UK Road Trip 2020 - South to North and Back (Third Leg)

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020

It was only a short drive from our base in Hexham, Northumberland before we crossed the border into Scotland. With time available we decided to follow a scenic route to our next location and drive most of the SWC300.
The South West Coast 300 (SWC300) is a scenic 300 mile drive that hugs the south west coast of Scotland. Once across the border we turned west and followed the northern coast of the Solway Firth. Our route took us through quaint Scottish villages, past ancient monuments (there seemed a lot of Abbeys in this part of the world) and vast mud flats on our coastal side.

Mud flat at Solway Firth

After driving for a couple of hours we arrived at the Galloway Peninsula and what we hoped would be the highlight of the drive. Down at the southern tip of the peninsula is the Mull of Galloway where a lighthouse looks out into the Irish Sea. Here it is possible to see Seals, Puffins and Gannets to name but a few of the animals that call by on occasions. It is also possible to see the tip of Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man on a clear day. The Mull was our destination.
Numerous narrow lanes and single track roads got us to the Mull and with a light breeze and the sun shining it was both spectacular and beautiful to behold. We did a circular walk along the cliffs and around the lighthouse but didn’t spot any of the more exotic residents or were able to see the distant land masses mentioned. But it was very enjoyable all the same and made a perfect break to our journey.

Driving to the Mull of Galloway

Mull of Galloway

Mull of Galloway, Scotland most southerly point

From the Mull our route took us north, still following the coast and with more stunning scenery, until we headed inland soon after the coastal town of Girvan.
Our final destination for the day was also our base for the next five days, the small village of Straiton. We had rented a traditional one story house at the southern end of the village which gave us easy access to the Galloway Forest.

Our accommodation in Straiton, traditional Scottish single story house

With the sun shining and a light wind, there was no time to waste, so we were up and out to explore the Galloway Forest (see below). The scenery in the northern part of the forest is quite different in the south and our aim was to explore both. Today we were going to the south and the area known as Glentrool. A beautiful drive through the middle of the forest got us to our destination on the banks of Loch Trool.

Driving through the Galloway forest

After a short walk up to Bruce’s Stone, a stone commemorating the 1307 battle between the Scottish King Robert the Bruce and the English Earl of Pembroke. We started walking around the loch. The route first took us away from the loch and into a forest at the foot of steep hillsides. Our path wound through the forest and crossed a number of rivers before arriving on the south side of the loch. From here we walked along the edge of the loch for about half its length before retracing our steps back to the start. We chose not to circle the loch as the scenery seemed nicer down our end.

Memorial stone to Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland and the battle of Trool in 1307

Loch Trool hike

View down Loch Trool

There was a complete change in the weather the following day so our activities were limited to a short visit to the local market town of Maybole and a walk around our village late in the day. The trip to Maybole served two purposes: one to get some provisions and the other to see some of its historic building, the latter was cut short by heavy rain.

Maybole Castle

As we awoke to sunshine the next day the exploration of the Galloway Forest’s northern section was a must. A hike up “Cornish Hill” was recommended so that’s what we did. As expected the scenery was quite different to the south. Although it did start in dense forest it soon opened up and we were treated to the sight of rolling hills and small upland lochs. Once out of the forest we gained height fairly quickly but the going was not too strenuous. Once on top of the hill the views were magnificent and well worth the climb. We then descended back into the forest and finally circled back to where we had parked the car.

Cornish hill hike in the forest of Galloway

Cornish hill summit

Cornish hill hike in the Galloway Forest

The day was completed by a forest drive along a timber road to the largest loch in the area, Loch Doon. But that wasn’t the end of the excitement, we were treated to some sheep herding whilst the road was temporary closed.

Herding of Sheep

The following day was also bright and sunny, perfect for our drive north. Today we were changing location, still in Scotland, but over 100 miles further north. We didn’t chose the most direct route but instead went for the most scenic.
From Straiton, we drove west to the coast, then north up the Clyde estuary. To our left we looked out to sea and the Isle of Arron, whilst on our right were the towering hills of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. Many small coastal towns were negotiated, often with ferry terminals serving outlying islands, before the area got a more industrial feel as we approached Glasgow.

Glasgow is Scotlands largest city, but that wasn’t our destination on this occasion. Instead, just before arriving on its outskirts we turned away and over the Erskine Bridge to continue our journey north. The route now became more scenic again as we were soon following the banks of Loch Lomond. We followed the loch for most of its length before turning west into an area of beautiful glens and far less traffic. The road twisted and switchbacked for about 25 miles before arriving at Loch Fyne and the attractive town of Inveraray. This seemed like a good place to take a break and stretch our legs.

Road to Inveraray

Aray bridge, 2 stone arches giving access to Inveraray

Inveraray

Inveraray Harbour

Refreshed from our stroll around Inveraray we got back in the car and finish the last leg of today’s journey. The route continued to provide beautiful scenery all the way to our final destination.

Kilchurn Castle,constructed in the mid-15th century as the base of the Campbells of Glenorchy clan

We had booked a two night stay in the village of Killin, on the banks of Loch Tay. A pleasant village with stunning scenery all around, which we felt should be explored a bit before the sun disappear behind the mountains and the temperature dropped away. Therefore, from our hotel at the far end of the village we walk up to the bridge that crossed the River Dochart. Here we were able to get a good view of Dochart Waterfall. More a number of cascades than a waterfall but still impressive all the same.

Dochart falls

After a hearty meal in the hotel restaurant, it was back to our room to relax and get our body’s prepared for the following day’s hike.
Dinning in the restaurant was a whole new experience in these Covid-19 times. First, to access the restaurant you had to put on your face mask, which was also required anywhere inside the hotel except for your room. Then you had to follow blue arrows to be met by a waiter who showed you to your table, which we had booked in advance. Then everything became automated, to avoid unnecessary contact with others. Using the hotel app, Anne called up the restaurant menu, placed our drinks and food order, recorded our table number and paid the bill. All done and a few minutes later our drinks were delivered to our table with the food following about ten minutes later. Once finished there wasn’t the usual problem of attracting the waiter attention to secure the bill then going through the paying process, because this had already been done, so we could leave whenever we were ready.

Morning view from our bedroom window

Backyard of our hotel

The weather on the next day was beautifully sunny with very little wind, which was lucky as we only had one full day to explore the area. We wanted to get the best view of the stunning scenery that lay all around us, so we needed some elevation.
The small mountain just in front of the hotel, known as Sron a Chlachain, seemed to hit the remit. Just after 10:00 we started our accent. The path up was steep but at least allowed us to gain elevation quickly. It wasn’t long before the 521m summit came into view and with a final push we were there. From the top the views were spectacular, steep sided mountains all around us and Loch Tay stretching off into the distance. The climb had been well worth it.

Start of the Sron a'Chlachain and Creag Buidhe hike

approaching the (fake) summit the ascent of Creag Buidhe

View of Loch Tay and Killin in the valley from the (fake) summit

Creag Buidhe Summit (530m)

At this point most people turn around and re-trace their steps. But we had read about a circular walk that took you back down the opposite side of the mountain, so we gave that a go. Our concerns should have been alerted when the instructions said that there was no path to follow at this point, just head down hill into a gully then you will pick another path on the other side. The decent was equally as steep as the ascent and now very boggy underfoot. Our pace was quite slow as we zig-zagged to avoid deep puddles of water. Finally, having wandered around the hillside for about an hour, disturbing Red Grouse and sheep in the process, we finally found the path.

Descending from the Summit (530m) of Creag Buidhe

When the next instruction said to follow the clear droving trail down into the valley, we knew that the writer had either never done the hike or it was done along time ago. The droving trail was there, but so overgrown it was very difficult to follow. Undeterred, we pushed on and bar a few excursions off track we followed it down into the valley. As the description rightly said, we arrived at a fence. But the gate in the fence was nowhere to be seen. So a bit of fence climbing was now required. This achieved we continued on down hill only to encounter a further fence, one that was not in the description and had barbed wire on the top. With this obstacle carefully negotiated we were now tantalisingly close to the road back home. However, further challenges lay ahead.
Now a wall blocked our path, fortunately for us this one had a hole in it. But it still wasn’t plain sailing. It would be an understatement to say the ground beneath our feet was a bit soft for the final stretch. We were now wading through thick mud best described as a muddy stream.

At last we were on the road with firm dry tarmac under our feet and only a few kilometres back to the village. But we weren’t finished with surprises yet. As we entered the far end of the village we encountered some very strange garden ornaments. One house had a mannequin worker outside it whilst another had a life-size flamingo drinking out of a fish pond. Four and half hours after leaving the hotel car park we arrived back, a little tired but very pleased with our achievement.

Unusual street art (the man is a fake, it's a mannequin!)

Personal Observations & Interesting Facts

Scotland
For those readers who are not native to the UK here is a very brief introduction.
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom (England, Wales Scotland & Northern Island). Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain (UK minus Northern Island), mainland Scotland has a 96 mile (154 km) border with England to the southeast. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, the North Sea to the northeast and the Irish Sea to the south. In addition, Scotland includes more than 790 islands; principally within the Northern Isles and the Hebrides archipelagos.
The Kingdom of Scotland emerged as an independent state during the early Middle Ages and continued to exist until 1707. Scotland subsequently entered into a political union with the Kingdom of England on 1 May 1707 to create the new Kingdom of Great Britain.
In 1999, a Scottish Parliament was re-established, in the form of a devolved unicameral legislature, comprising of 129 members and having authority over many areas of domestic policy.
Scotland’s capital is Edinburgh situated on the east coast. However, it is not the largest city, that is Glasgow on the west coast. The majority of the Scottish population resides in the centre of the country in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Scottish National Flower: Thistle

Scottish Words
As with our visit to northern England a number of commonly used local words came to our attention whilst in Scotland. Again, we were fairly sure we knew their meaning but thought it would worth checking for our and other readers benefit. So here goes:

Loch: Is a lake or sea inlet;
Burn: Is a body of fresh water;
Glen: Is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes; and
Ben: Is a mountain.
Firth: Is a narrow inlet of the sea or an estuary.

Galloway Forest
Galloway Forest is operated by Forestry and Land Scotland, principally covering woodland in Dumfries and Galloway. It is the largest forest in the UK, covering an area of 774 square kilometres (299 sq miles). It was also granted Dark Sky Park status in November 2009, being the first area in the UK to be so designated.

When does a Hill become a Mountain
A mountain is a large landform that rises above the surrounding land in a limited area, usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally considered to be steeper than a hill, have sloping sides, sharp or rounded ridges. Most geologists classify a mountain as a landform that rises at least 1,000 feet (300 meters) or more above its surrounding area.