Skip to main content

Cowal

I broke the collapsable bowl that we use for everything, by pressing my finger into the soft bit, as I lifted it when it was full. I can see how hard life must have been before bowls were invented, as many chores were needed before we bought a replacement fixed type. I’m expecting better with this one made by Addis as it has a ten year guarantee. I’m confident about it’s construction but not in my ability to find the receipt if needed.

The drive to the Cowal peninsula and the village of Tighnabruaich passes an amazing lookout. From here the view is south over the Isle of Bute, with the two Kyles on either side. 

There were one or two vehicles in the pull-in, with a local fuel tanker and driver who was eating his lunch. I assumed that he is there frequently and it’s all a little normal. After he’d finished his sandwich however, he climbed down from the cab, crossed the road and then took a selfie! He said that sadly he doesn’t get to drive this route much.


We drove down and went to the Five West cafĆ©, named after the closest line of longitude that must be here somewhere. It is a lovely place and was doing a good trade inside, with contact tracing recording and the proprietors wearing visors. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was on the side, along with plenty of other stuff for kids. The Five West cafĆ©

Then we looked at Millhouse which has, in bygone times, been a gunpowder factory. There are a few small separate buildings as you would expect for safety reasons but it was still a dangerous industry. A plaque shows that the 1860s were particularly eventful.



There had been several deaths in 1863, 1866 and 1870 but also a ship was lost in 1864. A dangerous business certainly.

At the southern tip of this peninsula is a beautiful beach which requires a fifteen minute walk through very marshy ground. The view of Arran is fabulous. Goat Fell dominates.


Looking north towards Carry Farm, our overnight spot, the mountains indicate what lies beyond.




The wind dropped to nothing and we had a bbq of venison burgers, chicken, small courgettes and peppers. This then became a camp fire and we sang songs to keep up our spirits. šŸ¤£


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Potes and environs

Potes is a bustling town that’s clearly ‘in the mountains’ but isn’t quite a mountain town. Well that was what we thought until we went for a walk. More on that later. First we got to know the site ( Camping La Viorna ) and the neighbours. After the squeeze of the first night near the pool, we were upgraded to a pitch at the end of the lowest terrace which had a superb view of the eastern massive of the Picos. So although this was still a squeeze pitch, somehow we felt good about it. The ‘squeeze’ happened later in the day. ☺️ Happily our immediate neighbours were quiet Dutchland people who like to eat their tea early and retire in good time. They always enjoy taking to us Brits, rather than those Germans and soon I was engaged because I was asked a question. “Why do you have a UK flag on your number plate, rather than a Welsh Scottish or English flag?”. Tricky! I explained that England isn’t a country like Wales or Scotland. They have their own  parliaments and make rules for them...
5 comments
Read more

First views of the Picos

 Santillana del Mar comes as a surprise to those of us that haven’t done the prep and read about this place. Fancy having planning controls going back to the 16C. when you have such amazing stone buildings. This town is a tourist town certainly but it’s thoroughly deserved. Beautiful sturdy Cotswold stone coloured buildings are everywhere. The stone quoins, lintols and supports are impressive but there’s plenty of substantial hefty cross sections of wood too. We wander the streets, looking at the wares aimed at us tourists but encounter cascades of water from the roof tiles. It’s raining and there are no gutters! The bar is welcoming and we cleverly order dos caƱas de cerveza  having learnt this glass size from a bartender in Tenerife. We are rewarded with a plate of crisps too and settle on the bar stools, wondering whether to eat here. Unfortunately we discuss this for too long and the tables fill and we are left on the bar stools until we decide to wander again. Inside...
6 comments
Read more

Lago del Valle

Continuing the walking theme, the next day we drove up another of the five valleys that connect with Pola de Somiedo, to get to a suitable start point. This was just below the last hamlet, Outeiro which is at the end of the tarmac. The intention was to walk from there, up to the corrie / cwm of Lago del Valle. The snag of the day was that as we set off to drive the narrow steep road up the gorge from the campsite, we immediately caught up with a full size concrete lorry, This was making its way to that last village and el driver was  not in a mood to pull over. So we had time to look at the gorge-that-becomes-a-high-valley. It’s hard to describe these landscapes. They are severe, incredibly scenic, remote and completely unspoilt. They are also so near the ferry ports of the coast that only £800 separates them from more campervan travellers from Great Britain (& Northern Island). We started the walk and soon saw the concrete which had already been dropped for the pad of a build...
5 comments
Read more