Log No 136. Sat 21st Sep 2013 - Portavadie to Auchenbreck, 22 miles (2107 miles walked)

I was to be walking to the bus today but the times coming back weren't great, either 15.00 or 17.30.

The minimum distance I had to do was 20 miles so that would normally be an 08.00 start for the 15.00 or I could do 25 miles starting 09.00 for the 17.30 bus.

I decided to leave at 09.00.

It was dull and overcast, nothing new there then, as I left Portavadie on the road to Millhouse.

At Millhouse I turned south for Ardlamont Point, there was no wind and it was very quiet, nothing was moving, it seemed more like a Sunday than a Saturday.

The estate at Ardlamont had lots of old statues and gargoyles around the properties.

I watched a small mouse run across the road just in front of me, I don't rate it's chances of survival if I could find it in the grass.



It's a good thing our dog, Holly, wasn't here as she would have eaten it.

From Ardlamont the road turned north to follow the west shore of the Kyles of Bute.


Coming up to Kames the road became busier but there still wasn't a lot of activity.

The shore road ends at Tighnabruaich but then a track continues for 2 miles to Glen Caladh Farm.

The Cowal Way is a 57 mile route from the west coast of Bute, at Portavadie, to Loch Lomond.

The CW makes us of this delightful track as it goes through the woods.

From the farm the CW directs you onto the shore, it was high tide and the overgrown rhododendrums made it awkward.

The path came back inland a bit and in places it was on the side of steep slopes and required holding onto the strategically placed ropes.

The delightful walk was now becoming delightfully challenging.

While I was walking through Tighnabruaich two cyclists had passed me and I saw their tyre tracks in the mud of the path, I didn't envy them trying to get bikes through.

The path came back down to the shore where I met the cyclists, Kevin & Phil, wondering how to get past the rocks without getting wet.

If the tide had been out it was simple enough to walk round the rocks.

There was a small gap between 2 big rocks you could squeeze through but you were still going to get your feet wet unless you had gaiters, fortunately I did.

After that it was back into the trees with more rope walking.

The path zig-zagged up and down and you had to keep a sharp eye open for the small marker squares nailed to trees or follow the string trail.

There was less than a mile of this fun section but it seemed longer.

All too soon I was back on the road, it was 14.45 and I had completed 17 miles.

The extra time it had taken on this section meant I was unlikely to do the 25 miles befor 17.30 and I had effectively missed the 15.00 bus at 20 miles.

It could be a long wait for the bus at 22 miles, I was going to have to go very slow.

A group of female cyclists passed me and it was quite funny when the lead cyclist suddenly stopped, jumped off her bike and dashed into a workmans Portaloo next to some roadworks.

Kevin & Phil came by a short while later, having successfully completed the obstacle course.

As I was dawdling along a car pulled over to me, this was Jim who happens to be responsible for monitoring this part of the Cowal Way. He says he has a habit of stopping walkers who look like they have just done some of the CW to ask them what they thought of it.

He is part of a group looking to improve the standard of the CW and have it recognized as an official link between The Kintyre Way and The West Highland Way.

I turned right off the A8003 onto the A886 and when I got to the junction with the B836 (22 miles) I had half an hour to wait for the bus.

An enjoyable day.

Kevin, if you read this log can you send me your email address, I must have recorded it wrongly.