Round the Island

390. Strontian to Laga Bay

July 2021

Todays walk would be along the north shore of Loch Sunart, following the B8007 and A861. My plan today is to take the morning bus from Laga Bay to Strontian. On my previous walk I had discovered that the car park marked on the map at Laga Bay doesn’t actually exist. (Unfortunately the Ordnance Survey Maps of Scotland don’t seem to get updated very often). This means I need to park elsewhere. I had found another car park marked on the map around a mile to the east along the B8007 where walks are marked so I hoped this existed.

I found the car park (at approximately grid reference NM650606) which wasn’t actually marked as a car park on the ground just an area of gravel surrounded by grass banks beside the road with room for 3 or 4 cars but it also didn’t say no parking so I hoped it was OK.

I had allowed plenty of time for the journey because I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to find the car park but hoped if I found it quickly, I’d be able to walk back to Laga Bay in order to catch the bus from there rather than from the car park (otherwise I’d have a gap between the car park and Laga Bay).

Checking the time I worked out I had enough time so set off west along the road before the bus. It was overcast and drizzly but on this side of Loch Sunart the tops of the hills were clear of mist, unlike the other side.

At this point the road is high up a few hundred metres from the loch shore but I got occasional glimpses of the loch between the trees. The scenery was spectacular despite the poor weather. The road was continually going up and down and soon there was a clearing at Camas Ban which gave me a lovely view over the bay although slightly marred by a large green metal barn at the back of the beach.

Soon I reached the first houses of Laga Bay and saw a women wearing a mask standing in a drive to the right. I suspected she was waiting for the bus so asked her and she confirmed she was so I figured I’d catch the bus from there as well, there being no formal stops marked, to save the driver stopping twice. However as I explained I said I’d be back to catch the bus there in a minute. First I had to continue to where I got to yesterday in order not to leave any gaps in my walk. Fortunately this turned out to be only about 50 metres up the road where I recognised the drive of the house where I waited yesterday. Now I headed back to where the lady was waiting. She probably thought I was a bit odd to walk 50 metres up the road and then turn back again, but she didn’t say anything. We had a quick chat her mentioning this was the first time she’d had a problem with midges (though only a few) so far this year.

The bus duly arrived and we picked up another passenger on the edge of Salen. It was the same driver as yesterday and the bus leaves the shores of Loch Sunart to head into Acharacle and back again. In school term time on arriving at the shop in Acharacle it continues up to the school and then back to the shop. The women that got on with me got off at a restaurant at the edge of Acharacle where she works. It being the school holidays the bus doesn’t make the diversion up to the school and back which means we have 10 minutes to wait at the shop (the time it would have taken the bus to drive to the school and back). The driver and all the other passengers now got off to smoke cigarettes (and buy a pie from the shop in the drivers case) whilst another passenger was waiting outside, I suspect a teenager on school holidays wanting to go into Fort William because he didn’t know the time of the return bus so checked with the driver. We now continued onto Strontian where I got off.

Strontian was a pretty little village around a green. By the standards of Ardnamurchan it felt like a metropolis with not one but two shops, a cafe, a couple of tourist shops, a library, hotel and some petrol pumps.

The Chemical element Strontium was actually discovered here in 1793 and the chemical element (partly) takes it’s name from this village.

I went to go in the shop to buy some sweets but the rather aggressive notices plastering the door that you MUST wear a face covering, MUST follow the one-way system and MUST sanitise your hands on entry and I decided I couldn’t be bothered having just put the mask back in my rucksack, as it seemed a rather unfriendly shop. Time to get walking.

The first part of my walk is following the A861. Although an A-road this is single-track with passing places so I am hoping this means traffic should be fairly light. I crossed the pretty rocky river (Strontian River) and continued along the road.

As I headed up a hill a very strange vehicle passed me from behind. It looked like a man in an orange and white Sinclair C5 though it was virtually soundless! The local eccentric, perhaps! (I saw it again on another walk and I think it is a recumbent bicycle with a light body attached).

I soon came across a path down to the beach on the left. A sign of footpaths in the village had caught my eye in the window of one of the tourist shops in Strontian showing all the paths around and showed this one as 0.14km so I opted for the short diversion along it. This bought me to a rocky and sandy beach on the shores of the loch.

Despite the remote location (no houses nearby) I was not the only person here, a lady to the left was doing something on the beach. I think collecting sea weed (or possibly collecting litter) but I didn’t go over and bother her. I wondered if she might use it at a local restaurant. On the way back I passed another couple with a dog – I was surprised how busy this short path is.

Now back on the road, I continued west along it and although close to the loch shore I got only limited views for a time due to the number of trees and it was interesting to see how misty the other side of the loch was compared with this. The road was continually up and down and traffic quite irritatingly busy, irritating because on these single track roads few drivers bother to stop at passing places when they see someone walking ahead and instead come blasting along expecting you’ll step onto the verge to allow them passed (preferably without them having to even slow down). Due to the damp weather the grass on the verge was wet and long so each time I did it I got damp trousers (and sometimes socks). (I have noticed they do wait if you are cycling, but not walking).

Soon there was a path to Polloch on the right, though I didn’t find this on the map until later.

I noticed beside the road the telephone cables were on old telegraph posts still with the old ceramic insulators attached to many of them. I’d not seen posts like that for a long long time!

Soon the road that came down to the loch shore again and I headed over the grass down to the shore for a quick rest. On the other shore, a remote area I could see a large white house but the map of Ardnamurchan didn’t cover the other side of the loch at all so I don’t know what it is. (I later found it is Laudale House).

The road continued back to the shore where I could see the island of Eilean Mor just off shore, a small wooded island.

I continued west on the roller coaster road along the loch shore snatching some lovely views through the trees.

Further along the road I came to another woodland trust car park. I am impressed with the woodland trust who seem to create many little car parks in their woodland and mark out walking trails from them. Here a short coastal one had been marked out which I hoped from the map would take me back to the road further up, giving me a break from the traffic, so I followed it. This soon climbed up to a bench where I sat and had an early lunch (later I saw Ruth had sat at the same bench) and continued on the path. This split to a bird hide on the left and back to the road on the right. I went to follow a path to the left but it was narrow and seeing another couple coming towards me I decided to head back to the road instead.

The road continued in and out of woodland down to the loch shore at Resipole.

Resipole seems to consist of a few large houses and a camp site except the camp site had a sign that due the Coronavirus pandemic they were not accepting anything but motor homes with their own toilets as the shared facilities were not open.

There was a little sea wall so I follow the top of this along the bay. It was mostly rocky but there were a number of families on the beach or on canoes or little boats on the loch. The campsite was busy and I suspected most of the people had come from there. It was a lovely spot.

I sat and had the rest of my lunch at the far end of the bay before the road headed away from the loch again.

I continued along the road that soon headed uphill again away from the loch shore and pass another woodland trust car park.

This one only had a small circular walk so I stuck to the road but was a bit irritated that as soon as I arrived a car pulled up. The occupants, an elderly couple got out briefly said hello and then proceed to go to the toilet in the car park, without making any attempt to conceal what they were doing or be discrete about it. I mean I know if your desperate you have to go but still to not even bother to hide what you are doing (knowing someone else is there) I thought was pretty poor especially as there is a public toilet at Salen half a mile up the road (I know this because I used it).

The road soon came down into Salen passing a little car park on the left. This is the junction for the road into Kilchoan. Most of the village is located along this B-road and the first building is the Salen Hotel which looked quite busy with motorcyclists, looking at the car park. The road had two lanes and even a pavement here and I passed a shop, well a house really, that claimed to sell German Bread and Apple Pie. An interesting combination and I wonder what “German Bread” is or rather what’s different about it but it looked like a private house so I didn’t bother to investigate it.

The pavement soon ended and I continued to reach the Salen Pier shop one of a few shops on the peninsula.

This was rather more friendly than the shop in Strontian so I stopped here to buy a drink and some sweets for an energy boost as I was flagging a bit now. Onwards from the pier, the only way is up and I passed a shop specialising in buttons and yarns (which had a sign saying closing down – I’m not surprised).

The road continued up and down soon reaching another lovely woodland trust car park. This one occupied by a motor home that seemed to have made a long term camp here with awning set up as well but I didn’t actually see the occupants just went for a quick diversion down to the shore.

The road continued very close to the shore and at times right by the shore, even almost a causeway built around the cliffs in places which gave me some lovely views.

Soon I reached the village of Camus Inas where a track headed off to the left, closer to the shore than the road.

It wasn’t signed as private and looked as if it would re-join the end at the far end. So I followed it and it soon came to the houses of this pretty village. I ignored the home-made speed camera sign (I think not – on a road like this!).

The gravel drive went through in front of the houses and many also seemed to have part of their garden on the left of the track too.

As I neared the end of the village I spotted a gate across the track ahead and it seemed to split into two private drives. Annoying as the map suggested the track went through to the road. As I turned back, to re-trace my steps the lady of the first house I re-passed was in the garden and asked if I was OK. I said I had thought you could get through but could see you can’t so was heading back. She told me that you used to be able to get through but sadly the owners of the last house had blocked it up with a gate. She said it was sad and she didn’t know why they had done it. From what she said she was clearly annoyed about it and I wondered if they were “second home” owners. However she did tell me it’s possible to get back to the road by going down to the shore past the fence. However when I did this I could see no path or track back up and to the right looked like the private garden of another house with a boat parked up. I could also hear voices suggesting the owners were in the garden too so I didn’t want to intrude.

Instead at far end I found a board-walk path. A footpath perhaps? I climbed up the rocks and followed this path around the cliffs but it only left to a bench. The owners private little seat to enjoy the view perhaps? But the path certainly didn’t go through a garden. Looking back I could see a man in the garden looking my way, so quite possibly I had been spotted. I didn’t particular want to go back as I suspected he would not be happy with me being here, even with the right to roam so instead I climbed over a wire fence and climbed up through the bracken and gorse to the road. At last – back on the road and regretting my diversion, I was now heading back to the car park. Soon I saw the turning on the left and pleased to see no one else had parked here (or left me an angry note that it wasn’t, in fact a car park!).

From here I drove back to the caravan at Shielfoot where I was staying and at last met the owners who were back from their holiday (in Durham). They were very friendly and laid back. The couple of caravans they own, one of which I’m staying in are behind a wooden gate, which gives access to the road. The owners had ducks and often when I’d be leaving or arriving the ducks would come waddling over, perhaps in the hope I was here to feed them (someone else was feeding them, so they weren’t starving). To get to the parking place I had to stop at the end of the road, get out of my car to open these gates, leave them open long enough to drive through then close them again (and repeat on the return). I had been very diligent ensuring the ducks didn’t get out through the gate whilst I did this.  Now the owners told me there was no need as the ducks could get under the gate anyway. Oh well! At least I had tried. They were interested in my walk and I saw them most days after that.

This had been a pleasant walk. It was a shame most of it had been on roads but at least I had been able to find a path that did bypass a stretch of the road and on the plus side the road means I had no navigation problems or dead-ends to deal with today.

Here are details of the public transport needed for this walk :-

Shiel Buses route 506 : Kilchoan – Kilmory – Ardsliginish – Ardnamurchan Distillery – Laga Bay – Salen – Acharacle – Strontian – Clovullin – Ardgour – Corran (via ferry) – Fort William. One bus per day each way Monday – Saturday. It takes a little under 1 hour minutes to travel between Laga Bay and Strontian.

Here are the complete set of photos for this walk : Main Link.

Here is a map of the walk:-