Kintyre, Gigha & Isle of Arran	A two-base walking holiday starting on the Kintyre peninsula and finishing on the Isle of Arran with walks on the Isle of Gigha and Holy Island.

Introduction to your hiking vacation to Kintyre and the isles of Gigha and Arran, Scotland

Above Tarbert, Loch Fyne

Kintyre
Kintyre - from the Gaelic 'ceann tire, 'land's end' - is steeped in ancient history as it is a fertile land, much fought over throughout the ages. There are plenty of abbeys, castles, standing stones, cave paintings and all manor of wildlife, sealife and plants to keep you amazed and amused.
The Kintyre Peninsula is often referred to as 'Scotland's only mainland island'. In the 11th century, when the Scottish king, Malcolm Canmore, allowed Magnus Barefoot, King of Norway, to lay claim on any island he could circumnavigate by boat, Magnus succeeded in dragging his longship across the Tarbert isthmus and added the peninsula to his Hebridean Kingdom until the ancient Celtic warleader Somerled sent the Vikings packing around 1156.
The west coast of the Kintyre peninsula ranks among the most exposed stretches of coastline and has a mixture of rocky shoreline and deserted sandy beaches pounded by Atlantic breakers.
Knapdale Forest is the location of the Scottish Beaver Trial and we will explore it on the first day.

Isle of Jura from the Isle of Gigha

Isle of Gigha
Gigha - Norse: gja-ey 'cleft island' or 'God's island' or `good island' - is the most southerly of the Hebridean Islands. Seven miles long by a mile and a half wide, Gigha is situated three miles west of the Kintyre peninsula. The island is fertile, although the west coast is rough and rocky. Gigha has beautiful bays, lochs and gently sloping hillsides as well as a variety of wild and birdlife. The highest hill, Creag Bhan, rises to 330 feet, and there are splendid views to Kintyre, Islay, Jura, and even Ireland on a clear day.
On Gigha you will find many prehistoric sites, including cairns, standing stones, forts and duns. A Viking grave was found in 1849 at East Tarbert Bay. There are fine carved grave slabs in the old burial ground at Kilchattan, including an ogham stone, which dates from as early as the 7th century. The Norse king Hakon held court on the island in 1263 before going on to defeat at the battle of Largs. The island is community-owned since 2002.

Spotted orchid

Isle of Arran
Arran is often described as "Scotland in miniature" because it has mountains, beaches, cliffs, farmlands and thousands of acres of untamed forests, hills and waterfalls, all packaged together in an area approximately 20 miles long by 10 miles wide.
Arran lies on the Highland Boundary Fault what makes it geologically very interesting with both Highland and Lowland landscapes. The northern part of the island is very much mini-Highlands with spectacular granite peaks, corries and wooded glens. In contrast the south of the island has sweeping moorlands and wide sandy beaches. We will explore both during our hikes.
There are traces of settlements on Arran as far back as 4,000 BC although it is thought there might have been inhabitants going back as far as 7,000 BC. It is protected on it's western coast by the Kilbrannan Sound and the Mull of Kintyre while the Firth of Clyde and the Ayrshire coast stretches south by it's eastern shores so it's fairly well protected all round. The Gulf Stream keeps the waters of Arran warmer than the norm and this is why there are many palm trees and other exotic plants dotted all round the island.

Day-by-day Programme

The programme will be subject to variables such as weather and the abilities of the group and changes may also be made to take account of lambing, deer stalking, etc. Any such alterations will always take into account the need to maintain the overall character of the holiday.

1. Sunday: Knapdale
2. Monday: Isle of Gigha
3. Tuesday: Journey to Arran, King's Cave and Machrie Moor
4. Wednesday: Holy Island, Glenashdale Falls and Giants' Graves
5. Thursday: Cock of Arran
6. Friday: Arran's Western Hills

Beaver dam, Knapdale

Monday: Isle of Gigha
We drive to Tayinloan for the ferry to Gigha for a walk on the island. Gigha has been community-owned since 2002. Our walk takes us to the south coast of the island with beautiful bays and rocky shores. It is very likely that we will see common and grey seals. We will return through Achamore Gardens and along the east coast back to the ferry.
7 miles/10km and little ascent

Isle of Arran: Machrie Moor

Tuesday: Journey to Arran, King's Cave and Machrie Moor
In the morning we will visit Skipness Castle, which stands on the east side of the Kintyre peninsula with wonderful views over to the Isle of Arran. First construction was in the early 1200s, with many later additions and fortifications in the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries, before being abandoned in the 17th century. In the late 1200s or early 1300s Kilbrannan Chapel (St Brendan's Chapel) was constructed on the nearby shoreline. There are a number of ancient burial slabs in the surrounding graveyard.
Next we will take the ferry from Claonaig across the Kilbrannan Sound to the north end of Arran. After arriving on Arran, we again take a journey back in time. We'll walk to the Doon Fort near Drumadoon Point and back along the shore to King's Cave where King Robert the Bruce is reputed to have hidden after a defeat in 1306. We continue to the Neolithic monuments at Machrie Moor, where moorland is littered with the remains of early man, from hut circles to chambered cairns and solitary standing stones, which makes it one of the most interesting and remarkable archaeological sites in Scotland.
6 miles/11km and little ascent

Holy Island from the Giants' Graves

Wednesday: Holy Island, Glenashdale Falls and Giants' Graves
We take the boat to Holy Island, a mile off the east coast of Arran. It rises to a thousand feet above the sea and was the site of an early Christian monastery. Today it is the home of a Buddhist retreat. We will walk round the island along the coast and to the top of Mullach Mor.
4 miles/7km and 1100ft/340m of ascent

After returning to Arran, we will walk to the Glenashdale Falls. A short and a long fall plunge gracefully into a deep, wooded gorge. From the falls we will continue uphill and visit the Giants' Graves, the remains of two large cairns. They are believed to have been used for burial of people of close kinship in Neolithic times. There are good views towards Holy Island from the graves.
4 miles/7km and 755ft/230m of ascent

Thursday: Cock of Arran
We will walk around the Cock of Arran. The initial part of the walk is a steady climb to a col. From the top, we will have superb views across the sea, and also inland to Goat Fell. We continue along the path descending to the sea at Laggan close to an abandoned mining village. We will follow the coastal path to the north, beneath cliffs with caves and beautifully sculptured sandstone. The path climbs again to join a track, and there are excellent views across to the Kintyre peninsula from this last section.
8 miles/12km and 900ft/270m of ascent

Western Hills, Isle of Arran

Friday: Arran's Western Hills
A hill-day in the northwest of Arran. We avoid the crowds that walk up Goatfell, instead travelling to the northwest to seek the solitude of the western hills. We walk up to Coire Fhionn Lochan and depending on our inclination climb one or more hills surrounding the lochan.
Up to 6 miles/9.5km and up to 2000ft/600m of ascent

Saturday: Isle of Arran - Glasgow
We take the ferry from Bodick to Ardrossen. We will be back in Glasgow in the early afternoon.

Kintyre, Gigha & Arran walking holiday photos

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Am I fit enough?

This walking holiday is designed for people who are fit and used to walking all day. We will walk up to 11 miles (17 km) per day with an average 1000ft/300m of ascent. On one day it might be as much as 3000ft/900m but there are also easier days. Our routes sometimes traverse pathless glens, climb mountains or thread remote passes and there may be some scrambling. On most days as much of our time is spent off path as on it. Scotland can be very wild and tough going: 10 miles here is often much harder than 10 miles elsewhere. All that said, we don’t want to break any speed records, especially not when going uphill and you’ll have all the rewards of walking in one of the most beautiful and fascinating parts of the Highlands and Islands.

We partnered with Fit for Trips to make sure that you will fully enjoy your hiking trip to Scotland and reduce the risk of injuries. They have developed fitness programmes specific to our walking tours and hiking holidays to help you to get in shape. Customers of About Argyll Walking Holidays will get 20% discount. Click here for details.

If you're still not sure whether or not you can cope after you've read this and the details of the week's programme, please get in touch to discuss it further.

Accommodation

This is either in carefully selected Bed & Breakfast accommodation or Guest Houses. You can rely on the quality of the accommodation that we find for you - its comfort, its food and the professionalism and welcoming nature of those who run it. The B&Bs and guest houses we use are more personal and the quality of the accommodation is as good or even better than of hotels in the same category. Double and twin rooms will have an en suite or private bathroom.
If you have particular requirements or prefer to stay in a hotel, please let us know so that we can do our best to meet them.
Details of where you will be staying will be sent to you well in advance of your holiday.

Clothing and Equipment

You will need to bring boots with a good tread that provide adequate ankle support, warm clothing, waterproofs (top and over-trousers) and a rucksack big enough for your spare clothes, a packed lunch and whatever else you normally like to have with you (binoculars, a camera, etc.).
Boots are especially important. They don't have to be particularly heavy, but wearing ultra lightweight ones may mean your feet get wet and trainers definitely aren't adequate nor, on some of the rougher and steeper going, however short it may be, are they safe. Trekking poles can be very useful, especially for anyone with knee problems.

Dates and Prices for 2012

The price includes:

• The services of our well-qualified, well-informed and welcoming guide.
• Small group - usually between 4 and 8.
• An attractive, well-thought-out walking programme (6 walking days).
• Carefully-selected accommodation (sharing a double/twin room), breakfast and picnic lunches on walking days.
• Transport by minibus, ferries and boats, as needed, throughout your holiday and from / to Glasgow / Glasgow airport, at its beginning and end.
• Entrance fee to museums, if visited.
• Short evening get-togethers to set the scene for the next day's walking.
• 20% discount on Fit for Trips customised fitness programmes.

and most especially

• Personal care and attention in all that we do for you.

For general information and booking, please click here.