This delightful walk explores the surroundings of Carradale, including the ancient fort at Carradale Point with superb sea views. The return takes in the stunning long sandy breach of Carradale Bay.
Tracks, minor road, sandy beach, rougher going and a little boggy heading out to the point (which is inaccessible at highest tide).
Carradale can be reached by bus from Campbeltown.
Carradale Harbour.
Start from the car park at the harbour at Carradale; there are pubkic toilets. Begin the walk by retracing your steps along the road, After 600m a cross-roads is reached; turn left here onto the road signed for Carradale Bay and Port Righ. When the road turns left at the next junction, go straight ahead through the gate onto a track, again signed for Carradale Bay. Follow the track when it bends right at the end of the field, and continue until it passes through another gate. It then forks, with a sign. You'll return to this point later, but first turn left as signed for Carradale Point.
The track leads out to a sandy area overlooking the sea; follow it left to reach a ruin. Go through another gate and then turn right along a grassy path, keeping a fence on your right at first. The path soon leads to the unenclosed shoreline, a wide grassy area with many outcropping rocks. Keep ahead along the shore, which is boggy in places.
Eventually the narrow neck of land connecting Carradale Point with the mainland is reached; this is covered by the sea at high tide. Cross the narrows and follow a faint path up onto the low hill on the point. There's a cairn with great views over the sea to Arran and along the Kintyre coast, and you can make out the outlines of the iron age fort that was situation here. After enjoying the location, retrace your steps back to the signpost mentioned at the end of stage 1.
Turn left at the signpost, as indicated for Carradale Bay. The route leads over a footbridge and through the gorse to reach the wide expanses of this beautiful sandy beach.
The walk across the Bay on the sand is a delight. At very high tide you can take the track just up on the shore. Just before the end of the sand turn right to reach the track and follow it, through gorse bushes, round the end of the caravan site and then inland alongside the tidal river. After passing through a gate go straight on along the track coming in from the right, passing the stepping stones which lead to Waterfoot on the left. At a signed fork keep right, pass the lodge house and then turn left just before the cattle grid to go through the small gate for Carradale House onto the main road.
Turn right and follow the road to the village hall which used to be a water mill. Here turn onto the path alongside the road and follow this and then the road back into Carradale. At the cross-roads reached early in the walk, turn left, signed for Port-na-Cúile. Follow the lane, but keep straight ahead onto a track when the lane curves right. Pass some bungalows, then turn right up a grassy path just beyond the last building. A path leads through the trees before emerging at a t-junction with another track. Turn left (signed for Port-na-Cúile), then go left onto a path as the track bends right. A path leads across a field and then through a gate almost hidden by rhododendrons. Go through, then join a track and follow this down to meet a road by the coast. Turn right along the road along the coastline back to the start.
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