LL&C Way: Portavadie to Tighnabruaich

Summary

The first stage of the Loch Lomond and Cowal Way is a varied cross-country walk crossing the southernmost finger of Cowal from Portavadie to Tighnabruaich with excellent views of Loch Fyne and the Kyles of Bute. The route takes in forestry, Ascog Loch and the ruins of a castle, farmland, the remains of a gunpowder mill, a golf course and the waterside village of Kames.

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Grade

Bog Factor

3.5/5

Rating

Terrain

Forest tracks, paths (boggy in places), minor roads.

Getting there

Start

Portavadie ferry pier.

Public Transport

Portavadie is served by bus and also by a ferry from Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula.

Start Grid Ref

NR926697

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Walk Statistics

Distance: 10.5km / 6.5 miles
Time: 3 - 4 hours
Ascent: 170m (Profile)

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Explorer 362 - Cowal West

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Walk Description

User reports (4)

Stage 1

The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way begins at Portavadie, the tiny port which is joined to Tarbert in Kintyre by a regular ferry service. There is a marina here with hotel and cafe. Start by heading up the main concrete road from the pier; after about four hundred metres a LL&C Way sign and a footpath sign for Loch Ascog indicate a left turn onto a wide forestry track. Follow this track uphill for around seven hundred metres (ignoring any side tracks) to where a signed path climbs to the right. This path passes to the right of a house and climbs through a recently felled area of forest and curves right to provide good views back over Portavadie.

Stage 2

Near a small loch turn left onto a track and follow it until Loch Ascog is in view and then take a signed path on the right near a large stone. This path keeps well above two whitewashed houses and the shores of Loch Asgog before descending to reach the loch at the ruins of Asgog Castle.

Stage 3

This was a stronghold of Clan Lamont, dating from the fifteenth century, but was sacked and destroyed by the Campbells in 1646. Keep following the path as it heads around the loch and through a gate to cross a field heading diagonally right uphill to a waymarker. At the crest of the field bear right to pick up the access track for Auchoirk Cottages and follow this downhill to reach the B8000 at a gate. Turn right along the road to the crossroads in Millhouse. Turn left at this road junction, signed for Kames and Tighnabruaich. The ruins to the right of the road are all that remains of a gunpowder works which operated here until 1921.

Stage 4

Cross the road bridge over the burn and head uphill to a bend in the road at the attractive whitewashed cottage of Cladh a Mhuillin Lodge. The striking memorial records the names of sixteen workers who were killed in gunpowder explosions at the factory; it is topped by the bell which once marked the working day. Beneath the memorial is a cannon that was used to test the strength of the gunpowder. To continue the Cowal Way, head through the gate straight ahead to climb gently uphill - this old right of way was once used to export the gunpowder.

Stage 5

The route heads straight up crossing a couple of fields and can be boggy in places. Cross an area of rough ground with gorse bushes, keeping the old fence on your right. Eventually a gate is reached soon leading to the golf course. Keep straight ahead, taking care not to disturb or get in the way of any golfers. Soon the path runs along the top of the golf course with excellent views down over Tighnabruich.

Stage 6

Soon a track is reached, follow this downhill and then turn right at a surfaced road, now walking away from Tighnabruich. Look out for the Cowal Way marker on the left that indicates the start of a path downhill into the woods. Head down this path, heading through fine, twisted old oak woods with some grand views across the Kyles to the island of Bute. Stretches of boardwalk keep the boggy patches at bay. Follow the path as it descends across the back of the houses of Kames and turn left at the final house to reach the road at the southernmost end of the village.

Stage 7

Turn left along the road past the houses. Ignore turnings to the left, keeping to the shore road until it rises in a zag-zag in front and then behind the Kames Hotel. Follow the road uphill, passing public toilets, to reach a cross-roads near the shop. Turn right here and follow the B8000 back down to the shore in Tighnabruaich. Continue along the coastal road past the fine houses dating back to the origin of the village as a genteel Victorian holiday resort. The stage ends outside the Royal An Lochan Hotel.

Next stage: Tighnabruaich to Glendaruel

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