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Coasting Round Britain

30th March 2013 to 12th July 2014
Crinan to Kilberry (22)
1832 out of 5630 miles completed

Log No 117. Sat 31st Aug 2013 - Loch Craignish to Tayvallich, 20 miles (1832 miles walked)

Footpath from Kilmartin
You're quite right Andrew but in my case it's not a series of races but a series of trips to either food shops or campsites, whichever is the most scarce!

Anyway it's a new day and a new horizon, or should I say a new crest on the road, but things are looking up as I'm only on a main for 5 miles today and that's right at the start.

It was a dry start with only a couple of punitive showers and after I left the main road at Kilmartin I took my waterproofs off and soaked up the sunshine.

Stone circle at Temple Wood


A short 2 mile stretch from Kilmartin was just like Orkney for archeology with cairns and standing stones etc.

The stone circle was not quite as grand as the Ring of Brodgar, the stones only being a couple of feet tall.

Most of the information boards did say the carvings were likely inspired from Orkney.

Leaving the small stone circle of Temple Wood I took a track through some fields before using minor and a B-road to get to the Crinan Canal at Bellanoch.

An artists cottage on the canal
Crinan

It was almost 2 miles along the towpath to Crinan and I met joggers, walkers and cyclists but never saw one boat using the canal, the bridge operator at Bellanoch must have had a boring day.

Crinan itself seemed quite busy with tourists.

The view back down to Crinan
There was a footpath from Crinan Harbour up through the trees onto a forest road, I should have been able to get to the harbour directly from the lighthouse but I had to take the long way round the roads as I couldn't see any access.

Cup & Ring marked rock
It was a bit of a climb up the well used footpath onto the forest road but then it was an easy walk.

I came across a boardwalk leading through a lattice work of tree branches to a large exposed rock. There was nothing shown on the map nor was there any information board but it looked to have Cup & Ring marks all over it.

It took me 2 hours on the forest road to get to Carsaig, I didn't meet any other walkers but there were a few cyclists.

Tayvallich
Tayvallich was just 10 minutes away and I was there at 15.30.

This village met both my requirements, it had a shop (which also opens on a Sunday) and a campsite.

20 miles today, the best day of the week and not just because of the weather, when you're off the main roads there is usually something interesting to look at.

My achilles have been hardly any bother today and although I could carry on walking it has been 6 days so tomorrow will be a rest day.