From Beinn Ghuilean

( ... or The View over Campbeltown, Campbeltown Loch, Macringan's point, Kilbrannan Sound, and Arran ... and our house is down there too !)

10.3C and mostly cloudy. Moderate then light NNW breeze.

There was a lovely sunrise this morning when Maeve the Deerhound and I were out around 7am. Darker than yesterday with more cloud around and some purple tones in the colour scheme.

After lunch Maeve the Deerhound and I went for the repeat of our usual morning walking route across the road and round to the park and the harbour and back along through town.

Once Maeve was back home and settled I went out again. Deacon Blue (The Hipsters then The Singles) on the Clip. I decided I would have another go at the woodland circuit on the slopes of Beinn Ghuilean and this time follow the forestry road and see where it went.

The same as the first time I tried the route I walked from home along to Main Street then followed the road out of town that goes to Machrihanish or Southend. I turned off just after the creamery and made my way along past some houses where the road started to climb. I went through a gate at the top of the road and there was a good track which has been developed into a solid road for forestry vehicles. I followed this track as it passed through some fields then climbed again to just above Crosshill Loch. Looking back from this point I could see over the farmland at the back of Campbeltown and right over to Machrihanish Bay and up the West coast of the peninsula.

Just before the forestry plantations on the slopes of Beinn Ghuilean there is a notice board with a map and the routes for two trails. I followed the forestry road and after a short distance came across a path which was tarred at the beginning and leading off sharply uphill towards the summit. I abandoned my plan to follow the forestry road and set off up the path. It was steep and in 20 yards or so reverted to grass but had some turns in it so was easy enough to follow. At the top of the path, which didn't quite go up as far as the summit (299m), there was a last turn to bring me back facing the view over Campbeltown loch and the town and at last I found the bench (210m) I had seen a photo of on the website where I originally found the instructions for the walk. I had a seat on the wobbly bench and enjoyed the view. To my right I could see quite a way up the West coast of Kintyre. I had a good view over the whole of the town and the hill on the other side of the loch. The slope to my right prevented me seeing Davaar island from the top but I could see over the loch and Macringan's point to the hills of Arran which I particularly enjoyed from such a high viewpoint.

The path carried on past the bench and down another route so I followed that and it didn't take too long to get back down to the forestry road. I emerged at a point I recognised from my first exploration of the forest so I set off down the path into the trees that way. I followed the path, which was very nicely covered in pine needles, down to the second information board near the stile that leads to a field then another stile that takes me down very near the cemetery on Kilkerran Road. From there I followed the street side of the long narrow park that runs along Kilkerran road from the ferry terminal and came back trough town past the town hall and the book shop (closed).

Writing about such walks make them seem like miles and miles but I assure you that it wasn't that far. I only just had time to hear both albums on the Clip.

I preferred one of my shots of the sunrise, but since I walked all the way up the hill you shall have the view ...

Afternoon music ... Status Quo, Aquostic (Stripped Bare). Fleetwood Mac, Tango In The Night.

DMC-LX7 f/2.8 1/800 sec. ISO-125 5mm (35mm focal length 24mm)