Loch Goil – Carrick Castle and the Cormonachan Oakwoods
A few hours.
The route
Loch Goil is a narrow sea loch between steep wooded hills, and the quiet road down its west shore leads to a Campbell tower on a rock at the water's edge.
This half day pairs the castle at Carrick with a walk in the Cormonachan woods, ancient oak and hazel looked after by the people who live here, then lunch by the loch at the Boat Shed Café.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Red Squirrel Cottage in Lochgoilhead. Sleeps 6.
Then Seal Cabin in Lochgoilhead. Sleeps 2.
The day
Loch Goil
An easy morning with very little driving, all of it on the single-track road along the loch's west side, and the best of it on foot under the oaks.
About three hoursAbout 1.5 miles on foot
Carrick Castle
An attraction
Carrick Castle stands on a rocky point at the water's edge, near the end of the single-track road down Loch Goil's west shore, and there's a car park on the shore road opposite it. The Campbells built the tower in the late 1300s, with walls seven feet thick rising 64 feet from the rock. James IV used it as a hunting lodge, and Mary, Queen of Scots stayed here for two nights in June 1563. It was burnt in 1685 and stood a ruin for many years. The castle is private and not open, but you can see it from the loch and the nearby paths. Give it half an hour, and keep an eye on the loch for seals and oystercatchers.
About 5 min by car
Cormonachan Community Woodlands
It's 5 minutes back up the shore road to the Cormonachan woodlands' north car park, which has room for about eight cars parked tidily. These 158 acres of Atlantic oak and hazel are part of Scotland's rainforest, with oaks of 300 years and more, and a charity run by volunteers looks after them, asking a donation of £2 a head. The walk here is the blue circuit, about 2.5 km and an hour round the whole northern wood, past an old pollarded oak more than 5.4 metres round, a labyrinth and a totem pole. For something shorter, the green Squirrel Trail, about a kilometre and half an hour, takes in the Red Squirrel Hide and climbs to the Contemplation Shelter, with benches and a wide view down Loch Goil. Both have short steep climbs. Red squirrels live in the wood, so keep quiet and you may see one. Dogs are welcome.
About 5 min by car
The Boat Shed Café
Lunch
It's 3 minutes on up the road to the Boat Shed Café at Loch Goil Cruisers, on the shore just outside Lochgoilhead. Lunch is grilled sandwiches and toasties, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices, then a big choice of cakes and coffee roasted in the Highlands. Look out for red squirrels outside. Ring 07787 516709 to check the day's opening hours before you go.
If it rains
Only the café is fully indoors, though the hide and the Contemplation Shelter in the wood give a seat out of the rain. The woodland paths have steep sections that get slippery when wet, so wear boots with a good grip.
Make it a weekend
More days out in Argyll and Bute.
Photographs by Gerard Baird, Patrick Van calck, Michael Edmondson and Tom Han via Google