Journey No 28
2nd June to 4th June 2015
This journey covered 3 days, 317 km / 198 miles.
Our route was Carrick Castle to the Lochgilphead and Oban areas of Argyll and back to Carrick Castle, Argyll.
Tuesday, 2nd June 2015
Our first visit of the day was to Auchindrain by Furnace, Argyll. This is a unique survival of the old communal farming villages. Two hundred years ago there were 4,000 townships like Auchindrain where families worked the land together. The last residents left in 1967. This township is set in 22 acres and contains all the community’s buildings – its houses, byres, barns and more.
Our next visit was to the National Trust’s Crarae Gardens by Furnace, Argyll. These gardens on the north shore of Loch Fyne are in a beautiful woodland glen with tumbling waterfalls. Trees and shrubs from all over the temperate world thrive there including an array of rhododendrons. We did the Red walk in pouring rain but it dried up enough to allow us to do the White walk as well.
We then drove through Lochgilphead to the Knapdale Forest where we visited the area where beavers have been introduced. The interpretation centre explains the beaver’s habitat and the walks where you can see their activity.
The first night we parked Harrie up in a forest area in the Knapdale Forest.
Wednesday, 3rd June 2015
We discovered that there were other beaver sites in the area so went off to another one with a good walk to it where we found very fresh evidence of the beaver’s activity. Whilst walking there two friends appeared on their bicycles who lived close by so we were invited to go back to their house for coffees after we completed our walk…
We then met up with our friends, Bernie & Liz for coffee at Achnamara before heading to Tayvallich for lunch. We then drove down to the end of the single track road to Keilbeg where we visited the chapel with its collection of early gravestones and then walked around the area.
We then left Keilbeg to visit Carsaig to watch the sunset.
Following the setting of the sun, we drove to the Glen of Burning near Tayvallich for our second night’s stay in Harrie – a very quiet place off the road.
Thursday, 4th June 2015
Our first visit of the day was to the National Trust’s Arduaine Gardens, on the A816 20 miles south of Oban and 19 miles north of Lochgilphead. This beautiful garden is on the edge of the Atlantic and is best known for its rhododendron collection.
This was our last places of interest visit so we went to Oban and did our shopping before returning home to Carrick Castle. We were mostly lucky with the weather with the exception of our wet first walk at Crarae Gardens we managed to do everywhere else in the relative dry… A nice journey in Harrie!
Total mileage for the trip: 317 km / 198 miles.
Total mileage in our ownership: 15,281 km / 9,551 miles.
Total mileage to date: 125,900 km / 78,688 miles.
