Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the 1560s, the castle is a good example of the transition between fully fortified castles
and later mansion houses, and has several original finely carved stone fireplaces and
doorways, as well as numerous gun-loops and shot holes.
Mòine Mhór
To the south of Kilmartin, beyond the linear cemetery, lies the raised peat bog of
Mòine Mhór
(Great Moss), now a nature reserve and home to remarkable plant,
insect and birdlife. To get a close look at the sphagnum moss and wetlands, head
for the Tileworks Walk, just off the A816, which includes a short boardwalk over
the bog.
6
Dunadd
Mòine Mhór is best known as home to the Iron Age fort of
Dunadd
,
one of
Scotland's most important Celtic sites, occupying a distinctive 176ft-high rocky
knoll once surrounded by the sea but currently stranded beside the winding River
Add. It was here that Fergus, the first king of Dalriada - which embraced much of
what is now Argyll - established his royal seat, having arrived from Ireland in
around 500 AD. Its strategic position, the craggy defences and the view from the
top are all impressive, but it's the
stone carvings
(albeit now fibreglass copies)
between the twin summits which make Dunadd so remarkable: several lines of
inscription in Ogham (an ancient alphabet of Irish origin), the faint outline of a
boar, a hollowed-out footprint and a small basin. he boar and the inscriptions are
probably
Pictish
, since the fort was clearly occupied long before Fergus got there,
but the footprint and basin have been interpreted as being part of the royal
coronation rituals of the kings of Dalriada. It is thought that the Stone of Destiny
was used at Dunadd before being moved to Scone Palace (see box, p.324).
Knapdale and around
Forested
Knapdale
-
from the Gaelic
cnap
(hill) and
dall
(field) - forms a buffer zone
between the Kintyre peninsula and the rest of Argyll, bounded to the north by the
Crinan Canal and to the south by West Loch Tarbert, and consisting of three
progressively fatter fingers of land, separated by Loch Sween and Loch Caolisport.
Knapdale is a little-visited area, which is surprising, as the ancient wooded landscape is
among some of the most beautiful, and unique, in the country. Not only that, but
there is some spectacular wildlife to observe here as well, not least thanks to the recent
re-introduction of beavers to the area (see box, opposite).
Crinan Canal and around
he nine-mile-long
Crinan Canal
opened in 1801, linking Loch Fyne, at Ardrishaig
south of Lochgilphead, with the Sound of Jura, thus cutting out the long and
treacherous journey around the Mull of Kintyre. John Rennie's original design,
although an impressive engineering feat, had numerous faults, and by 1816 homas
Telford was called in to take charge of the renovations. he canal runs parallel to the
sea for quite some way before cutting across the bottom of Mòine Mhór and hitting
a flight of locks either side of
CAIRNBAAN
(there are fifteen in total). he walk along
the towpath is utterly delightful (both picturesque and not too strenuous), though
you could, of course, cycle too.
Crinan
he most relaxing place from which to view the canal in action is
CRINAN
, the pretty
little fishing port at the canal's western end. Crinan's tiny harbour is, for the moment at
least, still home to a small fishing fleet; a quick burst up through Crinan Wood to the
hill above the village will give you a bird's-eye view of the sea-lock and its setting.
