An Argyll Coastal Loop
A dip in the warm waters of Carsaig Bay
Last October I wrote about a circular tour through Glen Orchy, Glencoe, Glen Etive and Glen Creran. Mighty mountains and breathtaking scenery that delight any photographer. Much of that route now features in photography tours led by people far more famous and capable than me, and rightly so.
This week, after a 1,000-mile round trip to spend time with my beautiful wee granddaughters in the busy, sweltering south-west of England, I needed the calm of my Argyll home to recover.
This land fixes me.
A couple of decades ago, a stressful international corporate career left my body ready to give up. I was seriously ill. My wife knew how much I loved Scotland, so from our home in the Midlands we escaped to a tiny cottage by the sea in Argyll. That was the beginning of my love affair with this place, and a few years later it became home.
On a sunny Friday afternoon, and on something of a whim (why not, we're retired), we decided on another circular tour along the familiar roads of Argyll's scenic coast. Leaving home in the Mazda Bongo, we drove the length of Loch Fyne before heading for Crinan and Tayvallich. It's a wonderful place for photography, partly because it takes only a few minutes to drive between the southerly and northerly aspects of this narrow peninsula, so you always catch the best light, but mainly because it's simply so beautiful.
We paddled in the deliciously warm waters of sandy Carsaig Bay, looking across to Jura. Shrimps and shoals of tiny fish wove around our ankles. Summer haze limited the photography a little, while the incoming tide slowly crept towards my camera bag. Onwards to Oban.
The journey from the Crinan Canal across the Moine Mhor National Nature Reserve and through Kilmartin Glen provides a striking contrast to the classic Scottish postcard landscape. We once watched ospreys teaching their young to fish in these rich, shallow waters. Its ancient mossy woodlands and raised wetlands are unlike anywhere else in Scotland, yet, like so many fragile ecosystems, they're increasingly threatened by rising sea levels and hotter summers.
The winding drive towards Oban passes secluded bays and ancient settlements. As with all journeys like this, taking the time to stop and explore always pays dividends, although we left things a little late. Besides, I was getting peckish.
Over the bumpy hills, past the stunning shores of Loch Craignish and Ardfern, northwards alongside Loch Melfort (ignore the fish farm pens and it's sublime), through Glen Euchar and past the turning for Easdale. Every bend in the road feels like the start of a photography holiday in its own right.
Messing about on the water
Eventually we rolled into Argyll's capital. After a quick stop for provisions and takeaway fish and chips, we dropped anchor at Ganavan Sands to enjoy our meal in the comfort of the van, the back doors open to the warm sea air. A handful of photographs of the kite surfers dancing across the evening light, then it was time to head home through Taynuilt, Loch Awe and Inveraray.
A less dramatic 150+ mile loop than the multi-glen tour, perhaps, but it feels more like my Scotland.
I may keep going in circles, but I always return home.
