Cowal Way Day
The celebration of the Cowal Way took place in the Clachan of Glendaruel on Saturday 5th May. This vibrant and popular community-led event now in its fourth year draws visitors and locals alike to the Glen and each year succeeds in raising the awareness of this remarkable, remote and truly breath-taking walk. Running the length of the Peninsula, the walk covers 47 miles and climbs 5050 ft (1540 m) along the way, drawing together some of Cowal’s most beautiful and remote landscapes.
Starting in the South West at Portavadie beside Loch Fyne and ending in the North East at Ardgartan by Loch Long, the ’spine’ of the Cowal Way is separated into six sections of varying length and difficulty with an additional seven circular walks, each linked to the main route. Wildlife, spectacular scenery, forest plantations, moorland, prehistoric and heritage sites are but a few of the focal points on a route which is detailed in full in the Cowal Way Guide Book.
This year saw the launch of a new walk, which although very accessible without a guide, was led on the day by Michael Kaufmann. Starting from Achenelid Point on the West road, the walk strikes up the hill above the old farm, which takes its name from an iron age fort, the ramparts of which are still visible. Walkers then head due North along the side of the hill and approximately half a mile later a megalithic cup stone is to be found, being clearly marked on the ordinance survey map. Just beyond this stone are sited the remains of eight crofters’ cottages straddling the burn. These dwellings represent the remains of Eslaclachan, an ancient village of the Glen, inhabited until the 1790s when the people were cleared to free up the land. The population at this time was recorded as 25 and most of these villagers were shipped to Canada. These facts were confirmed by a Canadian walker who had come to be part of the day and was delighted to be the first of his family back in the Glen for over two hundred years.
Three walks on the day were funded by the Cruach Mhor Windfarm Trust and included The White Rabbit’s Treasure Hunt – a guided children’s walk around the Clachan taking in the Manse garden and Kilmodan’s historical churchyard. The rabbit, from The Walking Theatre Company, drew all the children from around the clachan Pied Piper-like into a merry and jolly romp which ended in a re-enactment of ‘the Battle of Waulkmill’. This apocryphal local skirmish was cunningly remounted as a tug of war undertaken by the youthful audience and directed by the Red Queen. The winners were the Campbells while the losers were the Campbells too.
At teatime Arthur French led delighted walkers on a baby owl walk to see two nesting boxes sited ‘in secret’ at Dunans around the heritage walk. Not one but two sets of baby tawny owls were visible – a rare treat for all. Earlier in the day the children of Kilmodan School proudly walked the West Glen road to raise support funding for the ‘Peoples’ Millions’ playpark, which will open this year and the Marie Currie Charity brought new people to the Glen to take part in their own organised walks.
During the afternoon the ColGlen Shinty club pitched Age against Beauty in a hard-fought but amicable draw, while the Gun Club held a well-attended shoot nearby. Further up the Glen at the Caravan Park, The Loch Eck Orienteers club, enabled and encouraged young walkers to develop their navigational skills and provided the invaluable tools to arm a new generation of walkers to set out upon the Cowal Way.
The day concluded on a real high with an excellent ceilidh in Glendaruel Village Hall where buses were thoughtfully provided to take weary but very jolly walkers home. This year there really was something for everyone.
