Well after a few days back in Fife we hit the road and travelled to one of the areas we had previously visited Kilmartin Glen which is an area in Argyll not far from Kintyre. This area was once part of the Dalriada Kingdom and home to the Dunadd Fort where kings were annointed Kilmartin Glen is known for its linear cemetery of five prehistoric burial cairns. They form a 2km-long line across the valley floor which is very impressive to see. The area is jammed full of Castles, Cairns, Standing Stones, Rock art and that hardly touches the near 800 sites in this area alone. Here are just a few of the places we visited on this trip. Dunchraigaig CairnThe first site we visited was Dunchraigaig Cairn, This site is maintained by Historic Scotland, there is a small car park opposite the site. The site is fully accessible at any time and is free to wander around. We had a walk around the Cairn before following the signed pathway to the ajoining field where you will find some impressive Standing Stones, The Standing stones are fascinating and the sheer size of the stones leave visitors with many questions about the stones. The site is well worth a couple of visits at different times of the day to see how the light changes the shadows from these massive stones. If you have an interest in Cairns and Standing stones then this site is not to be missed. Carnasserie CastleKilmartin Glen MuseumWe headed to see the museum in Kilmartin, the shop and cafe are busy and popular, it was a hive of activity. We enjoyed the interactive museum which is full of interetsing information (please note that the museum is due for closure in 2019 for upgrading) Opening Times 10:00 to 17:30 from 1st March until 31st October 11:00 to 16:00 from 1st November until 23rd December Closed from Christmas until the end of February Day Tickets Adult £ 7.00 Child (Under 16) £ 2.50 Child (Under 3) Free Family Pass £14.50 (2 adults + 1-4 Children) valid for 1 year Family £14.50 (2 adults + 1-4 Children) Family £ 9.75 (1 adult + 1-4 Children) Concessions £ 6.00 Senior Citizens Students Unwaged Friends of Historic Environment Scotland Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Natural History and Antiquarian Society of Mid Argyll The area surrounding the museum was full of bloom and I took a few photos of the flowers in bloom around the museum. The staff are all very friendly and welcoming to the site. Nether Largie standing stones and cairnsIt is not very far down the road from Dunchraigaig Cairn you will come to a car park where you can walk to Nether Largie Standing Stones, the South, Mid and North Largie Cairns, Temple Wood Stone Circle all within easy walking distance of each other. The sun was beating down through the valley and seeing how all these Cairns line up and having so many different sites to see so close together. We explorded the Cairns and there is access to go inside one of the Cairn which is highly recommended, these structures are not only impressive but have character about them. Inside the Cairn we found these very cute spiders who had made webs which shone like mini lanterns from the lightsource inside the cairn tarbert castleWe left Kilmartin Glen with plans to return the next day and climb up Dunnard Fort and headed to Tarbert, This beautiful town with it's many boats and spectacular views overlooking the pier from the castle is highly attractive tourist spot. Tarbert Castle is little more than a ruin and very little remains of this once spectacular building and conservation work has been carried out using modern brickwork which ditracts from the building but can understand why it has been done. While we were visiting this free open all year site there was a herd of sheep grazing in the vast green hills that surround the castle. Take some time to walk up to the Castle and enjoy the beautiful scenic viewpoint. SKipness CastleThe drive from Tarbert to Skipness is spectacular and the views are stunning, the roads are fun and keep you focused but when you arrive at Skipness Castle it is just a short walk from the car park to this beautiful castle. The castle does open but you are free to wander around the outside at any time, from the Castle the views are breathtaking and across a small field you can see Skipness Chaple, there are livestock in the field so caution is advised as you walk to the Chaple. There is a smoke house next to the castle and this is such a pretty location to take some time out to explore. If you have time to drive to Campletown on the same route, the drive is absolutely stunning and again the roads will not dissapoint, Passing her test in Sept 16 Ffyona really enjoyed the narrow, winding, hilly roads that you drive to Campletown. The journey homeThe weather was not in our favour on the Sunday and plans to explore Dunadd Fort again were put on hold until our next trip, we decided to travel back via Oban and took the scenic route taking in the Isle of Seils, In the little town of Ellenabeich we stopped to have a look around the little town museum which is full of local history from island life to the slate mining from the area. We then headed for a roll and cuppa in the quaintest little pub/restaurant called The Oyster Bar which became extremely busy as coaches arrived in town. The short bridge that crosses to the Island is beautiful and covered in fairy foxglove and you can almost forgive yourself for feeling like you are on a rollercoaster as you lose sight of the road as you reach the peak of the bridge and the fear that you will be met with another car is very real. We drove until we reached Kilchurn Castle on the edge of Loch Awe, This is another site cared for by Historic Scotland and seems to be open all year round. There was many tourists visiting the site and seems to be a popular location to visit, The Castle is definately a special site to see. Thank you for reading this mammoth post, Kilmartin Glen and the surrouding areas have so much to offer and so much history in such a tight area it is difficult to not be excited about these sites. I hope that you enjoyed this post and we will see you again soon with another adventure
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Alistair and Ffyona's TravelsOur adventure blog, little bit of history, our recommendations and a few photos... Archives
January 2019
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