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A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!


Postby foreverwandering » Fri Apr 21, 2017 8:45 am

Hi!

I´m thinking about walking the Cowal Way this summer and I have a couple of questions. I´m wondering if there are any water filling stations along the trail?
I have earlier walked the Great Glen Way where we found it hard to do the wild camping we had planned. Is it easier to find places for wild camping along the Cowal Way?

Thanks in advance,

Emily
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby Mal Grey » Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:37 am

foreverwandering wrote:Hi!

I´m thinking about walking the Cowal Way this summer and I have a couple of questions. I´m wondering if there are any water filling stations along the trail?
I have earlier walked the Great Glen Way where we found it hard to do the wild camping we had planned. Is it easier to find places for wild camping along the Cowal Way?

Thanks in advance,

Emily


Hi

I can't answer your specific question as I've never done it, but I've always found places like shops or cafes where you've spent even a little money very helpful at filling up water containers for us. I do also carry a Sawyer Mini Filter attached to a Platypus 2L Big Drop Hoser which is a great cheap way of filtering water.
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby weebeastie » Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:15 pm

I walked the Cowal Way last August and would recommend it! Its a nice & varied route with a lot of work gone into the path and waymarking etc.

I camped a few nights but wasn't wild camping (the campsite at Carry Farm was lovely & Glendaruel campsite was also very nice). You might struggle to wild camp between Portavadie & Glendaruel as the path passes a lot of houses. The section North of Tighnabruach along the coastal path was my favourite part but again didn't see many wild camping opportunities.

Between Glendaurel & Strachur there is a quite long stretch on forestry commission track and I did see a couple places where people had been camping beside the track.

Once North of Strachur there are more wild camping opportunities and you should get camped ok away from the villages. Can suggest a few places if needed.

For water, I filled up at campsites and shops. And in the North sections I filled up from the burns.

When I walked it I hardly saw anyone else walking the route. It’s a very nice route away from the crowds on the WHW. Enjoy!
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby foreverwandering » Sun Apr 23, 2017 12:11 pm

Mal Grey wrote:
foreverwandering wrote:Hi!

I´m thinking about walking the Cowal Way this summer and I have a couple of questions. I´m wondering if there are any water filling stations along the trail?
I have earlier walked the Great Glen Way where we found it hard to do the wild camping we had planned. Is it easier to find places for wild camping along the Cowal Way?

Thanks in advance,

Emily


Hi

I can't answer your specific question as I've never done it, but I've always found places like shops or cafes where you've spent even a little money very helpful at filling up water containers for us. I do also carry a Sawyer Mini Filter attached to a Platypus 2L Big Drop Hoser which is a great cheap way of filtering water.


Thank you for the advice. I´ll definitely buy one of those!
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby foreverwandering » Sun Apr 23, 2017 12:15 pm

weebeastie wrote:I walked the Cowal Way last August and would recommend it! Its a nice & varied route with a lot of work gone into the path and waymarking etc.

I camped a few nights but wasn't wild camping (the campsite at Carry Farm was lovely & Glendaruel campsite was also very nice). You might struggle to wild camp between Portavadie & Glendaruel as the path passes a lot of houses. The section North of Tighnabruach along the coastal path was my favourite part but again didn't see many wild camping opportunities.

Between Glendaurel & Strachur there is a quite long stretch on forestry commission track and I did see a couple places where people had been camping beside the track.

Once North of Strachur there are more wild camping opportunities and you should get camped ok away from the villages. Can suggest a few places if needed.

For water, I filled up at campsites and shops. And in the North sections I filled up from the burns.

When I walked it I hardly saw anyone else walking the route. It’s a very nice route away from the crowds on the WHW. Enjoy!


Thank you for the information! We´ll probably try to wild camp if we see a spot, if not it is good to know that there are campsites along the route! Can´t wait to walk it myself!
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby kaiserstein » Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:35 pm

We wild camped outside Tighnabruaich after day 1. We only did a half day the first day. There is a grassy track leading off the left hand side of the way just outside the town where we could pitch 3 tents. Had our dinner down by the sea. Also wildcamped in forestry outside strachur
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby camsisious » Tue Mar 27, 2018 11:58 pm

weebeastie wrote:I walked the Cowal Way last August and would recommend it! Its a nice & varied route with a lot of work gone into the path and waymarking etc.

I camped a few nights but wasn't wild camping (the campsite at Carry Farm was lovely & Glendaruel campsite was also very nice). You might struggle to wild camp between Portavadie & Glendaruel as the path passes a lot of houses. The section North of Tighnabruach along the coastal path was my favourite part but again didn't see many wild camping opportunities.

Between Glendaurel & Strachur there is a quite long stretch on forestry commission track and I did see a couple places where people had been camping beside the track.

Once North of Strachur there are more wild camping opportunities and you should get camped ok away from the villages. Can suggest a few places if needed.

For water, I filled up at campsites and shops. And in the North sections I filled up from the burns.

When I walked it I hardly saw anyone else walking the route. It’s a very nice route away from the crowds on the WHW. Enjoy!


Hello there,

Planning on walking the Cowall way at the end of this week and wondered whether you were able to remember some of the wild camping spots North of Strachur you mentioned? I'm hoping to stay at Carry Farm and Glendaruel Park on my first two nights but wild camping after that so any additional info would be great!

Many thanks,
Camille
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby weebeastie » Wed Mar 28, 2018 4:58 pm

Hi Camille,

You should be able to find a camping spot up at Curra Lochain. It was blowing a gale and heavy rain when I was there but if you get good weather its a nice spot. Further north there is also camping opportunities on the shores of Loch Long south of Ardgartan.

Enjoy :)
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Re: A couple of questions about the Cowal Way!

Postby Old Stag » Thu Mar 29, 2018 6:56 am

I wild camped at Glenbranter in the woods among some big pines next to a good water source. it's close enough to the forestry commission toilets that you can walk down to them and back no problem.
At Lochgoilhead I stayed in a hotel bed for the night but noticed just at the crossroads at the edge of the village (it's just off the way) that there was a flat woody part you may be able to camp in. If you press on there is a space to squeeze a tent in by the path further up where a fast flowing stream crosses it.
When I finished at Inveruglas I had booked the 6pm northbound bus to take me just up the road to Inverarnan and the Beinglas Campsite. A good place to finish off the trip.
The petrol station in Strachur sells a good selection of food and has hot drinks too.
I enjoyed the walk. Could have done with a few more pubs along the way but other than that I really liked it,
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