West Coast Scotland - Recommendations Sought

[yomperalex]

Hello all, title says it all.

I've never been to the area before, and would really appreciate any recommendations.

Ideas running through my head so far include:

• Canoeing - where's good for a 2 nighter, any rental nearby?
• Bothying - desperate to try a 2 night expedition;
• Culture - art galleries, festivals;
• Old stuff - churches, castles, earth works;
• Whisky - I'm a sucker for a single malt, and it sounds like a good excuse to fit in an island or 2.

Really appreciate any advice.

TIA

Alex

 

[greensurfingbear]

which parts of the west coast are you thinking......Im in north ayrshire and there are quite a few outdoorsy things to do here but its not as spectacular as the highlands

 

[tiger stacker]

Ayrshire, Argyll all the way to Mallaig all contain nearly all of the above.
Don't visit Islay stay away, your liver and nose will thank you.
Kilmartin Glen north of the Crinan canal, is worth a few hours for Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts.
Loads to do in Scotland, don't ignore the highlands or lowlands by focusing on the west.

 

[Limaed]

This is a good site: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/ and should help you plan a little with the history side.

I don't know much about paddling but I think you could hire in Fort William (Ellis Brigham?) then head out to the Mallaig area. The area around Lochailort has lots of places to launch & you can hug the coast & camp out. The old fishing village of Peanmeanach could be a good option to paddle to or walk to - only one building remains now as a Bothy: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/peanmeanach.shtml

Fort William is a bit run down these days but there's lots to do in the area.

 

[ol smokey]

For whiskey distllerys you cannot go wrong with the Isle of Mull, with five Single Malts, and very generous sampling, especially at Ardbeg, we visited a couple of years ago and the place was closed, someone came out from the house and went into the distillery apparently for some ingredients for his wife to do some baking for a child's party, we asked if the distillery was not open to visitors? He said he would be out in a minute. He brought out a tray with about Eight glasses and
a 3/4 full litre bottle of Whiskey for us to share, there were five cyclists my wife and I, none of them could have very much , and my Wife was driving, so I had a Ball to myself, we were told to take as much as we liked. I got really ******
and on the way back, I claimed up the walls of an old church, when I saw it when I was sober, I could not believe I had
been up there. There is plenty of opportunity to wild camp in Scotland, as long it is done responsibly, removing litter
and respecting the privacy of others, not lighting fires without the landowners permission, and away from cattle and
farmland .

 

[Grooveski]

There's canoe hire on Loch Lomond(from the boatyard at Balmaha).
...and Loch Tay(from the shop in Killin).
Tiso in Glasgow hire them too, I think they include inflatable roofbars should you need them.

 

[wales1]

Depending on your canoeing experience, why not consider doing the river Spey descent. Pretty sure there are hire places up there too. Pretty much covers all your expectations, whisky, history/landmarks etc. just bear in mind you are fast approaching midge season, especially bad on west coast, so bear that in mind, they can make a canoe camp trip hell if you ain't prepared (get a Beaton midge jacket!).

Steve.

 

[yomperalex]

Thanks everybody. I'm now really looking forward to my trip.

Alex

 

[Shambling Shaman]

Ayrshire, Argyll all the way to Mallaig all contain nearly all of the above.
Don't visit Islay stay away, your liver and nose will thank you.
Kilmartin Glen north of the Crinan canal, is worth a few hours for Neolithic and Bronze Age artifacts.
Loads to do in Scotland, don't ignore the highlands or lowlands by focusing on the west.

Kilmartin is one of my favorate places

 

[Bigfoot]

For whiskey distllerys you cannot go wrong with the Isle of Mull, with five Single Malts, and very generous sampling, especially at Ardbeg, we visited a couple of years ago and the place was closed, someone came out from the house and went into the distillery apparently for some ingredients for his wife to do some baking for a child's party, we asked if the distillery was not open to visitors? .

I think you mean Islay And whisky