on the Crinan Canal is pictured on the right.
Although we haven't seen the whole of Scotland, I doubt there is anywhere more delightful than the corner of Scotland that takes in the Mull of Kintyre and the Crinan Canal. It may not have the rugged splendour of the Great Glen or the majesty of the Coullins on the Isle of Skye, but is has a charm that is unique and a beauty that caresses the soul.
However, there is a downside; travelling to the Crinan Canal is much more demanding than visiting the borders because Glasgow gets in the way. It's a long journey up the M6 from Stafford, but before you enter paradise you have to negotiate the big city. The most obvious route is to follow the M74 towards Glasgow and onto the M73. Then turn left onto the M8; a very busy motorway that goes through the middle of the city. It takes you westwards and then back south over the river Clyde until you eventually find the Erskine Bridge where you will finally turn north again and via the A82 leave the city behind you.
This bit of the journey is very tedious and I always think there should be a better way to get around Glasgow. If there is it would make the journey to the North west of Scotland more inviting.
I've tried getting off the M8 before it goes south back over the Clyde at Junction 17, but this took me through part of the city with traffic light every ten yards and I thought I'd never get out of the place. Looking at the map, it seems that a more direct route would be to get off the M74 well south of Glasgow at Junction 5 and follow the road through East Kilbride and Paisley and join the M8 just before the Erskine bridge.
I haven't tried this route, if any of you have or know of a better way around Glasgow I'd love to find out more.
The good news is, once Glasgow is out of the way the rest of the journey is bliss and you are soon travelling along the banks of Loch Lomond.
At Tarbet we turned left and changed our loch side drive to one that followed the banks of Loch Long. Onwards through the rugged pass at the strangely named Rest and Be Thankful and we eventually came to Loch Fyne which is famous for oyster. Again we followed the banks around to the town of Inverary and passed over the pretty bridge that stands in front of Inverary Castle. By the time we arrived in Inverary it was mid afternoon, but we carried on with the long journey down the side of one of Scotland's most beautiful lochs and eventually came to Lochgilphead, which can be seen below.
This is the view from the bottom of the main street looking over Loch Fyne towards Ardrishaig where the Crinan Canal starts. Anyway, Lochgilphead would be the nearest place with shops to our chalet on Loch Sween, so we stopped and stocked the car up with groceries. We were now within fifteen miles of our destination, but rather than the rush the last part of this journey I will leave it here and tell you about it in my next post.

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