kintyre's best ever guide book

8/14/2019 Kintyre's Best Ever Guide Book

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KINTYRE'S BEST EVER GUIDE BOOKa long-forgotten gem, its author un-named, published in 1992

Given the many many name changes of the area's tourist boards over the years, it is li tt le surprising that noneof today's tourist board officials have even seen this wonderful l itt le 17-page long guide, let alone identify itsauthor(s) !

Unmatchable as an 'armchair' guide, a touring guide or a guide for those who would walk 'The KintyreWay' , there are clear texts and clear sketch maps that should satisfy anyone curious about the area and itshistory.

TH E BIG and UNANSWERABLE QUESTI ONWHY HASN 'T TH IS GUIDE BEEN REPRINTED FOR TH E BENEFIT OF TODAY'S TOURISTS ?


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Introduction

THIS series provides walkers with unrivalled opportunities to follow the footsteps of pilgrims, Vikings, cattle drovers,raiders and armies while learning something of the folklore and history of the beautiful country they pass through.None of the routes is particularly strenuous and, by following a few simple guidelines, walkers will obtain a lastingimpression of these romantic areas.

MAPS : The sketch maps are only rough guides. Ordinance Survey Maps are recommended.

TRANSPORT : A car at each end of a linear walk is ideal. If this is not possible, timetables of public transport areavailable at Tourist Offices.

PARKING : Many walks begin at recognised parking areas or laybys. Drivers must ensure that (a) Parked vehicles areclear of roads (b) They are not blocking passing places, or farm gates at cattle grids. Police should be told if cars are tobe parked at lonely places overnight and should be contacted again on return.


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GATES : The Country Code advises walkers to secure all gates. However, farmers sometimes leave gates open for apurpose. A gate firmly fastened in the open position, as opposed to one swinging freely, is generally an indication that ithas been deliberately left open.

DOGS : Dogs should NEVER be taken to areas where sheep graze, particularly when lambing takes place from Marchto the end of May. There are numerous forest walks where dogs can even be allowed off the lead.

EQUIPMENT : Stout boots and wind and waterproof clothing are essential. The axiom that walkers are reasonably

safe when wet and warm or cold and dry but not when wet and cold holds good even in summer.

MIDGES : Recently, improved repellents have rendered this minuscule pest less fearsome.

WINTER : Darkness can fall as early as 3.30pm., snow can obliterate tracks, particularly in wild woodland and streamscan be swollen by melted snow.

MIST : This not only obscures natural features, but can also distort them. A rounded hill can look like a precipice orvice versa. In such conditions, not one step should be taken without certain knowledge of where it is going to take you.

NOTE : Every effort is made to keep these books up-to-date, but routes can sometimes be affected by farm andforestry operations.


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THE PENINSULA of Kintyre is a region of unsurpassed wildness and beauty, well able to hold its own scenically withany other area of western Scotland. Its history is as exciting, its folklore and traditions as intriguing, and its topographyas enthralling as any to be found further north in what are more popularly regarded as the "real" Highland areas.

However, despite the fact that the southern tip of Kintyre is almost parallel to such Lowland centres as Prestwick orTroon, its landscape has little in common with the smooth rolling pasturelands and rich arable fields of neighbouringAyrshire. Apart from the relatively small low-lying area of the Laggan and an intermittently fertile coastal strip aroundthe perimeter, the peninsula consists mainly of wild and rugged moorland which in places rises to heights of aroundtwo thousand feet, while much of its shoreline presents a breath-taking progression of long lonely beaches interspersedwith spectacular rock-grit headlands culminating in the awesome and majestic grandeur of the Mull itself.

And in historic terms it must also be remembered that although Kintyre may geographically appear, with Arran, to bemerely a distant outlier of the Firth of Clyde, her western face is turned immutably towards the Hebridean seas and herpast is bound up irrevocably with that turbulent and bloody saga of medieval times the rise and fall of the mightyLordship of the Isles.

From the commencement of the first Viking raids during the eighteenth century up to the final defeat of the Norsemenat Largs in 1263 the peninsula was a "debatable land", coveted by both Scots and Norwegian monarchs alike untilunder the unifying leadership of the great Celto-Norse warrior, Somerled, Kintyre and the Isles gradually regained arelative degree of temporary cohesion.

The death of Somerled in 1164 left one particular branch of his descendants, the Clan Donald, in a position of great

power which in 1354 was to culminate in their assumption to the grandiose title "Lord of the Isles". For over a centuryand a half these mighty MacDonald lords virtually ruled as independent kings in western Scotland until in 1493 JamesIV succeeded in bringing about the fall of the Lordship following which Archibald Campbell, second Earl of Argyll,was appointed Chamberlain of all the forfeited MacDonald lands.

And thus began a long and bitter saga of continuing animosity and mistrust between the deposed Clan Donald and theincreasingly influential Clan Campbella tale of such epic proportions that it would be futile to attempt to relate it infull here. Suffice it to say that it coloured the whole of the subsequent history of Kintyre and came to a head in theseventeenth century during the reign of Charles I when the eighth Earl of Argyll and Sir Alasdair MacDonald, son ofthe legendary Coll Ciotach, were to take opposing sides in the bitter Wars of the Covenant which culminated for theluckless MacDonalds in the disastrous battle of Rhunahaorine and the final massacre at Dunaverty.

This long and destructive period of unrest and bloodshed, ruinous both in terms of economic progress and human lifeand coupled with the ravages in 1647 of a terrible plague, succeeded in making a virtual desert of the peninsula duringthe seventeenth century. It was in order to try and remedy this, and at the same time strengthen his own positionthroughout Kintyre, that in 1650 the Earl of Argyll began his controversial "plantation" of settlers from the AyrshireLowlands who from then onwards were gradually to ensure the renewed stabili ty and prosperity of the once-ravagedlands.

Since then it has often been said of Kintyre that it has "a Lowland population in a Highland setting", but it wouldprobably be nearer the truth to say that the influx of Lowland blood has endowed the present inhabitants with thebetter traits of both types the volatile and quarrelsome nature of their earlier ancestors being tempered with the moresolid and steady virtues of their later forebears.

Today there is hardly a turn in a road or a bend in a river, a coign of a cliff or slope of a hill, that has not some excitingor mysterious tale to tell concerning Kintyre's historic past, yet for want of local knowledge the visitor, and sometimeseven the resident, will all too often pass them by unheeded. It is hoped, therefore, that the contents of this booklet willhelp to remedy this by giving, in the form of a short circular tour of the peninsula, some indication of the events


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connected with Kintyre's most historic sites, together with a few of the traditional tales and beliefs associated withthem. Naturally, in so brief a summary, no attempt has been made to present an exhaustive survey of its antiquities orto include anything other than the most salient topographical details, but those wishing to investigate any particular sitesmore closely will find all such information clearly shown on the two relevant large-scale Ordnance Survey maps ofKintyre ("Landranger" Sheets Nos. 62 and 65). These, together with the sketch maps included here, will provide all thedetails necessary for a thorough exploration of this beautiful and historic area.


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THE TWO MAIN settlements of the Kintyre peninsula, Tarbert in the north and Campbeltown in the south, arelinked by two spectacular through-routes running down the east and west coasts respectively. Both these routes enterthe peninsula at the beautiful little fishing village of Tarbert, the defence of which, due to its strategic position on theextremely narrow isthmus of Kintyre, has been a matter of crucial importance from earliest times.

It is thought that from as far back as the eighth century the first Dalriadic kings had some sort of stronghold on therocky knoll above the harbour where now the crumbling remains of Robert Bruce's later fourteenth-century castle stillstand sentinel over the bustling fish-quay and friendly little waterfront shops. But in addition to the village itself theshort half-mile neck of land running west from Tarbert across the narrow gullet of the isthmus is similarly steeped inhistory.

Here in 1098, following the Scots King Edgar's concession that Norway might claim from him all the islands it waspossible to circumnavigate in a sea-going vessel, the young Norse King, Magnus Barefoot, is said to have had hislongship towed triumphantly under full sail across the isthmus, thus successfully claiming the "isle" of Kintyre as partof the Viking kingdom of the Sudereys or southern Hebrides.

Later K ing Robert Bruce is said to have repeated this spectacular feat with his entire fleet in order to fulfil a local

prophecy that Scotland would prevail against all odds when a ship in full sail was seen to ride the Moss ofKilcalmonell, the name by which the area was then called. A spot named Lag Luinge, meaning the Hollow of theShip, opposite the present village hall, is still referred to as the place where, according to tradition, one of Bruce'sgalleys slipped off her rollers during this legendary exercise.

But a yet older fortress than that of Tarbert is believed by some to have existed at one time on tiny Eilean daGhallagain, the Island of the Two Landing Places, near the head of the West Loch. Here during the sixth century issaid to have lived Conall, friend and kinsman of Saint Columba and one of the first rulers of the ancient kingdom ofDalriada, while at the head of West Loch Tarbert can be seen the tiny graveyard of Glenakill, still known locally asCladh Chonnuill or the Burial Place of Conall.

All down the shores of the West Loch stretches the ancient parish of Kilcalmonell where at Kennacraig, terminal for

the Islay and Jura ferry, the routes down the peninsula diverge, the east coast road leading away over the wildmoorlands towards Skipness and Saddell while the western route continues on past Whitehouse and Gartnagrenachto Leamnamuic, or the Boar's Leap. Here on a rocky escarpment near the farmhouse are the remains of an ancientIron Age dun, the site taking its name from the traditional tale of a giant boar which, on being cornered by its pursuersat D un a'Choin D ubh, the Fort of the Black Dog, over in neighbouring Knapdale, made its getaway by leaping cleanacross the West Loch into Kintyre.

A little further down lies the site of the equally legendary Castle Dughaill, a now-vanished medieval lake-dwelling or"crannog" set in the recently-drained Lochan Dughaill about a mile east of the house of Loup. This was traditionallybelieved to be the stronghold of Dughaill MacGruamal a fifteenth century Irish reiver who, after slaying MacAllister ofLoup, seized his daughter and imprisoned her in his islet fortress. She was eventually rescued by the brave youngAlexander MacFionnghall of Saddell aided by the loyal and resourceful blacksmith of Leamnamuic. Later Alexander as

to win the hand of the laird's lovely daughter but not before promising to build her "a church between two streams, amill between two hills and a house between two woods", the sites of which are said to be still identifiable in the vicinityof Loup.


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and so it came about that the beautiful brooch of Ugadale is still preserved to this day at Lossit House, nearMachrihanish, home of the Macneals of Ugadale and Lossit, descendants of Gilchrist MacKay, while the king's famousescape-route is marked by the lonely standing stone known as MacKay's Cross high on the slopes of Doire nah'Earbaige.

South of Bellochantuy Bay, which in Gaelic is Bealach an t-Suidhe meaning Pass of Resting, a minor road strikes inlandto Kilchenzie, passing the beautifully preserved and privately owned Tartgy Mill which until recently was fullyoperational. The old ruined twelfth century church of Kilchenzie is dedicated to St Kenneth whose reputed burial on

Inch Kenneth off Mull gave that tiny islet its name. Abandoned at some time during the late eighteenth century, thepicturesque burial ground contains a number of interesting medieval carved stones and slabs.

From Kilchenzie the road runs directly along the northern edge of the flat and fertile Laggan of Kintyre and intoCampbeltown.

PROBABLY FEW VISITORS to the fertile and beautiful little isle of Gigha, lying off the west coast of Kintyre, realisewhen they step off the ferry at Ardminish, its principal village, that they are setting foot on one of the most sacred andlegendary islands of the southern Hebrides.

Its sanctity, however, appears not to have been bestowed upon it by adherents of the later Christian faith but byworshippers at the shrines of far more ancient deities. The very name of Gigha, which has been signif icantly translatedby some to mean the "Isle of Gods", as opposed to the more orthodox interpretation "God's Island", is thought to bean indication that from very earliest times it was considered a repository of many of the older beliefs and traditionswhich survived here long after the coming of Christianity.

These are in fact known to have persisted on the island until well into the early part of last century when Irishfishermen could still be seen climbing the little hill of Moinean Sitheil, in the sacred Moss of Peace below Ardminish,to pay homage to the "Old Ones' of Gigha, a pair of ancient legend-shrouded stones known as the Bodach and theCailleach that from time immemorial have stood upon a low green knoll below the farm of Achamore.

Through the countless ages the strange jug-headed little Bodach and his smaller consort have kept steadfast vigil overGigha, their mysterious aura said to guarantee its continuing fertility and prosperity as they link the thriving island oftoday with beliefs and traditions having roots in the earth-cults and sun-worship of primaeval times. In the past folkwould have honoured them with offerings of meal or milk and even now they still command considerable localaffection and respect, albeit expresses in less overtly pagan ways. And so they stand as ever upon their tiny hil lockgazing out across the tumbling terraces of old Cantereoch and beautiful Ardlamey Bay, inscrutable and silent yet witha strangely "knowing" air impossible to define.

Southward from Cnoc a'Bodach beyond the spouting caves and cliffs of Leim lies the tiny Isle of Cara with its ruinedfifteenth century chapel of Findlugan. Close to the chapel stands the old tackman's house, built during the eighteenthcentury by MacDonald of Largie and reputedly haunted by a Brownie or guardian spirit whose rocky "chair" can still beseen high on the eastern slopes of Cara Head.

North of Cara is the sheltered Sound of Gigalum where in 1263 King Hakon's Viking fleet set sail for Largs fromwhere they were later to return defeated and demoralised, some say to lay their dead beneath the old Round H il l ofDruimachro south of Ardminish Bay.


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But further north beyond the far-famed policies of Achamore are reminders of a gentler and more peaceful era. Here,in the ruined precincts of the thirteenth-century chapel of St Cathan at Kilchattan lie the old MacNeil lairds of Gigha,together with their late successor Lieut. Colonel Sir James Horlick, creator of the celebrated gardens at Achamore.Nearby on a small knoll close to the chapel, stands a tall four-sided pillar having faint Ogham inscriptions along itsnorth-west edge believed to indicate its erection to "The son of Coiceile", perhaps an earlier inhabitant of this trulyhallowed spot.

The isle is full of mystery and beauty, particularly along its roadless western side where once a tiny trackway linked the

now-forgotten burial ground of Colum Cille above Ardlamey with the long-lost settlements of Ardachadh, Ardaily andCairnvickuie. Here it would pass the eerie little Pol an Tairbh, the Pool of the Water Bull, and the Tarr an Tairbh, theLoch of the Bull's Tail, both haunted by the legendary sea-blue fairy beast of Gigha.

Above these lochans lie two slightly larger ones, the long and narrow Upper Loch and the lovely Mill Loch ofArdaily. Here in ancient Celtic times the handsome warrior-hero Diarmid is said to have brought beautiful Grania, wifeof Fionn MacCoul who, ever-faithless, tempted the local chieftain Kifi in his hill-top fortress of Dun Chiofaich.Diarmid and Kif i fought together on the summit, the invincible hero finally sending his rival's body hurtling down itssouthern slopes to lie forever in the tiny stone enclosure known as Kifi's Grave.

Ardaily is believed to have been the oldest settlement on Gigha but now only the old decaying mill, a cottage and ahouse survive above the shores of Port an Duin. North of the bay slant the weird pinnacles of Dun Trinnse, the

Fortress of the Cleft, below whose wave-washed northern face lies the great Stone of Offerings, a rough pre-Christianaltar upon whose twin-cupped surface the islanders of old placed gifts of milk and porage for the old pagan god of thesea.

Creag Bhan, the island's ancient Holy Hill, rears up almost four hundred feet above the lush green farmlandsstretching north to Tarbert and the tiny neck of land between the East Bay and the West. Through this a narrow roadruns across the Druid's Pass to the lonely Carraigh an Tairbert, a solitary notched standing stone from which, so itis said, were hung miscreants condemned to death at the nearby Council Hill of Cnoc an Suidhe.

Beyond this the road winds on past the old laird's house of Kinererach to terminate at the tiny jetty of Port Righ, theHarbour of the King. Perhaps this unknown chief of king is he who is also commemorated in the great tomb-likemonolith of Cladh an Righ, the King's Grave, hidden high on the north-east slopes of Cnoc Largie above East Tarbert

Bay where for centuries, it is said, the Irish came on pilgrimage to honour the great chieftain, king, or god who laybeneath the stone.

So too did they and many others come, even up until recent times, to the legendary T obar M or, theGreat Well of theWinds, low on the hill's north-western slopes. Here lived an aged female direach, or guardian, whose uncanny powerscould be commanded by a small offering of silver. Following this the cover of the sacred well would be removed inorder that its waters might be ceremonially cleansed with a white clamshell prior to being stirred three times sunwise tothe accompaniment of ritual incantations. Then three shell-fulls of the sacred water would be hurled aloft in thedirection of the desired wind which, before the day was out, invariably appeared.

Below the T obar M or, south of the broken Celtic cross of Rui dh a' C haibeal, lies theH oly Stone, a great recumbent slabcarved with enigmatic early Christian symbols. To this potent shrine it was customary for childless women to make

pilgrimage on their knees in order that they might invoke the aid of who knows what half-pagan deity.

So prolific on Gigha are ancient and mysterious sites such as these that it would be impossible here to give a fullinventory. However, this all too brief appraisal may help to give the visitor some indication of the unusually rich vein ofhistory, folk-lore and tradition to be found on this favoured Isle of Gods.


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Southend and The Mull

IN PRIMAEVAL TIMES the distinctly bulbous tip of the Kintyre peninsula is thought to have been a separate island,with the sea completely covering the present low-lying wedge of land stretching west from Campbeltown toMachrihanish. For centuries this district, known as the Laggan of Kintyre, was little more than a useless boggywasteland until modern methods of drainage and cultivation finally succeeded in transforming it into one of the mostfertile and productive areas in the entire peninsula.

A minor road leads west across the Laggan just south of Campbeltown, leaving the main A83 at Stewarton andrunning on through the level farmlands of Drumlemble to Kilkivan and the tiny ruined thirteenth-century chapel ofCille Coivin. St Kevin, to whom the chapel is dedicated, is here said to have inaugurated a curious custom whereby allunhappily-married couples in the parish were gathered together once a nnually under cover of darkness and sent,blindfold, on a wild race three times sunwise round the chapel. At a given command they would all immediately stop intheir tracks and grab the nearest member of the opposite sex, to whom they were then considered bound in matrimonyfor the ensuing twelve months. If at the end of that time they were still dissatisfied with their new partner they werefree to indulge again the following year in this singularly un-Christian matrimonial merry-go-round.

On approaching the village of Machrihanish the road passes close to the prominent grassy mound of Cnocan Sithean,known locally as Crockiver's Fairy Hill. This has for long been associated with burial of an early local chieftain said to

have been killed in battle with a band of sea-raiders on the nearby M achair U innean. On being excavated the hillock wasindeed found to conceal a large stone coffin containing an adult male skeleton complete with sword and bronze harnessornaments.

Machrihanish was for many centuries engaged in the industries of salt-making and coal-mining but both these have nowceased the former during the late eighteenth-century and the latter in the mid 1960's. The village, however, is stilloften referred to locally as "Salt Pans".

Beyond Lossit House, mentioned earlier in connection with the Brooch of Ugadale, the road continues on to HighLossit and Ballygroggan. Here it finally peters out into a rough track leading south along the wild cliff-tops of theMull itself past the old deserted township of Cragaig to Sandy Bay. Here above the shore lie the now ruinous sites ofInnean Beg and Innean Mor abandoned, like most of the old townships of the Mull, at some time during the

nineteenth-century.

The main road south from Campbeltown runs down through Conie Glen. Along this route those wishing to make awestern ascent of Beinn Ghuilean, the Hill of Shoulders, may do so by following the Killeonan Burn up to the BlackLoch and thence to the summit. Alternatively, by following the Tirfergus Burn west from Killeonan, an explorationmay be made of lovely Tirfergus Glen.

Tirfergus, meaning the Land of Fergus, has traditional associations with Fergus MacErc, first king of ScottishDalriada, whose followers are said to have originally planted the upper valley with earth brought over from the Glens ofAntrim thus imparting to jt the traditional immunity from snakes and other reptiles conferred by St Patrick upon allIrish soil.

A mile or so south of Tirfergus the great Iron Age hill-fort of Ardnaclach broods darkly over the wooded policies ofKillellan, where beneath the kitchen flagstones of the old ruined farmhouse is said to lie an underground passage-leading to the caves of Keil about five miles away. Here, according to legend, the ghostly music of a piper lost in thesecaves many years ago may sometimes be heard emanating from below the kitchen hearthstone on Hallowmass Eve.


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Towards the southern end of Conie Glen above the farm of North Machrimore rises Cnoc Araiche. On its summitare traces of a gigantic hill-fort believed to be the chief citadel of the Epidii, or People of the Horse, the original Pictishinhabitants of K intyre.

Further down at Southend village is the late eighteenth century parish church of St Blaan built to replace the ancientchapel that once stood beside the river at Kilblaan but which was finally swept clean away, graveyard and all, by watererosion.

From Southend a narrow road branches off in the direction of the great cloven headland Dunaverty, to the east ofwhich lay the old port of Machrimore from where at one time a small ferryboat plied across to Cushendun in NorthernIreland.

TheRock of Dunaverty is crowned with the remains of a medieval castle built on the site of a much earlier fortressthought to have been that of Gabhran, grandson of Fergus MacErc. Probably the most tragic event in Dunaverty's longand turbulent history occurred during the summer of 1647 when the entire castle garrison of three hundred men,stationed there by Sir Alasdair "Coll Ciotach" MacDonald to defend the site following his defeat at Rhunahaorine, werebrutally massacred by the Covenanting army of the Earl of Argyll.

The surrender of the garrison was brought about by the discovery and subsequent capture by the besiegers of thecastle's sole water supply a small natural situated just below outer walls. Having at last been forced by thirst to parley

in hope of obtaining honourable terms the defenders, on surrendering, were treacherously betrayed all being put tothe sword or f lung from the precipitous cliffs to their deaths on I lie rocks below.

'The memory of this massacre has caused the site to be known as the Rock of Blood. This chilling title is dramaticallyemphasised by the thick encrustation on its summit crags of the eerily-glowing crimson lichen called in Gaelic by thename of Fuil nam Sluagh the Blood of the Hosts. Later, in 1685, the castle itself was razed to the ground by The Earlof Atholl's forces following the abortive rebellion of The Earl of Argyll and The Duke of Monmouth.

West of Dunaverty below the great bluff of Keil Point lie the remains of the thirteenth-century chapel of CilleColumcille, traditionally believed to mark the site of St Columba's arrival in western Scotland prior to his reachingIona. Carved on a rocky knoll nearby are what are locally known as "Columba's footprints", the seaward one of whichis of genuinely ancient origin although its companion is said to have been worked on comparatively recently. Close to

these is an oblong cross-socket while behind the chapel beside a grassy track a few yards from the knoll is Columba'sWell, marked by a large overhanging boulder incised with the faint outline of a small cross.

A little further west in the base of the great headland itself are the huge caves of Keil, used for centuries by countlesssmugglers, tinkers and hermits. In addition to the Great Cave two others are of note, one being the famous "Piper'sCave", said to contain an inner maze of subterranean passages, while another is the "Hermit's Retreat", a long, dark,perpendicular funnel showing evidence of ladder-like holds with faintly carved crosses together with small innerrecesses presumably used as perches for bouts of particularly ascetic meditation.

An alternative route from Campbeltown to Southend known as the "Learside" road runs east around Kildalloig Pointbehind the equally spectacular cliffs of Achinhoan H ead to Balnabraid. Here on the north bank of the river lies ahuge Bronze Age burial cairn which when excavated was found to contain no less than eleven stone cists, together with

bones of at least four adults and two children.

The cliffs of Achinhoan are honeycombed with caves, the most famous being that said to have been used as a primitivecell or chapel during the sixth-century by St Ciaran, tutor and friend of St Columba. This can only be reached at lowwater and, as it is situated a good few feet above the shoreline, can easily be missed in passing. However, once locatedthe cave is very large and easily recognised by the crumbling remnants of a low stone wall partly protecting theentrance. The floor inside is now extremely muddy and slippery due to the water which drips constantly from theceiling being only partly contained in a small circular stone trough. Close to this primitive little "font" lies a beautifully-carved early Christian "marigold" stone and the remains of an ancient cross-socket.

South of Achinoan the quiet moorland road runs slightly inland behind the seaward-facing citadel of Dun Bastard andthe Iron Age fortress of Doune, past Shenachie and Polliwilline Bay to Macharioch. From here fine views may be

had of the tiny isle of Sanda lying about two miles offshore.

On Sanda are the ruins of the old chapel of St Ninian together with two ancient crosses and an associated holy well towhich was attributed marvellous powers of healing. A certain air of mystery surrounds this chapel, it being not only


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connected with St Ninian but also referred to by early historians as " Cella Sancti A damni" , or St Adamnan's Cell. Othereven more intriguing accounts call it " Ci ll e mo Shenchan" , or Sencan's Cell, and allude to the existence of a small side-chapel containing the dread "Black Tomb of Sencan" and his fourteen followers, to approach which meant certaindeath for man or beast.

This strange long-vanished tomb also figures later as the shrine of an ancient Viking demi-god named Halco. It wassaid that here storm-bound seafarers would enact a weird ritual which consisted of repeatedly laving the great blackcover-stones with sea-water while incanting certain mystic runes reputedly guaranteed to calm the turbulence of the

elements.

From Macharioch the road continues on to Southend and Keil where, on passing behind Carskiey Bay, two routeslead westward into the wild hinterland of the Mull. The first heads north-west up beautiful Glen Breakerie below theancient duns of Ormsary and Culinlongart. Near the latter a narrow side road branches off across the Breakerie Waterto Low Glendale from where a faint intermittent track leads along the north bank of the river to the site of the oldchapel of Caibeal Kerrine, dedicate to St Ciaran.

Higher up on the hillside, about 130 yards north of the ruins, lies one of Kintyre's most ancient holy wells. Hidden inwoods at the base of a small rocky outcrop, complete with mandatory "clootie tree" and a profusion of sacred whitequartz pebbles, it is still visited today by local folk who know the secret of its whereabouts.

Continuing on towards the head of Glen Breakerie a spectacular hill road swings westwards into the forestry landsnorth of Dalsmirren. This runs high above the valley past deserted Glenahanty and remote Gartnacopaig to thelonely shepherd's house of Largybaan beneath the lower slopes of rugged Cnoc Moy, the Hill of the Plain. FromGartnacopaig a relatively easy ascent can be made to the summit via Cnocan Biorach, the Pointed Hillock, descendingby the shorter but slightly steeper route to Largybaan.

West of Largybaan the celebrated stalactite caves, composed mainly of marble, fluorspar and crystal, may be reached byfollowing down the banks of nearby stream, although care must be taken during the rather tricky descent to the shore.The caves lie about a quarter of a mile along the beach just north of the stream's outlet.

The second route going west from Keil continues on past Carskiey House and heads directly out along the narrowroad leading down to the lighthouse on the furthest tip of Mull. Here is Kintyre's most awesome scenery and those

with sure feet and a good head for heights may even brave the dizzy splendours of the old Goinean track, knownlocally as the "Goings". This winds precariously around the face of the cliffs from Glemanuilt past tlif impressiveremains of Dun Borgadel and the old deserted township of Ballymontgomery to emerge at Ballymoiljust above thelighthouse near the termination of the Mull road.

The seaward views from the lighthouse are superb, taking in the entire northern coastline of Antrim and the nearerisland of Rathlin in a breathtaking panorama of land, sea and sky, while landward the Mull itself stretches away in aninfinity of soaring cliffs lopped with a seemingly endless expanse of wild, rolling moorland.

From Ballymoil the old cliff-top track at one time continued on northward to link the other long-abandoned littletownships of the Mull Balmavicar with its tiny "click" mill, Innean Dunan and its Iron Age fortress, and InneanCoig Cailliche where f ive holy women from Caibeal Kerrine in Glenadale are thought to have sought sanctuary

during the Reformation, while beyond these lie Innean Beithe and Innean Gaothach of the wool-smugglers. Allthese and others are now no more than crumbling heaps of bracken-shrouded stones which, by their very aura ofhuman transience, serve only to emphasise the unchanging majesty and beauty of the Mull itself.


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Campbeltown and the East Coast

ACCORDING TO TRADITION the early history of the present royal burgh of Campbeltown begins with the arrivalduring the third century AD of Cairbre Ruadh, or Red Cairbar, son of a king of ancient Antrim, whose advent inKintyre is believed to have preceded even that of the great Fergus MacErc of Dalriada. I t is from this semi-legendaryliunwler that the first tiny settlement of Dalruadhan is said to have been named.

Following the coming of St Ciaran to the area in the sixth century the colony became known as Kinloch Ki lkerran,meaning the Head of St Ciaran's Loch. This, during the troubled later centuries of the much-disputed Lordship of theIsles, was to become one of the chief seats of the mighty Clan Donald who, in an early fortress situated somewhere inthe region of the present Castle H il l, made their own laws and held their own parliaments quite independently of theScottish Crown.

In 1498, in an attempt to combat such flagrant disregard of national government, King James IV caused the later royalcastle of Kilkerran were gradually taken over by the Clan Campbell which resulted, around 1700, in their elevation tothe status of a royal burgh, with a subsequent change of name to that of Campbeltown. It is believed that at some timeduring this period the town's beautiful fourth century carved cross, now standing at the head of the Old Quay, wasbrought here from the ancient chapel of Cille Coivin, near Machrihanish.

Guarding the entrance to Campbeltown Loch is the island of Davaar on which is situated the cave containing a much-visited mural painting representing The Crucifixion. The island is accessible only at low water by a causeway known asthe Doirlinn leading out from Kildalloig Point just beyond Glenramskill, below the slopes of Beinn Ghuilean.From High Glenramskill a direct ascent of this celebrated local peak may be made, or alternatively a longer but morearduous route leads up from Limecraigs around the west side of tiny Crosshill Loch.

On the north side of the harbour to the rear of Trench Point lies Baraskomil, behind which the ancient hill-fort ofCnoc Scalbert dominates the low green hills beyond the town. Further east the ruined chapel of Cille Couslanperches somewhat precariously above the shore, its almost sea-washed burial ground containing a number of interestingold carved stones. The site is dedicated to St Constantine whose legendary "marriage stone" lay until recently justoutside the chapel. This object is said to have resembled a small circular millstone with a hole in the middle through

which couples merely had to clasp hands in order to be declared indissolubly bound in matrimony. The custom isbelieved to date back to Viking times when it was known as taking the "Vow of Odin".

North of Kilchousland is the tiny near-tidal promontory of Island Muller on which stands the remains of the oldMacDonald castle of Smerby, originally a small medieval tower-house. The name Muller, or "Miller", is thought toderive from the old ruined mill at Milton of Smerby about a half-mile west of the island.

Further north the beautiful sands of Ardnacross Bay curve round from the pretty seaside village of Peninver to GlenLussa, one of the loveliest in Kintyre. Here a minor road runs up beyond Glenlussa House to Drumgarve where,along the north bank of the river about a half-mile south-west of the farm, lies the old deserted eighteenth-centurytownship of Killipol complete with tiny ruined mill.

From Peninver Bridge a second minor road leads west to Kilkeddan where a rough cart-track continues on along theglen to Gartnagreillan. High above this track on the afforested slopes of Maol a'Chuir about a half-mile north-westof Kilkeddan is Gort na h-Ulaidhe, the Enclosure of the Treasure, the largest Bronze Age burial cairn in Kintyre.


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Vast quantities of human bones are said to have been found inside its five existing chambers together with a "hugewadge of gold", but what became of the latter is not known.

Beyond Glen Lussa at Kildonald Bay can be seen the truly remarkableDun Kildonan, access to which is provided bya stile set in the roadside wall. Inside this wonderfully-preserved structure may still be traced the original stone stairwayleading onto the wall-head, together with a neatly paved passage-entrance complete with door-bar holes. This particulardun is also remarkable in that it is thought to have been inhabited as far back as the second century, remainingoccupied until well into the fourteenth century.

North of Kildonan is Ugadale Point where in a field almost opposite Ugadale House lies " Brace's Seat" , an oldbroken quern-stone said to be the one on which the fugitive king rested while awaiting a boat to ferry him across toArran following his famous escape over Beinn an Tuirc. I t also traditionally marks the spot where he bequeathed thecelebrated Brooch of Ugadale to his loyal guide, Gilchrist MacKay, on bidding him farewell.

From here the beautiful coastal road runs on to Saddell Bay with its recently-restored sixteenth-century castle andCistercian abbey ruins. The abbey was built around 1160, either by the great Somerled himself or by his son Reginald.Although only a relatively small foundation it proved extremely influential up until its final disbandment in 1507 byJames IV. On the erection of the old monastic lands into a barony they were given to David Hamilton, then Bishop ofArgyll, who in 1510 built the nearby castle for his own secular use.

In the old ruined presbytery is a magnificent collection of carved medieval grave-slabs, including one said to have beentaken from the tomb of Somerled himself. The ancient abbey precincts are also reputed to be haunted, like Kilneuair inmid-Argyll, by a gigantic black spectral hand on which one legendary occasion is said to have pursued a local tailor atdead of night across to the castle where a set of small circular indentations on the left portal of the great main doorwayis still known as theDevil 's H andprint.

North-west of Saddell the two lonely glens of Guesdaleand Ifferdale run up into the majestic wilderness of Beinn anTuirc, the Hill of the Boar. According to local tradition this was the scene of the famous Fingalian boar-hunt whichculminated in the death of Diarmid O'Duibhne, handsomest warrior of the legendary Fianna.

Further north beyond Torrisdale and its castellated Georgian mansion is the little lishing village of Carradale where,on the rocky summit of a long tidal ridge running south-east of the bay, can be seen one of the best-preserved vitrified

forts in Scotland. Here also are the medieval remains of Airds Castle, set on a rocky headland between Carradaleharbour and the tiny bay of Port Righ.

Along the Carradale Water lies the old house of Rhonadale, once inhabited by a certain MacMillan who apparentlymet his death by falling into the mysterious Black Pit of The Goat, near Sroin na Seana Chair on Cnoc na Gobhar,north of Carradale. Since then uneasy rumblings and quiverings of the earth are said to precede the death of anyMacMillan of Glen Carradale. Sloc na Gobhar is also believed to be linked by subterranean passage to a tidal well atTorrisdale.

Close to the little burial ground of Brackley north of Carradale are the "Sanctuary Stones", a group of bouldersforming part of an impressive chambered cairn. For centuries this site has been attributed with protective and curativepowers, and even today votive offerings of iron nails and pins can be seen hammered deep into the conspicuous ri ft

running down one side of the great upright slab known locally as the The Toothie Stane.

All along the east coast of Kintyre the road hugs the shores of lovely Kilbrannan Sound, affording wonderful viewsacross to the hills of Arran. At Grogport it passes close to the enigmatic Sailor' s Grave, a Bronze Age stone kistsituated only a few yards from the road along the north bank of the Sunadale Water. Still further north lies thePriest's Chair, another mysteriously-named antiquity in the form of a large distinctively shaped cup-marked boulderlying on the rock-strewn hillside about 350 yards north-west of the farm of North Crossaig.

At Claonaig a regular car ferry plies across the Kilbrannan Sound to Lochranza on the island of Arran, whosetowering peaks are now seen at their most impressive. From here the road continues on around the bay past the quietlittle village of Skipness to Skipness Castle and the ruined Chapel of Kilbrannan, situated just above the shore.

This massive thirteenth century fortress was originally an important MacDonald stronghold guarding the northernentrance to Kilbrannan Sound and the approaches to Loch Fyne. Following the fall of the Lordship of the Isles in1493, it eventually passed to the Campbells who held it until the middle of the nineteenth century after which it wasallowed to fall into disuse.


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Kilbrannan Chapel, dedicated to St Brendan, is of thirteenth century origin, the present structure being built during thefollowing century to replace the original chapel of St Columba that at one time was incorporated into the castle walls. Itremained in use up until about 1692.

About a mile beyond Skipness the narrow road finally peters out no route traversing the great elbow of ruggedcoastline stretching north between Culindrach and Tarbert. Back at Claonaig, however, a single lonely hill-road runsacross the central moors to Kennacraig, passing en route the occasional standing stone and the solitary chamberedcairn of Glenrisdell from where a time-worn track leads into the hills towards the abandoned township of Garvoine.

At Kennacraig the main A83 leads back along the shores of the West Loch into Tarbert, thus completing a full circuitof the historic and legendary peninsula of Kintyre.

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