Southern Highlands & Islands
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd Southern Highlands & Islands Why Go? LOCH LOMOND & From the rasping spout of a minke whale as it breaks the AROUND .....................261 surface, to the ‘krek-krek-krek’ of a corncrake, the coast Loch Lomond .............261 and islands of southwest Scotland are fi lled with unusual SOUTH ARGYLL........ 265 wildlife experiences. You can spot otters tumbling in the kelp, watch sea eagles snatch fi sh from a lonely loch, and Cowal ......................... 265 thrill to the sight of dolphins riding the bow-wave of your Isle of Bute ................268 boat. Kilmartin Glen ............271 Here, sea travel is as important as road and rail – dozens Kintyre........................272 of ferries allow you to island-hop your way from the Firth Isle of Islay .................275 of Clyde to Oban and beyond, via the whisky distilleries of Islay, the wild mountains of Jura and the scenic delights of Isle of Jura .................279 diminutive Colonsay. Isle of Colonsay ........ 282 The bustling town of Oban is the gateway to the isles – OBAN & MULL ...........283 from the peaceful backwaters of Kerrera and Lismore to Oban .......................... 283 the dramatic coastal scenery of Mull and the wild, wind- swept beaches of Coll and Tiree. Isle of Mull ................ 289 Isle of Iona ................ 296 NORTH ARGYLL .......300 When to Go Oban Best Places to °C/°F Te m p Rainfall Inches/mm Stay 40/104 10/250 30/86 8/200 » Highland Cottage Hotel ( p 2 9 2 ) 20/68 6/150 » Achnadrish House (p 294 ) 10/50 4/100 » George Hotel (p 271 ) 0/32 2/50 -10/14 0 Best Places to Eat J FDNOSAJJMAM » C a f é F i s h ( p 2 9 3 ) May Feis Ile (Islay June Roadsides August The best Festival) cele- and gardens month of the year » Waterfront Restaurant brates traditional become a blaze of for whale watch- (p 286 ) Scottish music colour with deep- ing off the west » Colonsay Hotel (p 282 ) and whisky. pink rhododen- coast. » Argyll Hotel (p 297 ) dron blooms. R Sea of the Ben Nevis S 260Hebrides i (1344m) de T rip Loch Sunart #\ Glencoe #\ Arinagour Carna Coll \# Tobermory Loch A82 Linnhe all /· up o B Shuna C el l Loch Aline #\ Loch a Port Appin Loch r Lyon t Tuath F Sound of Loch SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS ISLANDS & HIGHLANDS SOUTHERN o Lismore r Etive Gometra Loch Mull sa Ben y na Keal #\ ch Connel Cruachan r Lochay Craignure Dunstaffnage #\ (1124m) O #\ R Tyn drum Mull #5 #\ /·A85 #\ Oban #] rt Tay n u i l t Dalmally cha Kerrera L #\ #\ Lo onan \# Loch Scridain Lochawe Crianlarich F Iona Firth of a #\ Loch #\ l /·A816 l Buie Lorn o Loch Ardbrecknish c Fionnphort h Easdale #\ Awe Seil ARGYLL66 \# Kilmelford Ben Lomond Luing The Cobbler R (974m) \# Inveraray \# (881m) R Ta r b et Toberonochy Argyll #\ /·A815 Forest #\ Loch Arrochar Katrine Kiloran Gulf of #3 Kilmartin #\ Park Bay #\ Strachur #\ Corryvreckan Loch /·A814 Rowardennan Isle of Goil #\ Loch Colonsay Scalasaig 666Lomond6#\ Loch COWAL Balmaha #\ Loch 56°N # #\ Sween Lochgilphead A82 2 Ardlussa #\ Gare /· /·A813 Long Loch Ardrishaig #\ Balloch LOCH LOMOND & AROUND & LOMOND LOCH Oronsay Kilmun #\ #\ Loch Tarbert Loch Helensburgh ATLANTIC OCEAN Achahoish Loch Riddon Dumbarton Isle of \# Fyne Dunoon #\ #] #] Jura Loch #\ Tighnabruaich Greenock Caolisport Port Kyles of #\ #\ Ta r b e r t 6666 Askaig Bute /·A78 Kennacraig \# #\ Isle Rothesay C a Port Loch of Bute ld Sound West Loch Skipness #1 e Charlotte Indaal #\ Mount Stuart r #\ Isle of of Islay Tarbert #\ #4 Claonaig Sound #\ Islay of Bute R Port Millport y e Laggan \# Charlotte Gigha W Bay Lochranza a t #\ e a #\ Port Tay i n l oa n r s Sound r #\ Ellen o Ardrossan of Gigha I n Gle Brodick Kilmarnock #] Sound Kintyre \# of Jura Isle of Firth of /·A83 Arran Holy Clyde Blackwaterfoot #\ Isle Kilbrannan Ayr Sound Bay #] 020km #] Ayr e# 010milesCampbeltown North Gare Channel Southend Loch Rathlin #\ Island Mull of °W 5 6°W Kintyre 6 Southern Highlands & Islands Highlights 1 Staring in wonder at the 3 Riding a high-speed 5 Whale watching in the magnifi cent marble-clad halls motorboat through the waters off the west coast of of Mount Stuart (p 269 ) surging white water of the Mull (boxed text, p 295 )6 2 Walking barefoot across Gulf of Corryvreckan (boxed the strand from Colonsay to text, p 280 ) Oronsay (p 282 ) to visit the 4 Sitting by a log fi re in the medieval priory Port Charlotte Hotel (p 278 ), sampling some of Islay’s fi nest single-malt whiskies Rowardennan is the starting point for an LOCH LOMOND & ascent of Ben Lomond (974m), a popular 261 AROUND and relatively easy fi ve- to six-hour round The ‘bonnie banks’ and ‘bonnie braes’ of trip. The route starts at the car park just Loch Lomond have long been Glasgow’s ru- past the Rowardennan Hotel. ral retreat – a scenic region of hills, lochs Boat Trips and healthy fresh air within easy reach of The main centre for boat trips is Balloch, Scotland’s largest city (Loch Lomond is ISLANDS & HIGHLANDS SOUTHERN LOCH LOMOND AROUND & where Sweeney’s Cruises (www.sweeney within an hour’s drive of 70% of Scotland’s .uk.com; Balloch Rd) off ers a range of trips population). Since the 1930s Glaswegians including a one-hour cruise to Inchmurrin have made a regular weekend exodus to the and back (adult/child £7/4, departs hourly), hills – by car, by bike and on foot – and to- and a two-hour cruise (£12.50/6, departs day the loch’s popularity shows no sign of 1pm and 3pm) around the islands. The quay decreasing. is directly opposite Balloch train station, The region’s importance was recognised beside the tourist offi ce. Sweeney’s also when it became the heart of Loch Lomond runs hourly cruises from the Maid of the & the Trossachs National Park (www Loch jetty at Loch Lomond Shores. .lochlomond-trossachs.org) – Scotland’s fi rst Cruise Loch Lomond (www.cruiselochlo national park, created in 2002. mondltd.com) is based in Tarbet and off ers ACTIVITIES trips to Inversnaid and Rob Roy Mac- Gregor’s Cave. You can also be dropped Loch Lomond off at Rowardennan and picked up at In- Loch Lomond is the largest lake in mainland versnaid after a 9-mile hike along the West LOMOND ACTIVITIES LOCH Britain and, after Loch Ness, perhaps the Highland Way. most famous of Scotland’s lochs. Its proxim- The mail boat, run by Balmaha Boat- ity to Glasgow (20 miles away) means that yard (www.balmahaboatyard.co.uk; The Boat- the tourist honeypots of Balloch, Loch Lo- yard, Balmaha), cruises from Balmaha to the mond Shores and Luss get pretty crowded loch’s four inhabited islands, departing in summer. The main tourist focus is along at 11.30am and returning at 2pm with a the A82 on the loch’s western shore, and at one-hour stop on Inchmurrin (adult/child the southern end, around Balloch, which oc- £9/4.50). Trips depart daily in July and Au- casionally becomes a nightmare of jet skis gust, and Monday, Thursday and Saturday and motorboats. The eastern shore, which in May, June and September. is followed by the West Highland Way long- distance footpath, is a little quieter. Other Activities Loch Lomond straddles the Highland The mostly traffi c-free Clyde and Loch Lo- border and its character changes as you mond Cycle Way links Glasgow to Balloch move north. The southern part is broad (20 miles), where it links with the West and island-studded, fringed by woods and Loch Lomond Cycle Path, which contin- Lowland meadows. However, north of Luss ues along the loch shore to Tarbet (10 miles). the loch narrows, occupying a deep trench You can rent rowing boats at Balma- gouged out by glaciers during the Ice Age, ha Boatyard for £10/30 per hour/day (or with 900m mountains crowding in on ei- £20/50 for a boat with outboard motor). ther side. Lomond Adventure (%01360-870218), also in Balmaha, rents out Canadian canoes 2 Activities (£30 per day) and sea kayaks (£25). At Loch Lomond Shores (p 262 ) you can Walking hire canoes (£12/17 per half-/full hour) and The big walk around here is the West bicycles (£12/17 per three hours/full day), Highland Way (www.west-highland-way.co.uk), take a guided canoe trip on the loch (£30 which runs along the eastern shore of the for two hours) or try power kiting (£30 for loch. There are shorter lochside walks at Fir- 2½ hours). kin Point on the western shore and at sever- al other places around the loch. You can get 8 Information further information on local walks from the Balloch tourist office (%0870 720 0607; Bal- national-park information centres at Loch loch Rd; h9.30am-6pm Jun-Aug, 10am-6pm Lomond Shores (p 262 ) and Balmaha (p 262 ). Apr & Sep) Balmaha National Park Centre ( %01389- Inveruglas to Inversnaid (%01877-386223; 262 722100; Balmaha; h9.30am-4.15pm Apr-Sep) Inversnaid Hotel) On demand; no fixed time- National Park Gateway Centre ( %01389- table. 751035; www.lochlomondshores.com; Loch Loch Lomond Shores to Balmaha (www.clyde Lomond Shores, Balloch; h10am-6pm Apr-Sep, cruises.com; hlate Jul-early Sep) Five daily. to 5pm Oct-Mar; iW) Rowardennan to Luss (www.cruiselochlomond Tarbet tourist office (%0870-720 0623; ltd.com; hJul-Sep) One daily. Departs Rowar- h SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS ISLANDS & HIGHLANDS SOUTHERN 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 5pm Easter-Jun, Sep dennan at 9.30am; Luss at 4.15pm. & Oct) At the junction of the A82 and the A83.