Introduction The programme day-by-day Am I fit enough? Accommodation Clothing and equipment Dates and prices Booking

Isle of Arran

Arran is often described as "Scotland in miniature" because it has mountains, beaches, cliffs, farmlands and thousands of acres of untamed forests, hills and waterfalls, all packaged together in an area approximately 20 miles long by 10 miles wide.

Isle of Arran

Arran lies on the Highland Boundary Fault what makes it geologically very interesting with both Highland and Lowland landscapes. The northern part of the island is very much mini-Highlands with spectacular granite peaks, corries and wooded glens. In contrast the south of the island has sweeping moorlands and wide sandy beaches. We will explore both during our hikes.

There are traces of settlements on Arran as far back as 4,000 BC although it is thought there might have been inhabitants going back as far as 7,000 BC. It is protected on it's western coast by the Kilbrannan Sound and the Mull of Kintyre while the Firth of Clyde and the Ayrshire coast stretches south by it's eastern shores so it's fairly well protected all round. The Gulf Stream keeps the waters of Arran warmer than the norm and this is why there are many palm trees and other exotic plants dotted all round the island.

Kintyre

Kintyre - from the Gaelic 'ceann tire, 'land's end' - is steeped in ancient history as it is a fertile land, much fought over throughout the ages. There are plenty of abbeys, castles, standing stones, cave paintings and all manor of wildlife, sealife and plants to keep you amazed and amused.

Mull of Kintyre (photo Stewart Richardson)

The Kintyre Peninsula, often referred to as "Scotland's only mainland island". In the 11th century, when the Scottish king, Malcolm Canmore, allowed Magnus Barefoot, King of Norway, to lay claim on any island he could circumnavigate by boat, Magnus succeeded in dragging his longship across the Tarbert isthmus and added the peninsula to his Hebridean Kingdom until the ancient Celtic warleader Somerled sent the Vikings packing around 1156.

The west coast of the Kintyre peninsula ranks among the most exposed stretches of coastline and has a mixture of rocky shoreline and deserted sandy beaches pounded by Atlantic breakers with the low-lying fertile Isle of Gigha just three miles off the west coast.

The bulbous end of Kintyre features some of the most spectacular scenery on the peninsula and includes the famous Mull of Kintyre, the nearest Britain gets to Ireland, just 12 miles away.

The east coast is gentler than the west, sheltered from Atlantic winds and in parts striking beautiful with stunning views accross to Arran.

On the Isle of Gigha (photo Stewart Richardson)

Isle of Gigha

Gigha - Norse: gja-ey' cleft island' or 'God's island' or `good island' - is the most southerly of the Hebridean Islands. Seven miles long by a mile and a half wide, Gigha is situated three miles west of the Kintyre peninsula. The island is fertile, although the west coast is rough and rocky. Gigha has beautiful bays, lochs and gently sloping hillsides as well as a variety of wild and birdlife. The highest hill, Creag Bhan, rises to 330 feet, and there are splendid views to Kintyre, Islay, Jura, and even Ireland on a clear day. There are also fine sandy beaches at Druimyeon Bay and Ardminish Bay.

On Gigha you will find many prehistoric sites, including cairns, standing stones, forts and duns. A Viking grave was found in 1849 at East Tarbert Bay. There are fine carved grave slabs in the old burial ground at Kilchattan, including an ogham stone, which dates from as early as the 7th century.

The Norse king Hakon held court on the island in 1263 before going on to defeat at the battle of Largs.

The island is community-owned since 2002.

The programme day-by-day

A typical week, subject to variables like weather, abilities of the group and any changes to take account of lambing, deer stalking, etc., could be as follows:

1. Cock of Arran 2. King's Cave and Machrie Moor 3. Arran's western hills 4. Holy Island and journey to Kintyre 5. Isle of Gigha 6. Knapdale or Mull of Kintyre

Saturday: Glasgow - Arran
We will collect you from the city centre or from Glasgow International Airport. We will travel by minibus to Ardrossan for the ferry to Arran.

Standing stones at Machrie Moor

Sunday: Cock of Arran
The initial part of the walk is a steady climb a col. From the top, we will have superb views across the sea, and also inland to Goat Fell. We continue along the path descending to the sea at Laggan to an abandoned mining village. We will follow the coastal path to the north, along cliffs with caves and beautifully sculptured sandstone. The path climbs again to join a track, and there are excellent views across to the peninsula of Kintyre.
8 miles/12 km; 900 ft/270m ascent

Monday: King's Cave and Machrie Moor
We will walk back in time. We start at Blackwaterfoot and walk to the Doon Fort near Drumadoon Point. We will follow the shore north to King's Cave where King Robert the Bruce is reputed to have hidden after he was defeated in 1306. We continue to the neolitic monuments at Machrie Moor. The whole moorland is littered with the remains of early man, from hut circles to chambered cairns and solitary standing stones, which make it one of the most interesting and remarkable archaeological sites in Scotland.
6 miles/11 km

Western hills (photo Stewart Richardson)

Tuesday: Arran's western hills
A hill-day in the northwest of Arran. We avoid the crowds that walk up Goatfell. Instead we travel to the northwest to the solitude of the western hills. walk up Mullach Buidhe (2365ft/721m) and along a ridge with spectacular views all around us. The ridge takes us to Beinn Bhreac (2333ft/711m), the second hill for today. We descent back to the coast via Coire Fhionn Lochan.
9 miles (14 km), 2600ft/800m ascent

Wednesday: Holy Island and journey to Kintyre
We will spend the morning on Holy Island, a mile off the east coast of Arran. It rises to a thousand feet above the sea. It was the site of an early Christian monastery. Today it is the home of a Buddhist retreat. We will walk round the island along the coast to the top of Mullach Mor.
4 miles/7 km; 1100ft/340m ascent 

In the afternoon we will travel north for the Claonaig ferry across the Kilbrannan Sound to the Kintyre peninsula. Before we travel down the east coast of Kintyre, we will visit Skipness Castle, which stands on the east side of the Kintyre peninsula with wonderful views over to the Isle of Arran. First construction was in the early 1200s, with many later additions and fortifications in the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries, eventually being abandoned in the 17th century. In the late 1200s or early 1300s Kilbrannan Chapel (St Brendan's Chapel) was constructed on the nearby shoreline. There are a number of ancient burial slabs in the surrounding graveyard.

View from Gigha to the Isle of Jura

Thursday: Isle of Gigha
We will drive to Tayinloan for the ferry to Gigha for a walk on the island. Gigha is community-owned since 2002. Our walk takes us to the south coast of the island with beautiful bays and rocky shores. It is very likely that we will see common and grey seals during our walk. We will return through the Achamore Gardens and along the east coast back to the ferry.
7 miles/10km

Friday: Knapdale or Mull of Kintyre
Knapdale has a lot of up and down, as its name suggests (Cnap = hill in Gaelic; Dalr = valley in old Norse). It's an area with a very distinctive landscape of parallel hills and valleys reflecting the 'Caledonian' geology. The more sheltered of the rocky bays and headlands are well wooded. Our walk takes us to a hidden grave yard, a Dun, a deserted village, a Hill Fort and an old water mill offering great views to Gigha, Islay, Jura and the main land along the way.
7 miles/11 km; 650ft/200m ascent

or
We will walk part of the last section of the Kintyre Way on the Mull of Kintyre. This passes through wild and genuinely remote country. It starts along a ridge with grand views out to Sanda Island and Ailsa Criag. The route continues through the Largiebaan nature reserve noted for its birdlife, wild flowers, and feral goats, before heading for the Atlantic Coast with its cliffs falling into a turbulent sea. The views to the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland are quite splendid, as long as Sir Paul McCartney’s ‘mist rolling in from the sea’ is elsewhere at the time. The walk finishes at the superb 5km stretch of sandy beach of Machrihanish.
Up to 8 miles/12 km; 1650ft/500m ascent

Saturday: Campbeltown - Glasgow
We drive along the west shore of Loch Fyne, via Lochgilphead and Inveraray, across the 'Rest and Be Thankfull' pass to Loch Long and along Loch Lomond back to Glasgow, where we will arrive in the mid-afternoon.

Am I fit enough?

If you walk regularly, especially if you walk in the country or on rough paths, the answer is probably yes. Age itself is no problem. Very fit men and women in their seventies can cope with this programme and others like it. No day's walking is more than 10 or 11 miles. On no day do we plan to hurry. Having said all this, you will have to cope with rough going on ground that is sometimes steep, wet or broken because the West Highlands and Islands are like that, and their greatest rewards often go to those who are prepared to step away from the beaten tracks.

If you're still not sure whether or not you can cope after you've read this and the details of the week's programme, please get in touch to discuss it further.

King's Cave, Isle of Arran (photo David Fiddes)

Accommodation

As with all About Argyll's holidays, this is either in carefully selected B&B's / guest houses or in hotels, as you prefer. You can rely on the quality of the accommodation that we find for you - its comfort, its food and the welcoming nature of those who run it. If you have particular requirements, please let us know so that we can do our best to meet them.
Details of where you will be staying will be sent to you well in advance of your holiday.

Clothing and equipment

You will need to bring boots with a good tread that provide adequate ankle support, warm clothing, waterproofs (top and overtrousers) and a rucksack big enough for your spare clothes, a packed lunch and whatever else you normally like to have with you (binoculars, a camera, etc.). Boots are especially important. They don't have to be particularly heavy, but wearing ultra lightweight ones may mean your feet get wet and trainers definitely aren't adequate nor, on some of the rougher and steeper going, however short it may be, are they safe.

Dates and prices for 2009
Description	8 days (Saturday to Saturday), accommodation on Arran (4 nights) and Kintyre (3 nights) in carefully selected B&B or hotel.
Walks	7-11 miles (10-18 km) daily, with a mix of rough going and path. Four days with longer walks and two gentler days.
Code	Date	B&B	Hotel	Comments
AK1	30 May - 6 June	£715.00	£925.00	single room supplement: B&B £50.00, hotel £100.00
AK2	27 June - 4 July
AK3	22-29 August
AK4	13-20 September
Groups of 4 or more can book other dates. Please ask.

The price includes:

The services of our well-qualified, well-informed and welcoming guide
Small groups - usually between 4 and 8
An attractive, well-thought-out walking programme (6 walking days)
Carefully selected accommodation - B&B / guest house or hotel, double/twin room - plus picnic lunches on walking days
Transport by minibus and ferries, as needed, throughout your holiday, including evenings and from/to Glasgow/Glasgow airport at its beginning and end
Entrance fee to museums, if visited
Get-togethers to set the scene for the next day

Personal care and attention in all that we do for you.

For full details on booking and insurance, please click here.