Day 45: Connel to Knipoch, Argyll & Bute
Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021
18th February 2021: 89.65km walked today taking the total to 4609.00/8868km. 11.5% of 108 entries submitting 799.58km.
From Connel we explore the Lynn of Lorn and Appin today before heading south again past Kilninver to walk Loch Seil.
At Connel we cross the bridge, the second largest cantilever bridge in the world, pausing to stop to look at the Falls of Lora which aren’t always visible as they depend on the tide. This is because they are the rapids of a tidal race rather than a waterfall, generated when the tide level in the Firth of Lorn drops below the level of the water in Loch Etive, so the water in Loch Etive pours out through the narrows as the Falls of Lora.
We now take a path along a disused railway to Benderloch which sits on Ardmucknish Bay. Benderloch has some prehistoric remains including 2 forts and a dun, dating to the Iron Age which are located on the summit of a steep-sided rock outcrop, called Dun Mac Sniachan. At Benderloch we turn left passing Tralee Bay Holiday Park then Barcardine Castle, a 17th-century tower built by Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy. After being restored in the early 20th century it now operates as a hotel. It is apparently inhabited by the ghost of Duncan Campbell who is still searching for the man who murdered him.
After reaching the A828 we join the Cycle Route 78 which uses a mixture of path, road and disused railway to go up the east side of Loch Creran. At Barcaldine, we walk up Glen Dubh in Sutherland’s Grove, following the Abhainn Teithill Burn past waterfalls through a woodland of giant Douglas Firs as well as oak, birch, beech and rowan. At the footbridge, we retrace our steps back down the burn before taking a path which will take us back to Cycle Route 78.
We continue along the east side of Loch Creran before crossing the bridge over the loch, turning left to walk along the west side of the loch. Most of this route is on a single-track road which winds through woods and fields before we eventually arrive at Druimneil House which has a beautiful garden to visit. Before reaching Port Appin we take the path down the west side of Aird’s Bay. This is a good spot to do a bit of bird watching! We pass a natural arch which we can pass through, before passing another cave and large arch which we can also walk through, called Clach Thoull. The sea formed this arch but, as the sea level has fallen, it is now located well above the beach.
At this point, it is worth taking a detour down to the headland as there are good views over the Lynn of Lorn (this is the part of Loch Linnhe to the east of Lismore) and the Isle of Lismore as well as a possibility we might spot seals. This area is all part of the Lynn of Lorn National Scenic Area which covers the Lynn of Lorn, the Isle of Lismore, Benderloch, Port Appin and Shuna Island. It is defined as having exceptional scenery and is protected to ensure that it doesn’t suffer from inappropriate development.
We now walk through Port Appin, where you can get a ferry to Lismore whose name comes from the Gaelic meaning ‘big garden’. We won’t be visiting Lismore today, but it is definitely worth a visit. Lismore was once a centre of Celtic Christianity with a 6th-century monastery associated with Saint Moluag which later became the seat of the Bishop of Argyll. There are lots of ruins including a broch as well as 2 castles from the 13th century. Lismore now relies on farming, fishing and tourism.
Following the road out of Port Appin we arrive at Taychreggan where we find the Jubilee Bridge. This is a long and quite rickety bridge crossing the tidal marshes of Loch Laich. We cross the bridge, then follow the path to see Castle Stalker, standing on a grassy knoll in the midst of seaweed-strewn sandflats which is completely cut off at high tide. It was built in the 15th century by the then Lord of Lorn, Sir John Stewart. Its Gaelic name is Caisteal an Stalcaire which means ‘Castle of the Hunter’, as it was used as a hunting lodge by King James V in the mid-16th century.
From here we take Cycle Route 78 heading back east to the bridge crossing at the narrow point of Loch Creran where we then retrace our steps to where we exited the route when we went round Glen Dubh. We head into Barcaldine Forest, but this time carry on up the hill towards the Glen Dubh Reservoir although we turn south before reaching it. We continue south along forest tracks until we meet the minor road in Gleann Salach, which soon runs alongside the River Esragan, which we follow to Inveresragan. We keep right and follow the north shore of Loch Etive. Soon we reach Ardchattan Priory, founded in 1230 by Sir Duncan MacDougall for the monks of the Vallisculian Order. The priory with its many carved stones and beautiful gardens are a wonderful place to visit with fantastic views over Loch Etive and to Ben Cruachan.
Leaving Ardchattan Priory we follow the north shore of Loch Etive back towards Connel passing Ardchattan Kirk. This imposing church was built in 1836 and overlooks the loch but closed in January 2019 and has been put up for sale.
Arriving back at Connel, we cross the bridge and turn left before turning right up Achaleven Road to take the path to the Black Lochs. These are a series of small lochs surrounded by native woodland. We follow the line of the lochs before turning west to reach a minor road which we follow past Loch Nell to Kilmore.
We head down the edge of Loch Feochan, a sea loch, soon passing the Knipoch Hotel which was opened as a hotel in 1981. Before this, it was a family home with a history going back to 1592 when John Campbell, Thane of Cawdor, was assassinated at the ‘house of Knipoch in Lorne’. At the time he was acting as guardian for the young Earl of Argyll and, John Campbell of Ardingklas jealous of the Thane’s influence on the Earl, instigated his murder. The Thane was killed by a shot fired from a window of the house of Knipoch.
Past Knipoch we continue down the side of Loch Feochan before heading to Kilninver which sits on the River Euchar. We continue southwest along the B844 past Loch Seil to reach the village of Clachan.
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