Dunoon to Port Lamont.

Bloody hell.Catching up with this blog is hard work!I now have three still to write up and Alex has two.At this rate we will need to get a secretary in that can type a lot faster than us two one fingered duffers.This is from the First May weekend,done before the epic Bute trip and the journey that put the idea into my head in the first place as I was looking across at this island most of the day thinking I`ve got to get over there again soon.
As Alex was in Italy It was a solo venture again.Any chance I get to go myself I prefer the bike,saving any hills to do with him.This suits us both.
Only been on this cycle ride once before ,mainly because its the same long road in and out whereas I prefer circular outings if I can get them.Last visit was many years ago and I remember really enjoying it so time for a return.Weather was for heavy passing showers but at this time of year I decided they`d be warm or easy to sit out under a tree.I was off and that was that.
Even so I faffed around getting ready and left it a tad late racing out the house and down to Gourock only to get caught in traffic waiting for a Boys Brigade parade to pass.

It didn't take that long but I missed the ferry.Mind you when I looked over to where it was heading I was quite happy to stay here on the mainland .

It looked grim.Your average Munro day in fact.Brings back memories. :0)
I pottered about taking photos debating whether to cycle round to catch the smaller western ferry a mile down the road. This took advantage of the hourly crossing of Cal Mac by a 30 minute return service across the shortest point.Looking at the jet black clouds I knew a monster of a downpour was not far away so I captured pictures of tulips in sunshine instead and stayed close to shelter.

They weren't joking about heavy showers.The heavens opened but it only lasted fifteen minutes then stopped.I was here.Happy!Nothing better than a cloudburst when you can watch it in the open but under cover.Magic.
Here`s the tulips :0)



Its safe to come out again men the flowers are gone.
Now, in the dry, I cycled to the Western Ferries slipway.My momma didnt birth no fool.


This took me to Hunters Quay where I had a smashing level promanade glide past Kirn back into Dunoon.Kirn is famous for two things.This.....

And this......
Both painted in the same bold colours but only one of them is highly controversial and divides opinion.Can you spot which one?
By the time I arrived in the Victorian confection of Dunoon the sun was coming out again.I met a fellow cyclist here who joined me for a mile or two.He was a big miles man."If I do a hundred miles today I like to batter on and do a hundred and fifty next time I`m out." Although both on bikes we had nothing in common :0) Nice guy though.
Happy with my sub 30 miles for today I glided on.Flat easy roads,big rambling houses round twisting bends and hidden golden sand coves,monkey puzzle,and copper beech trees overhead.Another crap day in the west of Scotland.

The miles rolled by as wisps of steam from the drying out wooded cliffs above drifted upwards turning the long coastal escarpment above the houses into a lost world vision of paradise.Talk about a feel good factor.Christ on the cross would be belting out show tunes here.
Innellan is a long glorious strip of houses two and three levels high off the main street with a nice war memorial frontage garden.
The lighthouse at Toward point however was not the make for highlight it appears on the map as it is private and out of bounds.Boo hoo!
Instead I followed a white road (oh no, you mad fool!) beyond Toward point which snaked down to Ardyne Point and along the coast to Port Lamont.Hadn't been down here before.It started off as an easy dirt track but soon disappeared at a three way split leaving me in a field with waist high grass.Its not that I`m a crap navigator ,I`m actually pretty good as you`d expect after all this time but white roads ............
Faint heart never won fair tarmac however and I don`t scare easily.I knew where I was heading and some determined portage later........

Through bog ,bramble,bush and beast saw me on solid ground again.

Not only that it looked like an old runway or a very wide road overgrown and slowly reverting back to nature.It was a surprise to find a semi industrial setting down here,loads of oil rig cables,fish farm junk and heavy haulage gear.Both now and in the past by the looks of it.Cycling was now easy however round the small harbour slipway and along the beach to Port Lamont where I had a view of this.

And this....
This being the Maersk containers ships lying idle here until the economy picks up.Loch Striven is a popular place to hide ships like this waiting for an upturn in the economy to make them viable again.
The fjord like Loch Striven was also used during the second world war as a testing ground for the highball project.A Barnes Wallis Bouncing bomb enterprise to sink the German battleship Tirpitz Based in a similar fjord in Norway.In the end midget subs carried out the deed but over a hundred highballs lie beneath the cold, deep waters of the loch.Inactive of course.The six container ships are being used as the setting for a CBBC TV Si- Fi series called Mission 2110.
On the way back took the high Innellan roads for better views and a different route back.
Two of Rothesay from Ardyne Point area.


And one above Innellan.

My next day out has Live Dancing girls,Dragons and Devils..............Stilts, Stilletoes and music...........Alex refused to go.....shame that `cos he missed a fabulous day out with me ,Chalky the wee white dug and the family he looks after.
P.S. Don't sit under a Monkey puzzle tree during a" passing heavy shower".Amazing tree but It makes a crap umbrella!.Horse chestnut or beech is by far the best.

Arran. Holy Island.Mullach Mor and Clauchlands Ridge.

I`ve wanted to go to Holy Island for as long as I can remember.As it was a Sunday and the first ferry of the morning was not until 9:45am getting into Brodick around 10:40 the Arran ridge seemed like too much of a rush,especially as we were still feeling the effects of our long Galloway day.
By mutual consent the ridge was off the menu ,so an easier excursion was agreed to bag the summit of Mullach Mor the highest point on Holy Island, and a trig, then a wander back, on Arran, along the coastline ridge over Dun Fionn,also a trig,direct to the ferry.It was still a fair distance.

After seeing the pictures of Bute Alex was determined not to miss out this time. Thank God I thought,I wouldn't be tempted to take the bike over any hills this week.
Parked at Ardrossan.Paid our £2 parking fee in the terminal car park and jumped aboard.Soon struck up a conversation with a guy whose breakfast consisted of a few thick slices of spam washed down by a discreet full bottle of buckfast tonic wine.We were impressed.Anyone that munches raw spam for breakfast is hard core.
Docking we now had 15 minutes to catch the other ferry across to Holy Island.Not a lot of time.First off down the gangplank We raced for the bus then spent the rest of that time going nowhere as it slowly filled up with folk with dogs,rucksacks and golf clubs till it was crammed to bursting point with us jammed in right at the back.
By the time we reached Lamlash we had time on our hands as we watched our ferry disappear.No matter.Lamlash is a pleasant place to pass 30 minutes til the next one.


It was soon our turn.Holy Island has a long and varied history.Various Saints, Vikings,Dukes of Hamilton and now Buddhist's have all left their mark on this steep sided island.After being on the market at £1 million and remaining unsold it was eventually offered to the Buddhist centre of Samye Ling Monastery in Dumfrieshire at a reduced price.
After managing to raise the cash the Abbot of the Samye Ling founded the Holy Isle project which continues to this day.Fortunately they allow visitors on the island which is where we come in.

After wandering with the ferry group up the beach we were met by a guy and had a brief greeting and explanation of the rules and goals of the island surrounded by a gleaming ring of Stupa`s.We were then wished good luck and we could explore on our own.
The path up Mullach Mor was straightforward and easy,views opening up across to the Alisa Craig.

Which seemed close and the backdrop of Arran`s mountains.

At the top it turns into a fairly narrow ridge but still easy hands in pockets stuff.

Wouldn't like to roll down the eastern side though.
On the descent we bagged the square lighthouse,a type rare in Scotland,then skirted the womens retreat where some undertake a vow of silence for a year.That must be hard.No fights though!The path back was very attractive,great scenery and wildlife.
Painted boulders at regular intervals of inspirational Buddhist figures.This I think is Green Tara, similar to a mother nature figure.


Also Saanen goats, Soay sheep and Eriskay ponies wander around.

Aw!!!!
I`m not religious,the beauty of the natural world has always been enough for me,but this area felt a bit special.

Symbols and paintings added a dash of the exotic to the landscape.
We managed to swap with a couple we`d met earlier on the hill (thank you) allowing us to get the early ferry back so we could walk from Lamlash over the Clauchlands ridge to Brodick.Even on this smaller walk time is ruled by the ferry timetable and we did not want to miss the last one back.

Back in Lamlash,we marched along the tarmac past a ribbon of posh houses until Clauchlands point then up the grassy incline gaining height towards Dun Fionn. A smashing viewpoint.Another ancient hill fort and more importantly a trig for Alex.

It was still an enjoyable 3 kilometre walk back to Brodick from here but the views kept us going past farms and isolated cottages,tree hung lanes filled with honeysuckle, bluebells ,wild garlic and yellow poppies.

You can see the route back from here.Brodick is in the dip where the sea turns inland.

Back in Brodick we hit the chip shop.£2.60 for a single hamburger(no roll) or £1.60 for a buttered roll and hamburger.Stunned into greed by this logic Alex bought two burgers and buns.I munched all my single meat and bun but the seagulls enjoyed Alex`s second roll and burger with noisy flapping gusto.
A perfect end was getting the last ferry back with the evening sunlight spilling like molten gold over the decks, the contented bank holiday travellers, and the dazzling waters of the Firth of Clyde.


Best day of the year so far.So many great memories of past camping trips here in Glen Rosa with various clubs and mad youthful exploits in the mountains and bars.
When the suns shines here this truly is heaven on earth.


Great day. Great company.

Mullwharchar and Loch Enoch.

A Bank Holiday and all day on the hills and see nobody....has to be Galloway.!We pulled in to the car park at Glen Trool beside the only other occupants...a couple from Cheshire up on holiday.After 30 years of visiting the highlands this was their first visit to Galloway and they were astounded at how beautiful an area it was.The sun was out as we took our leave and headed directly up Buchan Hill on our way to Mulwharchar.We had toyed with the idea of biking in from Loch Doon to the north but the prospect of a return visit to see the sands of Loch Enoch proved irresistable.


The idea was to make good use of the Rig of Loch Enoch and enjoy a high level route towards Mulwharchar,avoiding the tussocks and bogs lower down.The Rig proved a great way out with gentle ups and downs and traces of a path in places.


Makes a change having views down both sides for such a long time.
Loch Valley below us...


Just before we crested the final rise to Loch Enoch a quick detour was made to pay our respects to the Grey Man of the Merrick....



A quick pull up and the loch was in front of us and our hill appeared in the distance...


We took it easy as we had all day before us and walked around the sandy shore when possible.Who would believe this is 1,600 feet avove sea level...


A stop for a spot of lunch and some photos....


...and then a quick flog up the slope via granite slabs to the summit of Mulwharchar.
Good views of Arran and down south to the Mull of Galloway but it was just a bit too hazy to make out the Isle of Man.

The Merrick from Mulwharchar.


Next up was Dungeon Hill to the south...


...which without a doubt was my hardest remaing Donald.It`s a long way from anywhere.We made our way down to the col under Mulwharchar.Loads of granite erratics all over this area.


An easy pull up and we were at the top in no time.


The man eating bog of the Silver Flowe is in the valley at the bottom of the pic above.See the link at the end of the page :)

There are some impressive cliffs on this hill but the only person I know who has actually made the effort to do a route there is our friend Gavin.I`ll see if he has any pics to put up.The weather was now becoming a tad on the parky side so we kept going.We had hummed and hawed about adding on Craignaw....


...but the weather was closing in and we had been up it long ago in December 1992 so we traversed around Craignairny to the Wolf Slock and down to Loch Neldricken.More sandy beaches to walk round here.


As luck would have it the weather brightened up again as we worked our way round the loch.Looking back Loch Neldricken and Black Gairy before heading down the Gairland Burn..


The Gairland is usually a bit of a bogfest but it was behaving itself today and we emerged at the foot with dry feet.A bit of tar work and a quick detour up to Bruce`s Stone...


....and it was back to the car and back home over by Rowantree Toll to Straiton.Good day out it was.I even think Bob enjoyed it :)

PS: To see what Galloway can ofer in the shape of tussocks and bog go to the excellent John Biggar site and look at the picture at the bottom of this page.