Thursday 11 September 2014

Cnoc nan Gabhar and Carradale Forest


Today we decided on a long drive down to Campbeltown, going via Carradale so Duncan could have a ride whilst I had a run. 

We set off together and headed straight up to the summit of Cnoc nan Gabhar.  Unfortunately, despite being a very warm day again, it was very foggy and so the views were not very far reaching, which is a shame because apparently you can see over to Ben Cruachan (Argyll’s highest point) and the Isle of Arran from there but we didn’t see any of that. 




I had left Duncan on the way up as it’s quite difficult to ride up but he overtook me a couple of miles later on on the forest road and I didn’t see him for a while after that.




I had to stop quite frequently because Ruby was really tired but eventually I found Duncan again, who had been waiting for me further along the trail. 


We then all went off together to head back to the car park.

The rest of the day was spent driving around the Kintyre peninsula, which is very picturesque.  As I said earlier, it was another really hot day for this time off year in Scotland and it was lovely to again be in shorts and t-shirt.  We also saw a fox in a field full of cows and there was a frantic rush to find a camera to get a picture.  Duncan eventually managed a pic of it running off into the distance.




And a piccie of our own little hound...




We drove to a café at the Gigha Ferry point where we had a coffee cake and a caramel cake which were well deserved and to die for!  It was 5pm by now and there were lots of school children at the ferry point who were getting on the ferry to the island of Gigha after their school day on the mainland and I thought how bizarre it must be for your daily trip to school being on a ferry as opposed to a bus, although to these guys it’s just the norm. 

Later on, in the pub a few miles from our cottage in Kilmichael Glen, there were a couple of blokes trying to get a taxi into Lochgilphead as they were up in Kilmichael Glen working and had been there for two weeks and were bored to death of just going to the local pub so wanted to try somewhere else.  We had been in there over half an hour and they had spent all that time ringing various numbers trying to get a taxi to no avail and you could see the anguish on their faces.  Eventually, Duncan offered them a lift, even though it was in the opposite direction to our cottage and we had just come from there on the way back from Kintyre.  They were so grateful and bought me a glass of wine because I would be staying at the pub as there was no room for me in the car due to Duncan’s mountain bike being in it so I just sat in the pub with my wine, Ruby and a Kindle and enjoyed a quiet read.  Bliss!

Positive comments: felt really fresh, would have been a lot faster had Ruby not been with me being a slow coach.

Total Distance – 6.95 miles

No comments:

Post a Comment