Landing on the Kintyre peninsula was an interesting experience, as our first reaction, knowing that we had a night of free camping to sort before we drive on for a pre-booked gastro treat up Loch Fyne for Mr B, was to make camp five minutes from the ferry terminal opposite Arran! Hardly adventurous, it was in many ways a perfect place to stop – level, fabulous views and very unlikely to be disturbed on the road that leads down to the castle at Skipness.
However, after a lazy cuppa and short stroll, we decided to move on and explore (we have, after all, visited the castle and surrounds before with our friends from Arran by car). And so, after a quick chat about best routes onwards to the north end of Loch Fyne, we opted for the short ferry hop from Port Tarbert to Portavadie. If we thought the ferry across to Claonaig was small, the marked out bays on the slip road for the ferry told us that this one was going to be even smaller, with only six bays!
Reminding us of the small ferries we had island hopped on in Croatia, (apart from the absence of blazing sun and azure sea) we disembarked next to a very plush marina and camper stop. Too early for us to pitch up and with no need for the facilities, we left the port and the nearby fish farm behind as we turned off the ‘main’ road and on to our first Scottish ‘black and yellow’ single track road.
Mr B had opted for this route as there were ‘bound to be’ loads of loch-side pull-ins for a cheeky sleep over…
Except, as the miles unfolded (very slowly on the very, very, narrow road with the ‘passing places’ well spaced and not overly big) it started to look like that the two campers we had seen not far from the port might have stopped there for a very good reason – there were no other options – eek!
And, with Mr B wondering whether Mrs B’s suggestion of swerving the ferry and driving up the western shore of the loch might have been the wiser choice; with nothing showing on the Park4Night app; and with our planned stopping time for our dinner in Evie of 1900 rapidly receding (but luckily, this far north, not yet dark) Mr B started to look at pull-ins that were getting more and more unfeasible…
And then, just a few miles short of our destination near Barnacarry, we spotted a pull in that had obviously been used by camper vans, given the tyre marks across what looked like unwelcoming soft and boggy ground… what could possibly go wrong? So, with Mrs B pacing out the ground ahead of Evie as we inched slowly and steadily away from the terra firma of the road, we came to a stop a couple of metres from the edge of the loch, adjacent to a well made and used campfire, just in time to save the day – phew! Normally we wouldn’t choose a freebie where we could be blocked in, as this one would allow, but realising that beggars can’t be choosers on this occasion, we held fast, enjoyed some delicious Loch Fyne kippers (thanks Sue!) as we looked out on Loch Fyne, and settled in for what promised to be a quiet night.
And so it was, with only one vehicle passing us between the sun going down, and us getting up after a very peaceful, quiet and dark night! As we had the whole of the next day to explore before our loch-side dinner adventure, we opted to explore on the opposite side of the loch and take a look around Inverary with its castle and picturesque village.
Although it would mean we would drive past the resto we were booked in and then return, the drive more that made up for that with its stunning scenery, as we traversed the head of the loch before arriving at Inverary. Except, as we neared the town, which we could see in the distance, the traffic ground to a halt, with nothing coming from the opposite direction at all – uh oh! Hemmed in by vehicles front and rear, and with the road too narrow to try a three (or five) point turn to go back to one of the many pull-ins we had passed and wait a while, we had to sit tight and wait it out. A quick scan on the interweb soon told us the story – a wide load had got wedged on the historic bridge into the village and everything in both directions was logjammed. After about 30 minutes of wondering how long we might be trapped, traffic started to flow from the opposite direction at last!
Even though we were moving, progress was slow, so we decided to visit the castle first, as it was before the village and we would be able to park up. We opted not to do the castle and formal gardens tour, as the weather was glorious and we fancied being outside instead. We also realised that we could walk back to the town easily as well, necessitating just the one park-up – which we swiftly turned into an impromptu picnic before heading off to the village.
The grounds of the castle were perfect to take a stroll around, if no match for the energetic walks and magical views we had back on Arran, but, with the sun shining and time on our side we had time to explore…
… the castle and its grand drive – it’s still the home of the Duke and Duchess of Argyll (a Campbell), who clearly manage to just scrape a living out of their 75,000 acre home, so we doffed our caps and paid the £5 parking fee with a smile on our faces, grateful that the 3rd Duke had demolished the original village of Inverary and moved it down the loch a bit so he could have better views…
… especially by creating a watchtower at the top of nearby Dun na Cuaiche…
It is possible to walk up to the top and enjoy the view – but we opted instead to wander into the (out of sight) village, where we enjoyed a loch-side ice-cream (and where we learned to say cone, not cornet)…
…swerved being arrested or invited to join the cast of people re-enacting roles inside the infamous jail…
and finally, having clocked the local Coop for a stop-by after we leave (thanks again Sue) we made our way back over the damaged road bridge…
and headed off for our Loch Fyne fine dining experience – woohoo!
Taking a lot less time on the return journey than in the morning, we stopped off to explore the old castle opposite the restaurant. Old castle Lachlan, built in 1314 and now a ruin, provided a dramatic viewpoint around the bay and back to the restaurant, Inver, itself a former old crofter’s cottage…
…and was pretty impressive close up…
Mrs B had checked with the owners that it was OK to stay overnight after eating and they had kindly agreed, even though they offer accommodation in adjacent ‘pods’. And what a stunning park-up it was and what a perfect start to a gastro adventure!
We were made very welcome by George, one of the two staff who looked after us for the evening, suggesting that we had our first course of starters on the terrace and enjoy the views; which of course we did, with a couple of glasses of Manzanilla sherry, not knowing at the time that two other different sherries would feature in the wine flight – bonus!
The rest of the evening passed way too quickly, with each course and drink being expertly explained by George and Lisa, and Mr B’s questions patiently answered, before we were invited to have our roasted barley tea in the lounge – accompanied by a bonus (and unexpected!) course of freshly-made mini doughnuts with a fabulous Dulce de Leche dipping sauce, not to mention a cheeky Hine Cognac – anther fave of ours and not often seen!
Waddling our way back to Evie we agreed that it was without doubt, one of the best meals we have ever had, and with a stunning view to boot! Thanking Mrs B for her amazing planning and organising for this early birthday treat, Mr B drifted off, dreaming of seafood from the loch, venison from the nearby fells and moors, and veg and flowers from the shoreline garden…what a lucky chap!
Waking to yet more sun the following morning, and feeling surprisingly chipper given we don’t drink that much usually, we returned without incident to Inverary where we stopped to re-provision for the next leg on our very slow drift towards Skye, and plan where we might be stopping, certain in the knowledge that we could pick and choose between camp sites or freebies as the mood took us, it being low-season after all…
Except, and the enormous number of campervans on the roads should have been a clue, we had totally overlooked the fact that we were just starting the early May bank holiday…
S&J 09.05.24
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