largsmantravelling

Since travel involves movement which means changing from from one location to another location. It must be essential because if you stayed in the same place you wouldn’t have travelled.

For some it is but not to me. What matters is that you have made the journey. Length and time are of no interest. It is the experience of the journey together with the impression of destination are important.

Here’s an example from a couple of springs ago. One Wednesday day off I took my bike across on the ferry to Cowl peninsula. As I had to be back early, I wasn’t going to do much or go very far. There’s not much to see really with such a short time. Near where I stopped for my snack lunch there a sign post directing to Strone Knoll. Never heard of, wasn’t even on my map. Even stranger it was an English name where everything has a Gaelic name. Fine this will do and be home in time.

Leaving the bike close to the marker post I took the adjacent farm track. About a quarter of the way along it entered a tree plantation. Not put off I carried on. From the few tracks on the mossy road, only a few occasional people came this way. Likely only the estate workers. The trees looked mature and untended, some had a good coating of moss on their lower trunks .Continuing undeterred along the slowly rising track,unable to check my position, confident that surely I was on the wrong route. After more than an hour a gap appeared in the plantation, rather steep, again with no path, up I went. Breaking out of the plantation on to long flattish hill top. Enchanting, quiet, private and undisturbed best describe it.Looked a bit like an old grouse moor.Needed to see more. The views were captivating, all the way down the Ayrshire coast, Arran, Bute, Kintyre even out to Islay and Jura could be seen in the slowly setting sun.I had found something new, different and interesting. Unfortunately by this time it was time to head back. This time following the plantation’s outside edge to save time and see more of scenery.

From the ferry pier at Rothesay I could see the hill with a sense of accomplishment. I tried to find out more about the hill but other than it’s name. It never got a mention in any of the guides. Even the people at the ferry office had never known of any walkers doing those hills.

I made two further outings to explore the hill. One the following week following a slightly different. The other in August when I started from a different point.

The hill is known as Beinn Bhreac which is common descriptive term in the ancient Gaelic. There is no certain translation of this term. Never found Strone Knoll but saw many familiar places from a different aspect.

If that isn’t travel what is?