413. The Isle of Luing

Could 2022

Persevering with my theme about being inconsistent over whether or not I’m going to stroll round islands or not I made a decision after my final stroll I wished to go to the Isle of Luing because it seemed sufficiently small to stroll round in a single day, which is what I supposed to do at this time.

I drove from Oban the place I used to be staying and parked up at Cuan. There isn’t any automotive park marked on the map right here however having walked right here yesterday I had discovered there’s a small quantity of parking simply earlier than the ferry and I used to be happy to seek out there was house as in any other case I may need needed to take the automotive over on the ferry regardless of not needing it as soon as I reached the island.

I didn’t have lengthy to attend for the ferry because it runs each half an hour and it’s very low cost too (it solely prices £2.50 return). The ferry takes vehicles and foot passengers although there are solely a few vehicles on the crossing I’m on and it solely takes a couple of minutes to cross because it’s solely about 200 metres. It’s a small boat, I feel it solely takes round 6 vehicles most.

The ferry drops me on the north east nook of the island at a spot referred to as Cnoc na h-Earde. I’m not going to attempt to say it. The amenities are pretty minimal. A purple phone field and a shelter which is principally a backyard shed with a few seats in and a few maps and details about the island.

The map confirms, as I think there isn’t a correct path all the way in which across the island however I’m hoping that with a mixture of the roads, paths and a bit of creating use of the suitable to roam I could make it round a lot of the coast of the island.

I begin by following the street south. Initially the street goes near the jap coast of the island and with the land sloping pretty gently away it provides effective views to the coast an one other island, Torsa, simply past.

In actual fact the island of Torsa is so near Luing that it’s lower than 50 metres on the narrowest level and I think it will be attainable to wade over at low tide though I don’t attempt it. The island itself isn’t open to guests (although I suppose with the suitable to roam there may be nothing to cease you), however it is possible to stay on the island however sadly just for per week at a time (I would like a day journey to stroll round it!).

The street climbs and shortly follows broadly down the center of the island providing pretty views over the coast, albeit it’s one other gray and overcast day.

To my left is the the water that separates Luing and Torsa although there are additionally a few smaller islands or islets.

The street quickly rounds a hill, Achadh da Chaluim, which has traces round it, maybe the stays of strip lynchets? (See close to the underside left on the picture beneath).

The street quickly descends, passing a small fireplace station to achieve the Piccadilly Circus of Luing, a 4-way junction the place there are roads to each the west and east in addition to persevering with to the south of the island. I’m broadly beginning with the east coast of the island, so I observe the street to the left. It runs for under about half a mile all the way down to Ardinamir Bay.

It’s a fairly spot though the seaside is generally pebble and dust with effective views of Torsa and Torsa Beag. The previous has fairly excessive hills within the centre of the islands. There are the stays of some previous picket constructions on the rocks forward, maybe the stays of an previous jetty. I may make out the roof of the one buildings on Torsa.

I head a brief distance again up this street however as an alternative of returning to the street junction I can flip proper after about 200 metres onto a monitor that runs nearer to the coast to the street close to to Toberonochy.

The monitor quickly climbs up fairly steeply however this offers effective views over the east of the island and again to Ardinamir Bay.

As soon as up, the monitor undulates over the fields, some grazed with cattle, and the stays of some buildings to achieve the small reservoir, Lochan Lliter.

A dam is marked on the finish of the reservoir but it surely’s extra a easy earth financial institution than a big concrete affair and the land across the reservoir can be very boggy, so I think it’s a pure lochan that has merely been enlarged somewhat and presumably offers the consuming water for the island.

The climate is considerably blended at this time. While the sky appears to be clearing a bit, with patches of blue sky showing, it additionally appears to be getting extra misty, with components of Torsa now disappearing into the mist.

Trying south is an space of water referred to as Shuna Sound and the Isle of Shuna past it. That is one other island that’s not simple to go to (there isn’t a ferry) and is privately owned. While there are a few buildings, which look to be maintained, on the island the final census data the inhabitants as zero so I presume these are both vacation lets or solely lived in for a few of the yr.

Within the Shuna Sound is a fish farm, a typical web site on the west coast of Scotland (you possibly can simply see it above, in entrance of the island).

There’s a good view with Shuna, a number of different islands and the mainland past the place I will probably be strolling tomorrow, I hope, although it’s a little spoiled by the mist, which I’m hoping isn’t going to blow over to Luing.

Past the reservoir and all the way down to my left are some massive stone partitions. I’m unsure if that is the stays of an older construction or just sheep pens (I think the latter).

I cross some extra water and shortly have the small settlement of Toberonochy seen forward.

The monitor I’m following quickly rejoins the street and turning left I come to the ruins of an previous church. The constructing not has a roof and indicators warn it’s harmful and to maintain out, so this solely encourages me to look inside.

It fell into disrepair within the seventeenth Century and was later changed with one other church although I’m not clear why it fell into disrepair, maybe as a result of it was not in any of the settlements on the island.

Forward I come to a different street junction and switch left to observe the dead-end street all the way down to Toberonochy, quickly reaching the small village. It’s a fairly place of largely white-painted terraced bungalows, a lot of them round a inexperienced.

Luing like the opposite islands close by was used for slate mining and I consider many of the homes served as homes for these working the quarry, now disused and a man-made lake simply behind the village.

On the inexperienced by the shore are some data panels in regards to the slate mining, with the slate transported out by sea and an previous railway wagon and quick stretch of monitor.

At it’s peak the quarry produced 50,000 slates per week. The quarry closed on the out break of World Battle I in 1914 and by no means re-opened. Now it’s a fairly and peaceable place situated round a small harbour.

That is the tip of the street so after exploring the village I head again up the street to a spot referred to as Kilchatton with a big farm. The street doesn’t go any additional south on the island than right here however a farm monitor does, so I observe that beside the massive barn and out into extra open nation, although there are a few wind generators which presumably assist with supplying electrical energy to the island (however massive pylons additionally carry wires from the mainland).

The monitor is straight and winds it’s means invitingly over the hills forward.

After passing the wind generators the monitor climbs once more with views all the way down to the mud and sand bay on my left (which is un-named on the OS map) and past it’s the Isle of Shuna the place I can see an remoted white colored cottage.

The monitor quickly narrows to a path after which ends simply earlier than the southern tip of the island. I initially begin re-tracing my steps meaning to observe the monitor however determine to divert off to my left over the typically boggy land to stroll nearer to the shore.

Nearer the shore it’s flatter however sometimes boggy, however there are some sheep paths in locations that makes issues a bit simpler, however it’s actually extra fascinating than returning alongside the farm monitor.

I’m quickly nearing a small shingle seaside at Camas nan Gall the place a stone cairn has been constructed on the grass simply south of the bay for some cause.

That is my (late) lunch cease although I see some kayaks on the seaside and shortly spot the house owners of them sitting on the rocks above the seaside. I sit at one finish and them the opposite, however they offer me a cheery wave. Given there isn’t a street or monitor to the seaside I used to be not anticipating there to be anybody else right here anyway.

It’s only round half a mile additional alongside the shore to the following settlement, Black Mill Bay and I can already see the homes within the distance and a woodland plantation somewhat inland of it that’s marked on the map.

The climate now could be choosing up with some blue sky and the mist that threatened to shut in earlier is now lifting. It’s a pretty day and progress is pretty simple alongside the shore regardless of the shortage of path.

Over to my left are a number of extra islands – Scarba to the south west, Lunga to the west and Rubha Foila to the north west. There are such a lot of islands on this a part of Scotland!

There are a number of small shingle and dust seashores on the way in which and the grass behind these seashores is brief owing to the variety of sheep grazing, a lot of whom appear to not discover me strategy till I’m a number of metres away after which run off.

Quickly I attain the primary homes of Black Mill bay and observe the monitor to the street. Black Mill bay was as soon as the hub of the island. It was a busy port with freight, together with slate in fact transported from right here by boat from the pier. Passenger ferries additionally ran to many locations because it was a port of name for the steamers that ran from Glasgow and past.

Presumably there was additionally as soon as a mill right here however I don’t see any constructing that appears like a mill now. It’s all fairly now because the city declined and is not the capital of the island and little stays of the pier.

The identify doesn’t make it sound very fairly, but it surely’s really a really fairly spot.

From Black Mill Bay I head up the street which is able to be part of up with the “major” street to the north however earlier than I attain the junction I’m planning to show left up a monitor which turns again in the direction of the coast after which runs parallel, about 2-300 metres from the coast to the street to Cullipool (the capital of the island) so that’s the place I’m heading.

I’m a bit postpone by a lot of cows grazing on the monitor however as I strategy they transfer, considerably reluctantly, onto the hill behind watching my each transfer.

The map doesn’t present steep gradients however the monitor is steeper than I anticipated, climbing and climbing to the western level of the island however I get fantastic views from up right here.

Off the coast of Luing are a lot of small islands, I feel many additionally “slate islands” that have been extensively quarried. I’m shocked to see a big lighthouse on considered one of these islands. That is the island of Fladda and the lighthouse occupies nearly all the tiny island! I presume it was thought of a hazard to transport, therefore the lighthouse.

Behind it I can see the island of Belnahua which was one other busy quarry however I feel is now deserted and many of the island has been quarried out leaving a big lake within the center, the island is form of like a rocky doughnut now!

The monitor now begins to descend with many islands and islets over to my left, a sophisticated coast and a troublesome one to navigate by boat I might think about however in fact when the mining was at it’s busiest it will have been very busy.

I can now see the islands “capital” forward, Cullipool. The street runs alongside the shore to the village the place it ends and the village runs alongside the street for nearly half a mile.

The monitor descends all the way down to the street and I flip left alongside it passing the village (and I feel island) store and submit workplace. It appears to be like like an prolonged seaside hut with the white and blue stripes. I can see from the street that it’s closed nevertheless, I assume it doesn’t open day by day.

The street is flat and straightforward to observe across the shore to the slipway and small harbour.

Cullipool is one other very fairly place. Like all of the settlements on the island it appears it’s largely white painted bungalows that each one look very nicely stored. Past is a really fairly seaside with the flat stones typical of the native rock.

The map within the shed on the ferry “terminal” didn’t present a path north of right here however a monitor continues alongside the shore, passing one other previous quarry (and the lake shaped by it), confirming that Cullipool was one other slate mining village.

I ponder what the islanders do now that quarrying has stopped? Some would work in agriculture and offering the amenities of the island however I think about there may be much less employment on the island now and lots of are vacation houses.

The monitor follows the beautiful bay north from the village however then involves an abrupt finish.

The apparent factor to do could be to return however I determine to go down onto the seaside to see if I can get round as an alternative, reluctant to waste time heading again.

There may be one other a part of the quarry not far away and the monitor briefly resumes.

I’m quickly in a position to make could well past the realm with larger cliffs and attain the flatter northern a part of the island, the place a grassy path that appears nicely walked continues alongside the shore and the realm is grazed by sheep once more.

I can observe the shore simply sufficient to achieve one other massive quarry at a spot referred to as Port Mary. It’s all deserted now however I think about it was one other as soon as busy port.

Past this a monitor resumes across the coast to Cuan Level and I can see throughout to the Isle of Seil just some hundred metres away.

The monitor once more ends however I can observe the shore round on a tough path and grass the few hundred metres again to the small settlement constructed across the ferry slipway to finish my (roughly) circumnavigation of Luing and take the ferry again.

What a beautiful day it had been, the island had turned out to be a captivating place. The map instructed it was fairly flat so I wasn’t certain how scenic it will be, but it surely turned out to be lovely and really diverse. I couldn’t fairly consider what number of different islands it’s surrounded by, both. It was clear the island had had a really industrial previous however now it’s a quiet and peaceable place and I used to be very glad I had made the trouble to return and discover it.

Listed below are particulars of the general public transport wanted for this stroll. As this can be a round stroll there isn’t a want for transport on the island:-

The Isle of Luing ferry runs usually each half-hour through the day 7 days per week, however with some breaks and fewer incessantly within the night and no service through the night on Sunday. The timetable can be found here. The ferry departs from Cuan on the Isle of Seil.

Cuan may be reached utilizing the next bus service from Oban.

West Coast Motors route 418 : Oban –Kilmore – Barran – Clachan Sail – Balvicar – North Cuan – Ellenabeich. 5 buses per day Monday – Saturday.

Listed below are the entire set of images for this stroll : Main Link.

Here’s a map of the stroll:-