Journey to Ardnamurchan

Have you ever heard of Ardnamurchan in Scotland?

This remote peninsula is on the west coast of Scotland and is the most westerly point on mainland Britain.

You will see rugged mountains, moorland, beautiful white sandy beaches with clear turquoise blue seas and an amazing variety of wildlife. On a clear day you’ll see stunning views across to the Isle of Mull, Small Isles and the Isle of Skye.

Have a look at the peninsula on Google maps earth view.  You’ll see the massive volcanic crater that forms the landscape!

When Alan first told me about this place I’d never heard of it at all. He’d visited for many years as a child with his family, caravanning near Ardnarmuchan point lighthouse and this beautiful secluded beach!

We first visited together in October 2006 and met up with Alan’s parents in a wee place called Kilchoan. They’d rented an ‘A’ frame lodge for the week and we stayed for a few nights. We visited again with my children the following year so I’ll be sharing photos from both visits.

The journey

We reckoned it would take around four and a half hours to drive from where we lived, not including stops. It was exciting on the road though, I liked the freedom of stopping when and where we wanted.

Loch lomond

Inveruglas sits on the north west of Loch Lomond and was a lovely wee place to stop for a toilet break and to stretch our legs. There’s a cafe and visitor centre too.

We found a short walk along the loch that was ideal for my children to get some fresh air as my daughter felt sick with the travelling.

We would definitely explore more of Loch Lomond another time. I’d always wanted to try and climb a Munro (a mountain over 3,000 feet) after my Goatfell hike, so Ben Lomond was on my ‘challenge list’. More on Loch Lomond in a future post!

Glencoe

Now these are mountains! They were towering over us like giants. I felt so small and was really overwhelmed looking at this landscape. It is simply breathtaking.

Dark clouds covered the sky so quickly with sunbeams peeking through the gaps. It made the landscape look more dramatic.

We stopped at the Glencoe visitor centre one year. It’s well worth a visit. They have interesting information about the area’s history, dramatic landscapes and wildlife.

There’s also a viewing platform where you can take in the spectacular scenery or if you’d like to get a bit closer to nature you can take a short stroll along some of the Glencoe woodland walks.

Corran ferry

We arrived at the Corran ferry terminal where the ferry sailed across Loch Linnhe to the peninsula. It was the quickest way to get there and only a five minute journey with beautiful views up and down the loch.

We still had a fair drive in front of us though.

MacLean’s nose

We stopped here to admire the view as the sun was beginning to set. It was so beautiful standing there in silence watching the sun slowly sink into the sea.

The promontory to far right is called MacLean’s nose. The MacLain clan lived here for hundreds of years so there’s obviously a nose connection there somewhere!

You can walk right along the coast to MacLean’s nose, one for another day. Let’s hope he doesn’t sneeze!

When we visited with my children we stopped here again to show them the mountains and beach. It had already been a long journey for them, but we were almost there.

Kilchoan

The closer we got to Kilchoan the more the road became narrower and twistier. Eventually we came to a single track road with passing places.

Oh, and watch out for the occasional pheasant, deer or sheep on the road too!

When Alan and I first arrived at Kilchoan I loved the peacefulness of the place.

The lodge was really cosy. At night time when you put the light out it was so dark! We couldn’t even see an outline of each other. It was funny.

On a cold, crisp clear night the dark sky was spectacular. I saw the Milky Way (no chocolate included) for the first time in my life. I couldn’t believe the vast amount of stars I could see with my own eyes. The sky looked like twinkling Christmas lights.

Again, like Glencoe, I felt so small, a tiny dot in the universe.

Sanna bay

This was the most beautiful beach I’d ever seen. It was so clean, white sand and hardly anyone there. A giant playground almost to ourselves. It is a Scottish paradise.

My children loved the beach too when they visited, especially the sand dunes and rocks. Unfortunately we didn’t get great weather that year, but it was October.

We brought our camping stove with us and made some toast. Warm toast on the beach, it was brilliant!

Ardnamurchan point

It was cloudy and windy at Ardnamurchan lighthouse. We explored inside and climbed to the top of the lighthouse but didn’t see the views across to the other islands.

There was a viewing platform underneath the foghorn where you could whale or dolphin watch. I felt uneasy though, spooky lighthouse stories came into my mind and I was thinking it could be haunted!

Alan felt quite sad at the lighthouse. He remembered the days when the lighthouse keepers maintained the light for sailors and the foghorn woke him up on many a morning when he caravanned there. The lighthouse was now automated and the haunting foghorn sound was silent forever.

If you really wanted to soak up the atmosphere you can rent out the keeper’s cottage at the lighthouse as a self-catering holiday home! I’d love to stay there for a few days.

Tobermory

A trip to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull was a must so we jumped onto the ferry at Kilchoan. We sailed through some brilliant scenery along the way.

Can you see all the different coloured houses sitting by the sea?

Tobermory is the main town on the Isle of Mull. It’s famous for many things including the BBC’s children’s television programme Balamory. We walked through the town and I enjoyed looking in the local shops. You always find something different and unusual to take home.

The Isle of Mull has so much to give including castles, beautiful beaches and mountains to climb if you’re more energetic. If you travel to the far south of the island you can visit the scared Isle of Iona and also Fingal’s Cave on the uninhabited Isle of Staffa.

One day we’ll go back and explore more.

I hope you enjoyed my post and photos.

Thanks for reading.

Love, Dawn-Marie x