Achnabreck Rock Art

The rock carvings at Achnabreck, are among the most complex found in Scotland. Some of the carvings overlap each other and there are different styles of design, indicating that the carvings may have been worked over a long period of time - they are quite spectacular! Click here for more information.

The walk begins through lichen-laden conifers....

This picture gives a more accurate representation of the forest....

Suddenly you come to an opening in the woodland and the rock exposure. 

Large circular carvings....

These are all at the bottom of the outcrop by the path...

It is well worth climbing the stile and going higher up the rock...

More and more markings...

Then wow!

So many carvings ....more photos in the next blog (I took too many!) 

Kilmartin Grave Slabs

Within the church grounds at Kilmartin, there are many medieval and early modern carved grave slabs. More information can be found here . It's well worth a stop off.

The Burial Isle.

The latest slabs timewise.

The Lion and Unicorn - indicating royalty.

The Poltalloch enclosure.

A Tale of Two Eagles

After some torrential downpours, we got a break in the weather - a good job as Craignish Point is fairly exposed...

Views along the coast. 

Looking back towards the carpark - the path skirts the coast and then goes inland a little to the ridge that leads to the point.

Dramatic light - towards Crinan.

And then a flypast by an immature White-tailed Eagle.

Then it headed off - you can spot it in the clouds towards the righthand top corner.

Looking towards Jura and the Gulf of Corryveckan, between Jura and Scarba. Apparently it's the third largest whirlpool in the world! 

From the end of Craignish Point. Then we turned round and....

A different White-tailed Eagle gave us a flypast - note the huge yellow beak.

And white on the tail.

After that - we retraced our tracks. A good walk, only about a mile to the point, with a clear path - damp underfoot in places. 

Carnasserie Castle

As well as providing us with shelter while we ate our sandwiches we had a poke round this fairly imposing ruin. The castle dates from the mid to late 16th century, and stands upon the summit of a ridge at the upper end of Kilmartin Glen. The castle was built as a residence for Bishop John Carswell, the first Protestant Bishop of the Isles, a close associate of the 5th Earl of Argyll who granted the lands and castle of Carnasserie to his chaplain in 1559. Although burned in 1685 by Royalist forces during the 9th Earl of Argyll’s rebellion against James VII, Carnasserie Castle is nevertheless a well preserved structure, with the walls of the east tower and domestic range surviving almost to their original height. 

Click here for more information. 

Some elaborate external architecture.

Vertical arrow slits and horizontal crossbow slits.

Inside looking up from the kitchen to the main hall.

A tight spiral staircase leads up to the roof.

A decent fireplace!

A rooftop view....

And looking in....

Ormaig Rock Art

The morning promised to be dry, so we headed out to visit the Ormaig Cup and Ring carvings. We parked at Carnasserie carpark and headed up the hill, on what was generally a well waymarked path - although a few extra markers as you drop down to Loch Craignish (for reassurance) would have been good. It was a tad damp underfoot, but well worth the walk despite the downpour on the way back. 

Leaving the carpark - clear signage!

The path makes it's way through a series of ridges towards the coast.

Lichen-clad Larch.

As you come down the forestry track towards the coast you can just about see the site. 

and then....

Then on the way back a chance to look at the fungi and lichens ...

Angel's wings ...

A world in miniature...

Standing Stones.

And back towards the carpark and Carnasserie Castle - somewhere dry for sandwiches!