by petert847 » Sun May 12, 2013 9:08 pm
Date walked: 03/05/2013
Time taken: 6 days
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Really enjoyable walk - better way marked than posts on other sites led me to believe - only really needed a map on the final day when visibility was down to 20 metres driving rain and I couldn't see the posts on open ground. A couple of posts on the final stretch to southend could have benefited from a direction arrow as its not obvious to me when I reach a post in a line from the previous one that i should turn 90 degrees! Especially when I cant see the next post through the rain and cloud.
I camped and wild camped. On the first few stages there are very very few decent places for wild camping away from the coast - so if you are planning to wild camp I would go for in between Tarbert and clachan - the grassy coast between skipness and claonig ferry is your only option. From there to clachan there were two spots possible to camp in a fairly wet week in May - one very exposed half way across - and one sheltered by trees on the side of path as it goes along loch ciaran.
Sandy Point and Carradale campsites both godsends for the tumble dryers (everything was wet by then). Carradale a bit over organised but a great location. Sandy point really friendly - very handy shop.
From campbelltown onwards there are loads of great spots to wild camp inland. But best had to be innean bay - worth the 20 minutes down and then back up - to camp on the beach and enjoy the sunset. It also allows you to shorten the final day a bit - handy if the weather is really foul.
Bus service very reliable if you can grab a timetable in tarbert.
There is a fair amount of walking on roads - but mainly single track - and the stretches by the coast (except south of clachan) were a highlight of the walk. Only slightly dull stretch was from clachan to carradale - but then I don't enjoy walking through managed forest - but less of this than the west highlands way - and none of those mindnumbingly dull up and down stretches through lochside forest (at their worst by loch lomond). And kintyre a very friendly place. Can recommend the frigate hotel in tarbert for low cost clean rooms (£20).
