Knapdale

Hello there!

We've just returned from a splendid week over in Argyll, staying in a beautiful little converted barn in Knapdale, right next to the loch where the trial re-introduction of beavers took place.

It's also very near Kilmartin Glen, which is positively stuffed full of ancient and wonderful stone circles, standing stones, cists and carvings.

We had a long walk one day to Ormaig to see these splendid examples. They are really very impressive, and since the hillside has been covered with forestry there are probably hundreds more to be discovered. These ones are special because as you can see, they're not just cups and rings, but some have been arranged into a 'rosette' of cups round a central cup with a ring around them all - which is not all that common.

Maisie, of course, was much more interested in trying to find the small mammals nesting  in the tussocks of grass!

She had a lovely time. Lots of new smells, roe deer to (fruitlessly) chase, long walks every day and both mummie and daddie with her all day, every day! What a happy dog.

We did walk around the lochs where the beavers are on several occasions, and we saw their lodges and the trees gnawed by them, but since they are nocturnal animals and getting up before dawn on holiday is not my idea of fun we didn't catch any glimpses of the beasties themselves.

We paid a couple of visits to the Taynish oak woods. Lovely gnarly twisty little oak trees all dripping with lichens (just shows how clean the air is here). These woods are pretty much how most of Scotland would have looked just after the end of the last Ice Age, before agriculture, sheep and other activities of Man caused most of them to be cleared.

Just look at the huge feathery lichen on this old chap! I don't know any names of lichens, but it looks like it ought to be called something like 'peeling wallpaper', doesn't it? Or maybe 'lacey ruffles' if you want to be more romantic.

The Crinan Canal is also in this area, and a very picturesque wee waterway (all 8 1/2 miles of it) it is. It was dug to save the long journey all the way round the Mull of Kintyre and was used extensively by the 'Puffers' hauling coal and other goods to and from Glasgow and the islands.

When we visited the sea lock at one end of the canal - Ardrishaig - there was a restored Puffer in her berth. She works as a cruise boat now, around the inner isles. Sounds like a lovely holiday .

 

 

 

 

Anyway, this is a great part of the world - I recommend it.