Day 21: Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute to Holy Loch, Argyll & Bute

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

25th January 2021: 116.79 walked today taking the total to 2249.50/8854km. 7.5% of 225 entries submitting 1557.21km.

We tour the remainder of the Isle of Bute today before heading back onto the mainland to walk some of the Cowal Peninsula.

Route 6A: Kennacraig to Callander

Further south we reach Kerrycroy, designed in the early 19th century by Maria North, 2nd Marquess of Bute, as a model of an English village, complete with village green. From the village we walk along the A804 until we reach the sign for Mount Stuart. We take the left fork and walk through the magnificent gardens to first reach the Mount Stuart Mausoleum. It was completed in the 17th century as the family chapel of the Marquess of Bute before being converted into a mausoleum. We walk through a pinetum, home to over 800 pine trees, the arboretum, and the rock garden, designed by the famous Victorian landscape architect Thomas Mawson before arriving at the house itself.

Mount Stuart is the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Bute, who are direct descendants of Robert the Bruce. The house, originally built in 1719, was severely damaged by fire in 1877. The wings of the building survived and were incorporated into the red sandstone house rebuilt in the late 19th century, the Gothic palace we see today. This was commissioned by John Crichton-Stuart, the 3rd Marquess of Bute, and designed by the Scottish architect Robert Rowand Anderson. It took over 21 years to rebuild and was the first house in Scotland to have electricity, an early telephone system, a passenger lift, a heated indoor swimming pool and a central heating system, all which still work today.

As well as these innovations the interior décor is inspired by astrology, art, and mythology. In the marble hall, which is composed of more than 20 types of marble, there is a map of the stars on the ceiling, studded with glass crystals, and stained-glass windows with the signs of the zodiac and their corresponding seasons. There is also a marble chapel which has the same style of flooring as the Sistine Chapel in Rome and Westminster Abbey in London.

The current Marquess of Bute is the former racing driver known as Johnny Dumfries who drove in Formula 1 for the 1986 season before winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1988. He was called the Earl of Dumfries prior to becoming the 7th Marquess of Bute in 1993 and, as well as owning Mount Stuart, also owned Dumfries House in Cumnock until 2007 when he sold it to The Princes Foundation due to the cost of its upkeep.

From Mount Stuart we head south on tracks until we reach Kingarth where we turn left at the Kingarth Hotel and head back to the east coast where we reach Kilchattan Bay with its red sands. Kilchattan Bay is another of the villages in Bute which expanded with the advent of the steamers, however, before this it had grown due to the production of tiles. In the mid-1840s the Marquess of Bute started the Kilchattan Tile works using local clay to produce tiles and bricks; however, this closed in 1855 before reopening in 1866. This time it was successful and by the end of the 19th century over a million tiles and half a million bricks were being produced each year and exported from the pier at Kilchattan Bay. Early in the next century though it became more difficult to extract the clay, so the works closed in 1915 with little evidence now that they ever existed.

From Kilchattan Bay we take the West Island Way which follows the coast south first passing a strange sandstone rock called the ‘Hawk’s Neb’ – still an impressive sight but its neb (beak) has been reduced by rockfalls in recent years. From here we have views across to Little Cumbrae with its volcanic landscape and further to the left Great Cumbrae. We soon pass the lighthouse of Rubh’ an Eun as Glencallum Bay comes into view. This path is followed until we reach the southernmost part of the walk where there is a fine view across to Arran and the Holy Isle in Lamlash Bay.

From here we head inland to Loch na Leighe before heading down to the west coast of Bute to Dunagoil Vitrified Fort, an Iron Age fort occupied from 200BC to 100AD, perched high on a volcanic cliff. It occupies a commanding position with clear views of the seaways around Bute. High stone and timber walls would have surrounded the fort, and, at some point, these walls burned with such intensity that the rubble core of the walls became fused into a solid mass: a process is called vitrification.

Leaving Dunagoil we head inland and re-join the West Island Way before reaching the ruin of St Blane’s Chapel sitting high on a mound, surrounded by native trees. This was once the capital of Bute. The chapel ruins date back to the 12th century but, prior to that, there was a monastery founded here by St Catan in the late 500s. There is a story that tells of Catan’s sister, Ertha, becoming pregnant by an unknown man and Catan setting her and her baby, Blane, adrift. They eventually washed up in Ulster where Blane grew up in a monastery before he returned to Bute and succeeded St Catan as abbot of the monastery and bishop of the area before founding Dunblane Cathedral.

We pass 2 ruined townships, Kingaven and Branser, before heading to the summit of Suidhe Chatain where we have views over Bute and the red sands of Kilchattan Bay which we visited earlier. After Kilchattan Bay we keep on the West Islands Way and head to the west coast passing Bute airstrip and Bute golf course to reach sandy Stravanan Bay. After walking along the beach for a short time the path takes us back inland along a road, before we turn right along a path known as Lord James Ride, so-called because a relation of the Marquess of Bute wanted a place he could ride his horse fast and straight. It used to be a popular charabanc outing route for tourists who came on steamer excursions along the Clyde. At a crossroads we turn left and head towards Loch Ascog, a water supply for Rothesay and a popular fishing spot. Passing the south end of Loch Ascog, we walk over Lochly Hill to reach Loch Fad.

Loch Fad, meaning ‘Long Loch’, lies along the striking geological line of the Highland Boundary Fault splitting Bute in two, each with very distinct geographical terrains: the Lowlands to the south and the Highlands to the north. It is also located in one of the island’s 3 glaciated valleys and is classified as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for its scenic beauty and its huge diversity of birdlife and vegetation. The loch is surrounded by wooded hills, including one of the first commercial Douglas Fir plantations dating from the 1840s, and is also where the rebuilt Bluebird hydroplane was tested in 2018. The original Bluebird hydroplane, which was driven by Donald Campbell, broke the world water speed record 7 times before it was destroyed in 1967 on Coniston Water in the Lake District, killing Campbell in the process.

At the fishery and bird hide on Loch Fad we bear right to cross over the causeway, then turn right again along a path near the shore to reach a road which takes us back towards Rothesay. As we have already been to Rothesay, we keep on the West Island Way high above the coast before reaching the road near Port Bannatyne. Here we head west along the old Tramway Route to reach Ettrick Bay, a long expanse of sand where we will find the Ettrick Bay Tearoom, a great place for a quick lunch or coffee and cake. As said earlier, the tramway was initially a horse drawn service before being electrified in 1905, when the extension from Port Bannatyne to Ettrick Bay was built to take tourists to the beach from the Clyde steamers. The tramway closed in 1936 and was replaced by buses.

After our visit to Ettrick Bay, we head east until we re-join the West Island Way which heads north. The path initially goes across open moorland before reaching a forestry plantation. The path continues through the forest where a detour can be made to a World War 2 decoy bunker at Balnakailly. This, along with 2 others, used lights and fire to fool enemy bombers into attacking a place which looked like an airfield from the air away from civilians; it was actually of no military value. From the bunker there is a stunning view across to the Burnt Isles in the Kyles of Bute.

We head downhill to the ferry at Rhubodach to return to Colintraive. From the ferry we head northwards and walk down to the Caol Ruadh Sculpture Park. This outdoor gallery was opened in 2012 by Karen Scotland and Anne Edmonds to exhibit and sell contemporary artwork produced in Scotland.

We continue north on the A886, then turn right on the B836 signposted to Dunoon. This narrow winding road takes us through woodland before we cross moorland to reach the head of Loch Striven, a sea loch extending 13km from the Firth of Clyde into the Cowal Peninsula.

At the head of Loch Striven we pass the Striven Hydro-Electric Power Station, large pipes supplying its water from Loch Tarsan to the east, before we turn right into the Ardtaraig Estate. The track, which narrows further on, follows the east side of Loch Striven to the Glenstriven Estate. As we walk down the side of this peaceful loch it is hard to imagine that this was one of the places where the bouncing bombs were tested, developed by Barnes Wallis for the Dambuster raids fulfilled by Lancaster bombers. The loch was one of several places used to test prototype bombs; around 200 are thought to have been dropped here, some of which were recovered in 2017.

We pass Glenstriven House, built in 1860, situated on a stunning country estate with its own pub, the Glenstriven Arms, and continue walking south along another minor road before reaching Inverchaolain, a hamlet with its own church built in 1812, now privately owned. The road soon leaves Loch Striven near Ardyne Point where there was an oil rig construction yard before heading inland past the Knockdow Estate. This estate was originally owned by a sept of Clan Lamont and we can see Knockdow House from the road. This white 12-bedroom mansion was built in 1760 and was altered and extended in 1920 by the then laird Sir Norman Lamont, the Permanent Private Secretary to Sir Winston Churchill.

The road leads us to the south coast of the peninsula and Toward Castle where there are 2 castles. The more modern Castle Toward was built in 1821 by a Glasgow merchant, and Lord Provost of Glasgow, Kirkman Finlay, with David Hamilton as the architect. In 1920 the castellated mansion was bought by Andrew Coates, the thread manufacturer from Paisley, who extended the house and added many of the towers we see today. During World War 2 it was called HMS Brontosaurus after which it was sold to the Glasgow Corporation and used as an outdoor education centre as well as a filming location for the children’s television series ‘Raven’ for 7 seasons, ending in 2008. In 2014 it was closed for safety concerns and in 2016 was sold to private owners.

In the grounds of the newer castle is the ruins of the old Toward Castle dating from the 15th century which served as the seat of Clan Lamont and enjoyed a visit from Mary, Queen of Scots in 1563. The Lamonts were Royalists and in 1646 the Campbells captured, looted, and burnt the castle after a 2-week siege, along with another of their castles on Loch Ascog, which is said to have been in retaliation for the Lamonts killing many Campbells at Kilmun. Although the Campbells promised the Lamonts would go free they massacred many of them, including the old, women and children. They hanged 36 people on one tree in Dunoon and others were buried alive in pits. Fifteen years later Archibald Campbell, Marquess of Argyll, was found guilty of high treason for this atrocity and was sentenced to death.

Although both castles are away from the road, the estate’s offices and gate lodge, built in the same style as the new Castle Toward, fronts the road itself. On the opposite side of the road is Toward Sailing Club and Toward Quay where it is possible to see Rothesay on the Isle of Bute only 4km away.

After leaving the castle we follow the road, turning right to walk through Toward and reach the Southern tip of the Cowal Peninsula at Toward Lighthouse, built in 1812 by Robert Stevenson. Beside the lighthouse is a white building which looks like a chapel; it did in fact house the foghorn which was taken out of use in the 1990s. Toward Point also marks the south-westerly point of the Highland Boundary Fault on the mainland.

Following the east coast of the Cowal Peninsula we walk through Inellan, another village which grew in Victorian times with the arrival of the steamers, before reaching Dunoon, the largest town in Argyll. It is built around 2 bays, West Bay and East Bay, although these are south and north of the centre of the town. Between the bays is a hill, a volcanic plug, sticking out into the sea, which was the site of Dunoon Castle, originally built in the 11th century. By the 14th century it was a royal residence and consisted of 3 circular towers in a triangular formation. It was abandoned in the 1650s and little of it remains, as its stone was quarried to build Castle House, a baronial mansion built by James Ewing, Lord Provost of Glasgow, in 1822.

After walking past West Bay we pass a statue on the hill to our left before we pass Dunoon’s ferry terminal where ferries leave to cross the Firth of Clyde to Gourock. Just past this is the Victorian Pier, one of the finest and rarest examples of a category A-listed Victorian pier. The first pier was built in 1835 with further expansions in 1867, 1881 and 1895; it has recently been restored and is still visited by P.S. Waverley.

From the Victorian Pier we walk through Castle Gardens to the statue we passed earlier of ‘Highland Mary’, a Mary Campbell who was linked romantically to Robert Burns, before climbing to the viewpoint over Dunoon. These gardens are supposed to have been the site of one of Scotland’s first battles over the right of access to land after Ewing, who built Castle House, fenced off common land to form the garden of the house: a battle the people won. Today Castle Gardens is a public park and Castle House now houses a museum exploring the history of Dunoon and Cowal including Highland clan battles, Victorian expansion, the Clyde steamers and both World Wars.

As we leave the gardens, we pass many Victorian villas built by Glaswegians for their holidays. In the early 19th century, they originally arrived by ferry before steamers linked Glasgow directly to Dunoon. In 1889 Dunoon became even more accessible when the railway linked Glasgow to Gourock. Dunoon is also famous for the annual Cowal Highland Gathering which takes place in August. The first event was held on the 11th of August 1894, organised by a local man, Robert Cameron and is now reputed to be the biggest and most spectacular Highland Games in the world. Over 20,000 visitors are expected each year to watch events such as the Scottish and World Highland Dancing Championships, caber tossing, shot put with the Cowal Stone (twice the weight of a normal shot put), other athletic events and the pipe band championships. We walk along the promenade through Kirn, then past Hunters Quay, where a ferry can also take you to Gourock, before reaching Sandbank on Holy Loch.

The name ‘Holy Loch’ is believed to date from the 6th century when Saint Munn landed on the east shore after leaving Ireland. Kilmun Parish Church and Argyll Mausoleum on the east shore are believed to stand where Saint Munn’s church was once located. Sandbank was where Robertson’s Boatyard was situated in the 19th and 20th centuries, one of the foremost wooden boat-builders on the River Clyde building racing yachts. During World War 2, the loch was used as a Royal Navy submarine base and, from 1961 to 1992, it was used as a United States Navy ballistic missile submarine base with the shore facilities at Sandbank. In 1992 the United States decided their base on the Holy Loch was unnecessary due to the end of the Cold War, and it was closed. The base is now the site of a timber yard and pier, and a 200-berth marina.

At the A815 we turn left and head south again before turning right at a sign for a parking and picnic area. We climb through Atlantic oakwoods, a small fragment of the great forest which once existed here, before reaching an archaeological site at Ardnadam. The only structure visible is the remains of a 1000-year-old chapel. It is also the site of a Neolithic house which is over 5000 years old and an Iron Age house over 2000 years old, both of which are marked out by short posts. We then climb to the top of Dunan, also called the Camel’s Hump, whose peak is marked by a stone plinth. This is a superb viewpoint, with views over Loch Loskin, Holy Loch, and the mouth of Loch Long, as well as across the Clyde.