No railway lines today. Just undulating hills and a canal. We’re still on NCN 78 which is being branded the Caledonia Way, 227 miles from Campbeltown to Inverness from start to finish. That’s for another year, who knows: linking with the Northcoast 500.
Following Loch Awe for the first half of the day was a joy. Our lungs enjoyed gulping in the fresh air ascending. Spring flowers were in abundance, framing the distant mountains.
Then we discovered Kilmartin. A wee gem of a village, well worth returning to. Kilmartin Glen houses the most abundant number of prehistoric sites in Scotland (800 in a 6mile radius), together with 1000 year old crosses and gravestones. You tootal by standing stones from 3200BC. Never heard of the place before!
Before reaching the Crinan Canal, you pass one of Britain’s last raised peat bogs, Moine Mhor. Crinan Canal opened 1801. We were just pleased it was flat!
This lulled us into a false sense of completion: off course you need to get to the harbour at Tarbert via hills. It’s what keeps it secure. Apparently Robert Bruce stopped in the castle looking over the harbour en route to watch a spider.
GLDBT North Sea Cycling and other routes 
Re Kilmartin & “Never heard of the place before”; just proves you did sleep during the history lessons.
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