Northern loop of West Island Way

[aj69dude]

The weather forecast almost stopped us form walking the route but thankfully we took the risk and it paid off. We set of planning for the first ferry to Rothesay to walk the entire West Island Way in one day but thanks to Scotrail the trains were off and were later arriving on the island. Change of plan meant we headed through the town and joined the way at the old school building. We then headed north on the route and joined the northern loop. Coming back off the loop we opted to hug the coast and walk back to the ferry terminal, I will go into detail why we did that.

We had planned this walk for some time and were excited at the prospect of completing the West Island Way. As we joined the official path it was difficult going already, rough tracks along narrow paths and overgrown hedges were not particularly enjoyable. Once we started the northern loop the walk was much better, We headed West towards Ettrick Bay and were getting in our stride. Ettrick Bay was 5 miles into our walk but it should be noted that the bay is actually about half a mile further away from the official path but well worth a stop at the coffee shop there for an ice cream and views of the beach.

We then headed back and joined the path where we crossed the road and started to head up hill along a good dirt track. After 2 miles of good walking we then started to wade through the rough heather and bogs on the trail. The good people who have set up the route have kindly build wooden bridges to go over most of the boggy sections but be well warned that the entire route is tough going in terms of underfoot conditions and wet ground.

We joined the forestry section at the north of the island and started to head south again. Once out of the forest and a good discussion around how limited the views were we were greeted with our first proper climb up Windy Hill to Kames Hill where we finally had a stunning view across to Colintraive and down to Dunoon. The last short climb up to Edinbeg Hill and the descent started on a grassy slope. At the bottom of the descent this was the worst section, very little to no path and bog after bog until we reached the farm house before finishing the loop at Port Bannatyne.

After wading through relentless bogs and poor paths we decided to hug the coast line back to the ferry and really glad we did. It should be noted that this section of the route does offer very little views and rough tracks. The climbs aren't steep but feel tough with the underfoot conditions. We didn't particularly enjoy this route and found it strange that the path avoids all tourist attractions such as the stunning Ettrick Bay, castle ruins and stunning views not to mention the pubs on route if that is your thing. If you are planning on this walk I would add time to detour off the track to enjoy these sights on the island.

On a plus side the walk is well marked with posts at most sections and we didn't have to use a map or GPS at all.

A GPX of our walk and photos can be found on my Strava page. it won't let me upload due to the size of file and won't let me add a link I'm afraid.