This coastal circuit has fine views across the water to Kintyre and south to Arran. Passing bronze age standing stones and visiting the pretty bay at Port Leathan this makes a pleasant short walk.
Summary
Faint paths on open ground, farm track and minor road.
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Portavadie is served by bus and also by a ferry from Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula.
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1. Begin at the gate to the derelict Pollphail village buildings. There is usually parking at the side of the road, on the same side as the buildings, just before you get to the entrance gate. Go left through the gate and walk along the concrete roadway behind the buildings. These were built as part of a Government scheme in the mid 1970's to house workers for the newly constructed dock which was to build concrete oil platforms for the North Sea oil industry. Despite constructing one of the largest dry docks in Europe, the development at Portavadie was blighted because it was on the wrong side of the country for the needs of the oil industry based in the east, and steel became the preferred material for oil rigs - no workers came to Pollphail and the buildings now only house a colony of bats. At the end of the roadway follow a marked path up a steep bank between birch trees.
2. A faint, and sometimes boggy path, heads south across the open countryside keeping on the slightly higher ground and following the marker posts with white arrows. After a while the path descends and crosses a section of boardwalk before heading over another small rise and then down towards a visible standing stone ahead. Almost 9ft tall this stone stands next to a much smaller one and date back to the bronze age approximately 2,000 years BC.
3. From the standing stone follow the straight clear path ahead which dips down and then climbs a heathery knoll where the path becomes much fainter. The direction is south west and the heathery knoll is the highest piece of ground. From here there is a good view over the coast and down towards Port Leathan and Eilean Aoidhe which is joined to the mainland via a narrow isthmus.
4. From this small top walk downhill in a south easterly direction through the bracken - there is no clear path. Head for a large ruin and then pick up a path just to the right which continues downhill to emerge on a muddy track just left of a house. It is now necessary to cross the boggy ground straight ahead aiming for the isthmus, avoiding the rhododendrons, and crossing a stream mid way. There is no clear path for this short section. Once at the head of Port Leathan it is possible to cross the narrow strip of land to explore Eilean Aoidhe.
5. Climb up to the wooden hut which is a Boys Brigade sailing base and has a great view over Salann Bay. Follow the farm track back from the hut inland passing another standing stone to the left of the track. Continue on the track with nice views towards Stillaig Farm down to the right, as well as back towards the Isle of Arran. At the end of the track turn left onto the road and follow this back to Portavadie.
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