Claonaig To Clachan - 16km (10 Miles)
Minor road, forest track, open moorland,

From the ferry pier at Claonaig you follow the B8001 uphill to a junction with the B842. The route continues south towards Carradale for 1.7km until reaching the small car park for the Claonaig Oakwood walk.

The route then leaves the road, steadily climbing through farmland, moor and plantations of young trees with good views across Kilbrannan Sound to Arran. You may see the small ferry plying back and forth between Claonaig and Lochranza on Arran.

The path reaches a high point, 220m, at Lochan Fraoich (heather lochan) and then enters the large Achaglass Forest (green field forest). All though a new path has been built on this section it is still a demanding walk and outdoor footwear and clothing are essential.

The route breaks out of the forest at a gate leading to a walk beside the attractive Loch Ciaran. A variety of water birds nest here and the loch is popular with anglers who fish for wild brown trout. There are good views looking south-west to the high farmstead of Minen.

As the track begins to head away from the loch the route of the Kintyre Way branches off to the left. This follows the watercourse of the Allt Mor before passing through a small but lovely woodland on the descent to the village of Clachan with superb views over to Islay and Jura. The famous peaks of Jura (the Paps) stand out boldly. The highest peak is Beinn an Oir - the ‘hill of gold’.

The path continues through to reach the A83 at the small village of Clachan. There is a small shop at the petrol station and limited accommodation in the village. A regular bus service back to Tarbert stops here.

A little way west of Clachan is the impressive Dun Skeig hill fort. The fort has three separate structures, the central stronghold shows signs of ‘vitrification’ in which stones were fused together by fire. The location was well chosen as the unobstructed views of the surrounding area made a surprise attack impossible.

Outside the fort are rocks with primitive ‘cup’ markings, again a feature of the Kintyre and Argyll area

 

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