Category: Beaches

Round Britain: Garlieston to Seaward

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Books, bookshops and libraries, ScotlandLeave a comment

After leaving Garlieston we drove southward on a B road down to the Isle of Whithorn.

The ruins of St Ninians Chapel sits  on the slope above the harbour. St Ninian was a missionary to the Picts in southern Scotland. The first chapel built here was in the 1100s to provide for the local people and to serve the pilgrims who were on their way to Whithorn Priory. The current remains were rebuilt around 1300 and were repaired in 1898 by the Marquess of Bute.

On the headland beyond the chapel is the cairn: a white tower which has been used as a navigation aid for several hundred years and in World War 2 was a tracking station for anti-aircraft gunnery practice.

There is also memorial to the Solway Harvester and its crew which sunk in 2000.

Back down near the chapel is a memorial for dogs that people can add stones to if they wish.

St Ninian’s Cave is down on the shoreline further along the coast. The 1973 film Wicker Man was filmed near there. We continued on past Whithorn and on to Wigtown, crossing the River Bladnoch where the distillery sits, before entering the main street. We had last visited it in 2017. Wigtown was designated as Scotland’s Book Town in 1998 and now has several bookshops including the largest in Scotland.

They are celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a Book Festival from 22 September to 1 October 2023. Some shops were not open today, including the Byre Books

but we did appreciate one local person’s efforts to fill as many wellingtons as possible with flowers.

After coffee in one of the local cafes we drove north past Newton Stewart and the head of Wigtown Bay where the River Cree enters the bay then down the east shore. The old military road diverts round Creetown and just after that is a parking space on the shore where we had our lunch. Wigtown Bay also has a Nature Reserve. Towards the end of the parking area was a large granite stone. It stated that Creetown granite had been quarried nearby and used to build Liverpool Docks and also the clock tower in Creetown.

After lunch we continued past the ruined Carsluith Castle, up Loch Fleet, past Skyreburn Bay, Gatehouse of Fleet and just before Kirkcudbright, turned down the east side of the River Dee which enters the bay and down to Seaward where we settled into the campsite. There are views over the bay

and in the distance is Little Ross Island with a lighthouse. Below the road is a beach which I had a wander on and found some sea glass.

Round Britain: Portpatrick to Garlieston

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Flowers. plants & trees, ScotlandLeave a comment

I watched the sun go down behind Dunskey Castle at the end of our day there.

We left Castlebay the next day on a bright but cool morning. From Portpatrick we drove over to the west side of Luce Bay and then south past Sandhead, New England Bay and Drummore (which has Scotland’s most southern store) before we reached the Mull of Galloway, the southern most point of Scotland. It has been owned by the Mull of Galloway Community Trust since 2013, has had an RSPB Reserve since 1975 and is also a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The Ordnance Survey map indicated that Luce Bay was an MOD Bombing Range. The lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson in 1830.

There are views to nearby cliffs

and over the sea.

There was a photographic exhibition in the lighthouse grounds

and a signpost indicating the distance to various towns and cities.

Cattle were grazing in the nearby fields.

After wandering around for a while, we headed back up the peninsula to the Logan Botanic Garden. The almost sub-tropical climate here, assisted by the Gulf Stream has led it to focus on plants from countries in the southern hemisphere, South America, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Africa. On arrival some of the first plants we saw were palm trees

and we then entered the walled garden.

After coffee some we passed the Gunnera Bog,

a pond,

 a large Eucalyptus

and a coloured tree called Acacia baileyana.

The conservatory has a great collection of succulents and others.

Afterwards it was time to head north again past Ardwell and Sandhead and then rounding the head of Luce Bay. We saw a sign saying there was an MOD Soft Target Station. On the A747 down the east side of the bay we passed a couple of quarries and a wind farm before the road returned to the coast. Our lunch stop was on a beach with many pebbles.

Continuing past Port William, the road then turns inland. We passed a building which said it was the Galloway Astronomy Centre before reaching Whithorn and then our campsite at Garlieston Bay.

Garlieston was a planned village constructed in the 18th century by Lord Garlies who later became the 6th Earl of Galloway. Not long after we arrived it started to rain and was due to continue for the rest of the evening so no more exploration until the next day.

Round Britain: Culzean to Portpatrick

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Scotland, walksLeave a comment

On our last night at Culzean I watched the sun go down.

The following day was dry and sunny. We set off southbound on the A719 which passes Maidens and Turnberry where in addition to all the golf courses and associated buildings, there are abandoned airport runways. We then rejoined the A77 and drove on down a very familiar road which we take whenever we are travelling to visit James’s parents in Northern Ireland. Just past Girvan there are views over to the Ailsa Craig.

Since the mid-19th century, the microgranite from the island has been used to make stones for the sport of curling. Apparently the only other source is from a quarry in Wales. Further on we passed Lendalfoot which sits where the River Lendal reaches the sea. Past Ballantrae the road crosses the River Stinchar and heads inland. After Smyrton and through Glen App it then descends to the coast again and we entered Dumfries and Galloway. Cairnryan was a World War 2 military port handling supplies of food and ammunition from the USA but is now the main port for ferries crossing to Belfast. In Stranraer we picked up supplies and topped up the caffeine levels. On the shore of Loch Ryan is Stranraer west beach where we parked for a while and had our lunch.

Afterwards we continued the short distance to our next stop at Castle Bay next  to Port Patrick. Our campsite overlooks Dunskey Castle, a 12th Building which has been ruined since 1700 and is currently in private hands.

It was used as a location for the 1951 film of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel Kidnapped and others. It is accessible by a coastal path and one from the campsite but there is no access to the interior. I had a wander around the outside.

Late afternoon we walked along the coastal path from the campsite to Portpatrick.

It enters the town near the beach

and we continued our walk around the harbour. Scotland’s first charitable Community Benefit Society ‘Portpatrick Harbour CBS’ was formed in 2015 to secure it in community ownership. There is a life boat station first built in 1877 after a large number of ship wrecks had happened.

The Southern Upland Way starts here. After our wander around town, we had a meal in one of the local hostelries. The owner said that business had still not returned to what it was before the pandemic.

Round Britain: Lochgilphead to Machrihanish

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En route to Lochgilphead where we were re-starting our tour of the British coast we passed Glasgow and stopped briefly so that I could take a photograph of the Clydeside Distillery which has been there since 1897.

I am compiling a photobook for James of the whisky distilleries in the British Isles. There were views over the Clyde on a very sunny morning

and street art on the nearby railway bridge.

Continuing, we stopped for lunch at the Rest and be Thankful. These words were inscribed on a stone by the workers who built the military road in the 1740s. There is a good view down the glen.

After settling into the campsite, it was time to walk to a local restaurant for a meal. There are views down Loch Gilp from the shore.

The following morning we set off down the west side of Loch Gilp. The road parallels the southern end of the Crinan Canal and passes through Ardrishaig. A little further on we took the B8204 which runs over a hill, past a small lochan and down to Loch Caolisport. There are several small villages along the road. At Achahoish was a firewood seller and at Ormisary there was a fish farm. There are views over to Jura and Islay. At Kilberry there are some engraved stones which may have come from a medieval church and burial ground nearby.

While a drain was being dug under a bowling green, human bones were found. The stones are dated between the 14th and 15th centuries. There is also the remains of a castle nearby but it is on private land with no access. At Tarbet we entered the Mull of Kintyre which I had not visited since childhood. In 1597 Kintyre had been marked out as a rebellious part of the Gaelic west which needed control. Ten years later Clan Donald lands were taken over by Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyll. Hence the town he created became Campbeltown. The plantation by the lowland lairds happened in 1650, most came from Ayrshire and Renfrewshire and took place before the plantation of Ulster. We had a coffee in Tarbert and then walked up the hill from the harbour to the ruined castle.

There was a hill fort here which became a Royal Castle in 1292. It was extended by Robert the Bruce in 1325 and repaired further by James IV in 1494. IN 1705 it was tenanted by the Campbells but fell into disrepair by 1760 when most of the useful stones were used to build the harbour. There are views all around from the castle.

We then continued down the A83 along the side of West Loch Tarbert, passing Kennacraig where the ferry to Islay departs from and further on, the Arran Ferry port. Lunch was had in a small car park just south of Ronachan Bay. Apparently seals and otters can be seen here but none on my visit. There are views over to Gigha and Jura.

At Tayinloan a ferry runs to Gigha. After Campbeltown airport we drove through the town and then took the B road to Machrihanish. The town was formerly known as ‘The Pans’ up to the 18th century when salt was formed from the evaporation of seawater and it is still on this old milepost.

Kintyre’s only mine closed in 1967 and was nearby. Our campsite was next to the golf course but there were views over to the sea so in the evening I watched the sun go down.

The following morning was time for a beach walk. Machrihanish Bay is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and has the largest sand dune system in mainland Argyll.  It was very quiet that morning.

A lazy day followed before we got ready for the next leg in our journey.

Glenarm Gardens to Torr Head

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Flowers. plants & trees, IrelandLeave a comment

While in Northern Ireland to visit James’s parents we took some time out to explore a little of the nearby coast. Glenarm Castle has quite a traumatic history. The McDonnells came to Glenarm from Scotland in the late 14th Century when John Mor MacDonnell married Marjory Bisset, who was heiress to the Glens of Antrim. They first built Dunluce Castle and then Glenarm. The first castle was situated where Glenarm village is now. The one on the present site was built in 1636 by Randal MacDonnell, 1st Earl of Antrim in 1636. Six years later it was burned by a Scots Covenanter army who were attacking the Royalist McDonnells.  It remained ruined for 90 years. The Antrim estate covered 330,000 acres of the county and the family built a wing onto the ruin to live in when they were visiting. In 1756 it was rebuilt along with the lime tree avenue and the gardens. In 1813 other changes were made including a Barbican gatehouse. In 1929 a fire devastated the main block and the following reconstruction was not thought to be very good, having lost some of the original features. The 13th Earl of Antrim married a professional sculptor in 1939 and she added sculptures and decorations. Another fire in 1967 destroyed a wing but the old kitchen survived as the only room in continuous use since the 18th century. The garden opened to the public in 2005 after restoration. The castle remains private and hidden by trees from the garden. As it was coffee time we stopped for one at the tea room which is in what was the old mushroom house. On our exploration of the gardens, we first passed the Potting Shed which is a cafe with outdoor seating and a stage.    

The first part of the garden was the vegetable garden which had a wall covered with fig trees.  

We then wandered around the 4 acre walled garden which was built in the 1820s.    

There are several sculptures including this one  

and a woodland walk behind.

Closer to the entrance are several shops and a mini Landrover riding field for children. Current businesses on site are an organic salmon farm, organic shorthorn beef herd, farming and hydroelectric enterprises. On leaving Glenarm we headed down to the coast road where there are views over the bay and harbour.

We then continued northwards through Carnlough and stopped for lunch on the Garron Road.

The coast road was constructed to provide relief work during the Great Famine of 1845-1848. Many abandoned cottages are left after the mass emigration. After the plantation: tenant farming families had very small portions of land, barely enough to sustain them and the famine finally finished their time here. At Cushendall we had a wander along the beach

and the harbour  

where Mallard ducks were sleeping  

before an ice cream at the Corner House Inn. We noticed that many of the hedges in the area are made of fuchsia, a South American plant. It provides shelter for livestock and some insects including the Elephant Hawk Moth feed on it. Heading towards Torr Head, we stopped at Coolranny which overlooks Loughan Bay.

The  woodland gorges and hills are owned by the National Trust and there are views over to Kintyre 12 miles away; Sanda Island and Ailsa Craig. We will be in Kintyre and closer to the islands in September on our next van trip. Torr Head has a Coast Guard station built in 1822 which was a signal station for shipping.

In addition to some street art  

you can climb to the top of the building for views all around.

The large, ruined building on the road side was accommodation for off-duty coast guards. The station was burnt down by the IRA in 1922 who thought the British forces might use it as a base and was then abandoned.

Round Britain: Ardnamurchan to Tralee

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Ferries & boats, ScotlandLeave a comment

On our last night in Ardnamurchan we had dinner in the Kilchoan House Hotel. On our honeymoon in 1987 we had a meal there and when the people at the next table found out, they gave us a bottle of champagne. This time the unexpected discovery was that the waiter who served us was from Tasmania. Along with the Red Centre, they are the only places in Australia we have not visited. The next morning was wet but it cleared up as we left and continued eastbound on the B8007. It turns inland and we saw huge areas of peat cuttings drying to be used. The road then descends to the shore and just past Salen we joined the A861. At Strontian, near the head of Loch Sunart.

We had coffee and the guy serving us in the café said that they had been badly hit by the failure of the Corran Ferry. It crosses the Corran Narrows, one of the oldest trade routes in Scotland. The first car ferry arrived in 1935. Before that, farmers had to swim their cattle across the water on the way to market. Currently the ferry has been out of action like many of those to the isles in Scotland. At the moment it is just a passenger ferry with no vehicles allowed. The road continued up Glen Tarbet where we were back on a two-lane road. It then runs down and crosses the River Gour and runs alongside Loch Linnhe. At Ardgour

we passed the ferry terminal but had to continue on the 44 mile detour up Loch Linnhe.

Before we turned into Loch Eil we had views across to Fort William.

We were back on a single track road until we got past Loch Eil and rejoined the A830. Just south of Fort William on the A82 we got stopped by the police and asked to turn round with all the other vehicles because a wide load was coming. Fortunately, we found a layby and had our lunch until it had passed. We then crossed over the Ballachulish Bridge and continued on the A828. Just south of Keil we left Lochaber and entered Argyll and Bute. We passed through Appin and Castle Stalker which is privately owned and the ferry terminal for Lismore. Across the Greagan Bridge we  arrived at Loch Creran and continued on the road for a few more miles until just before Benderloch we arrived at Tralee and our campsite. The last time I was here was in the early 1970s when we used to have family camping holidays here. I had a walk on the quiet beach after we had settled in.

Just behind the campsite is some deciduous woodland

where bluebells are in flower.

Round Britain: Fort William to Arisaig

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A few weeks after the last trip we arrived back in Fort William to start our next leg of Round Britain. After a night at the Glen Nevis campsite where we ended our last leg of the journey we set off the next morning. Our first stop as we headed out of town was Inverlochy Castle. 

It was built in the 1200s by the Comyns of Badenoch and is said to have been built on the remains of a fort of some sort dating back at least a further five hundred years. The first Battle of Inverlochy  was in 1431. Alasdair Carrach won a victory here for Clan Donald against the Earls of Mar and Caithness in their attempt to pacify the Lordship of the Isles in the name of the Scottish monarch. Though Alasdair Carrach’s archers made short work of the royal army, this battle was ultimately a rear guard action in the wake of the debacle of the Battle of Harlaw, which was the beginning of the end for the Lordship. The Second Battle of Inverlochy 1645. Inverlochy Castle last played a part in Scottish history during the Civil Wars of 1642-1649. In 1645, the Campbells under the Earl of Argyll, who was holding it, were defeated by the royalist Marquis of Montrose, a victory that was followed by the wholesale massacre of 1,300 of the Campbell defenders who were taken out of the Castle and put to the sword. Shortly after this the castle was abandoned in favour of a new fortification further down the River Lochy at its mouth where it joins Loch Linnhe. It is said to be one of the most complete remains of a castle from the 1200s. Like many properties in the care of Historic Scotland it is currently closed due to delays in carrying out safety surveys and undertaking repairs.

Thomas Telford constructed the bridge over the river Lochy in 1849 because construction of the road to Arisaig in 1804-1812 increased the traffic to the Mallaig ferries. In 1965 a new bridge was built. On the other side of the bridge is Bla Mor or Corpach Moss. In the droving days it was a rendezvous point for drovers from the small isles, Morar and Arisaig. At Caol a lot of work was underway with the waterside wall as part of a flood protection point. Just before Banavie we passed Neptune’s Staircase, eight locks and 72 feet high, leading up to the Caledonian Canal. We walked past it on the Great Glen Way in 2010. The road then parallels the railway to Mallaig through Corpach, past Loch Eil Outward Bound Centre which has its own station, Fassfern and Kinlocheil. A little further on I had planned to stop at Glenfinnan to photograph the viaduct but the car parks were completely full and we were waved on. The road then descends to Loch Eilt.

We stopped for coffee in Arisaig village. Just at the waterside is the Czech and Slovak memorial. In 1941 the Special Operations Executive (SOE) set up covert training bases in the Arisaig area. Many Czech and Slovak volunteers arrived secretly and were trained before being parachuted into Nazi-occupied areas. The memorial was erected in 2009 to honour them.

By the time we got to Mallaig it was raining very heavily.

In 1841 there were only four families living in Mallaig. The landowner, Lord Lovat had drawn up plans for 16 new crofts in the 1830s and during the 1840s, the population rose from 24 to 134. The fishing industry increased and after the railway was extended from Fort William to Mallaig and a pier built in 1901 its future as a fishing and a ferry port was secured. We found a second-hand bookshop to escape the rain and on the way back to the van, noticed the steam engine in the station. I wondered whether that was why there were so many people at Glenfinnan. We had our lunch by the Silver Sands of Morar where there was a brief lull in the rain.

Then it was time to check into the campsite at Sunnyside Croft and have a walk on the beach.

The following morning was still and sunny. Almost every time we step out of the van we hear a cuckoo calling and house and hedge sparrows, a carrion crow, robins and a goldfinch have been on the grass.  In the afternoon we were back on the beach in the good weather.

Tomorrow we are heading to Ardnamurchan.

Chanonry Point

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Before heading home from our last van trip, we visited friends in Inverness and in the morning, had a walk to Chanonry Point. It sits on the Black Isle at Fortrose with Fort George which we visited in 2019:

Round Britain: Nairn to Inverness

on the opposite shore. We parked some distance away from it and walked down to it. The lighthouse was designed by Alan Stevenson and first operated in 1846. It was automated in 1984. The point is well-known for being a good spot to see dolphins but we were not fortunate to see any on our visit.

There is a memorial stone to Coinneach Odhar who was known as the Brahan Seer close to where he was brutally killed.

He lived in the 17th century and is said to have been from Lewis or Kintail. The seer was said to be able to predict the future by looking through a hagstone: a pebble with a hole in it. He worked at Brahan Castle near Dingwall which was home to the Earl and Countess of Seaforth. He was boiled in a spiked barrel of tar which was said to be punishment for witchcraft but was actually for seeing Countess Isabella’s husband’s infidelities in Paris. We wandered around, noticing some ruined cottages

and what looked like former ice-houses with the gorse in full bloom.

The former ferry pier dates from the 1700s and a ferry ran from here until 1935 because it is the shortest crossing point over the Moray Firth.

We then made our way on the coastal path which runs alongside the golf course.

There is a campsite nearby but we did not stay there in 2019 on our tour of this part of the country for some reason.

Round Britain: Applecross to Lochcarron

On By Carol HenshawIn Beaches, Scotland2 Comments

After two days of torrential rain, we awoke to sunshine and set off on the next leg of our journey. We drove north along the coast road. Our first stop was at Sand, also known as Mod Butec by the military who have erected this sign on the entrance road.

There was also a sign saying that this is a no drone zone. The sand is very red and a complete contrast to the white sand we will see later this year in Arisaig and Morar.

The military establishment is up on the hill

and there is also a ruined croft.

The road continues past a couple of disused quarries and a small waterfall before the small communities of Lonbain and Kalnakill. There is then a viewpoint which looks towards Rona

and Raasay with Skye in the background.

We continued on past Cuaig, The Croft Wools Gallery and Fearnmore which has several modernised houses and some ruined crofts. Further on there are conifer plantations. Arrisa is a little larger than some of communities we have passed. We then reached Kenmore and the Applecross Smokehouse. Just before Ardheslaig we had a  brief shower. The road runs along the side of Loch Sheildaig and down here, the sheep have had their lambs. After Doire Aonar and Kinloch, we saw a sign saying that this was a red squirrel re-introduction zone. We stopped at Sheildaig to see if we could find a newspaper but had no luck.

The shop in Applecross has not had them since the pandemic. Back on the A896, towards Lochcarron we drove back past Tornapress where we had turned off a couple of days ago to attempt the Bealach na Ba. Looking towards it today there was still some snow on top of the mountains.

We entered Lochcarron

and settled into the Wee Campsite which is situated on the hill behind the main street. Just at the bottom of Croft Road is a garage and behind it is a heap of tyres with a cat sitting in the middle

We found the newspapers and other supplies and then I set off on a short walk along the grass verge towards the head of the loch

and then back along the waterside where I found a fair amount of sea glass.

Round Britain: Applecross

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On our way to recommence our coastal tour we spent a night at a certified location next to the Inchbae Lodge Hotel at the foot of Ben Wyvis, just north of Garve in the Highlands.  Garve sits on the Black Water on the A835 just past Loch Garve. Although we arrived in sunshine and blue skies, the amount of lichen on the nearby trees suggest it is frequently wet.

This did happen overnight and we left in rain the next morning. Back in Garve we took the A832 west through Corriemoillie, Lochluichart, the Grudie power station and Achanalt. The road runs parallel to the railway line to Kyle of Lochalsh. We had had to stop at the level crossing on our way into Garve the day before when the two-coach Scotrail train passed through.

There is a lot of mostly coniferous woodland alongside the road. We stopped at the Midge Bite Café for a coffee in Achnasheen. It was busy with even the police coming in for take away snacks. After that we took the A890 down Glen Carron. There was another level crossing at Balnacra. When we halted at Lochcarron for supplies, the sun was trying to peep through the clouds.

Heading to Applecross we passed Loch Kishorn. The loch is 80 fathoms deep and was used to build exploration platforms for the North Sea oil fields. It began in the 1970s and employed 3,000 people at it’s peak. It since declined but is now known as Kishorn Port and Dry Dock and undertakes work for the renewable energy sector, decommissioning oil and gas and aquaculture.

The Bealach na Bà (pass of the cattle) at 626m is the longest steep hill of any classified road in the UK and the steepest road in Scotland. It runs over the mountains to Applecross and is about five miles from the start in Kishorn to its end.  The road was built in 1822 for stalkers to use on the Applecross Estate and was the only road into the town until the coastal road to Shieldaig opened in 1975. It meant that Applecross was one of the most isolated communities in Scotland. Before that the Bealach na Ba was a gravel road and even the CalMac mail boat had nowhere to dock because there was no deep water quay so a rowing boat had to ferry passengers and goods on and off the ship which lay off the slipway near Milltown. We got almost to the summit when it started to snow heavily. The snow gates were open but some people had got stuck so we had to reverse back to a wide bit in order to turn round and descend to take the alternative route. On our way down we pulled in to a passing place to allow the gritter to come down. Apparently, someone got stuck up there overnight. The rain returned and continued for most of our first night in the Applecross campsite. The following morning, we set off in the one dry hour to explore.

We set off along the Beechwood Trail towards the bay and the glen.

The name Applecross is derived from Apur Crossan and has nothing to do with apples.  Crossan is the river that flows into the bay near the monastery site.

The small church was built on a monastery at Clachan by the Irish Saint Maelrubha in 673 who sailed over from Ireland in his curragh. Sadly, in 794 and 795 the Vikings destroyed it. Saint Maelrubha is said to be buried here but which grave is his is unknown. The remains of an old chapel are in the graveyard at Clachan.

The church building here was constructed in 1817.

The nearby Heritage Centre is unfortunately only open in the afternoon. We walked back along part of the beach enjoying the views and then along the Beechwood Trail.

Here there are four Sweet Chestnut trees which commemorate four trees in Applecross which are linked to various stories. Superstitions meant that no-one was to cut them down and they had to be left to die naturally just after World War Two.

The Applecross Trust was set up in 1975. They own 64,000 acres of the Applecross Estate that used to belong to the Wills family. They contributed £5,000 towards the setting up of the community filling station 2010. They manage farming, conservation, tourism etc – replacing commercial Sitka spruce timber with native broadleaf trees. 250 people live in Applecross and many still work in fishing and crofting. There are many more paths and trails to explore with ancient remains but heavy rain continued so we had to give up and apart from a meal in the Applecross Inn, will have to shelter for the rest of the day.