https://britishcoast.wordpress.com/2023/07/26/413-the-isle-of-luing/ Round the Island Walking round the coast of Mainland Britain [cropped-53073078022_a060b8733b_h] Skip to content * Home * About - 412. Ellenabeich to Kilmore 413. The Isle of Luing Posted on July 26, 2023 by jcombe May 2022 Continuing my theme about being inconsistent over whether I am going to walk around islands or not I decided after my last walk I wanted to visit the Isle of Luing as it looked small enough to walk around in a single day, which is what I intended to do today. I drove from Oban where I was staying and parked up at Cuan. There is no car park marked on the map here but having walked here yesterday I had found there is a small amount of parking just before the ferry and I was pleased to find there was space as otherwise I might have had to take the car over on the ferry despite not needing it once I reached the island. I didn't have long to wait for the ferry as it runs every half an hour and it's very cheap too (it only costs PS2.50 return). The ferry takes cars and foot passengers though there are only a couple of cars on the crossing I am on and it only takes a few minutes to cross as it's only about 200 metres. It is a small boat, I think it only takes around 6 cars maximum. The Isle of Luing from Cuan The Isle of Luing from Cuan Isle of Luing ferry The ferry drops me at the north east corner of the island at a place called Cnoc na h-Earde. I'm not going to try and say it. The facilities are fairly minimal. A red telephone box and a shelter which is basically a garden shed with a couple of seats in and some maps and information about the island. Isle of Luing ferry shelter Isle of Luing map The map confirms, as I suspect there isn't a proper path all the way around the island but I'm hoping that with a combination of the roads, paths and a bit of making use of the right to roam I can make it around much of the coast of the island. East coast of the Isle of Luing I start by following the road south. Initially the road goes close to the eastern coast of the island and with the land sloping fairly gently away it gives fine views to the coast an another island, Torsa, just beyond. East coast of the Isle of Luing East coast of the Isle of Luing In fact the island of Torsa is so close to Luing that it's less than 50 metres at the narrowest point and I suspect it would be possible to wade over at low tide although I don't try it. The island itself isn't open to visitors (though I guess with the right to roam there is nothing to stop you), but it is possible to stay on the island but unfortunately only for a week at a time (I would prefer a day trip to walk around it!). The road climbs and soon follows broadly down the middle of the island offering lovely views over the coast, albeit it's another grey and overcast day. East coast of the Isle of Luing East coast of the Isle of Luing To my left is the the water that separates Luing and Torsa though there are also a couple of smaller islands or islets. Ardinamair Bay, Isle of Luing Ardinamair Bay, Isle of Luing The road soon rounds a hill, Achadh da Chaluim, which has lines around it, perhaps the remains of strip lynchets? (See near the bottom left on the photo below). Ardinamair Bay, Isle of Luing The road soon descends, passing a small fire station to reach the Piccadilly Circus of Luing, a 4-way junction where there are roads to both the west and east as well as continuing to the south of the island. I'm broadly starting with the east coast of the island, so I follow the road to the left. It runs for only about half a mile down to Ardinamir Bay. Ardinamair Bay, Isle of Luing It's a pretty spot although the beach is mostly pebble and mud with fine views of Torsa and Torsa Beag. The former has quite high hills in the centre of the islands. There are the remains of some old wooden structures on the rocks ahead, perhaps the remains of an old jetty. I can also make out the roof of the only buildings on Torsa. Ardinamair Bay, Isle of Luing I head a short distance back up this road but instead of returning to the road junction I can turn right after about 200 metres onto a track that runs closer to the coast to the road near to Toberonochy. The track soon climbs up quite steeply but this gives fine views over the east of the island and back to Ardinamir Bay. The east coast of the Isle of Luing The east coast of the Isle of Luing The east coast of the Isle of Luing Once up, the track undulates over the fields, some grazed with cattle, and the remains of some buildings to reach the small reservoir, Lochan Lliter. The east coast of the Isle of Luing A dam is marked at the end of the reservoir but it's more a simple earth bank than a large concrete affair and the land around the reservoir is also very boggy, so I suspect it's a natural lochan that has simply been enlarged a little and presumably provides the drinking water for the island. The east coast of the Isle of Luing The east coast of the Isle of Luing The east coast of the Isle of Luing The east coast of the Isle of Luing The weather is somewhat mixed today. Whilst the sky seems to be clearing a bit, with patches of blue sky appearing, it also seems to be getting more misty, with parts of Torsa now disappearing into the mist. The east coast of the Isle of Luing Looking south is an area of water called Shuna Sound and the Isle of Shuna beyond it. This is another island that is not easy to visit (there isn't a ferry) and is privately owned. Whilst there are a couple of buildings, which look to be maintained, on the island the last census records the population as zero so I presume these are either holiday lets or only lived in for some of the year. In the Shuna Sound is a fish farm, a common site on the west coast of Scotland (you can just see it above, in front of the island). There is a good view with Shuna, several other islands and the mainland beyond where I will be walking tomorrow, I hope, though it is a little spoiled by the mist, which I'm hoping isn't going to blow over to Luing. The east coast of the Isle of Luing Beyond the reservoir and down to my left are some large stone walls. I'm not sure if this is the remains of an older structure or simply sheep pens (I suspect the latter). The east coast of the Isle of Luing I pass some more water and soon have the small settlement of Toberonochy visible ahead. The east coast of the Isle of Luing The track I am following soon rejoins the road and turning left I come to the ruins of an old church. The building no longer has a roof and signs warn it's dangerous and to keep out, so this only encourages me to look inside. Ruined church near Toberonochy, Isle of Luing Ruined church near Toberonochy, Isle of Luing It fell into disrepair in the 17th Century and was later replaced with another church though I am not clear why it fell into disrepair, perhaps because it was not in any of the settlements on the island. Ahead I come to another road junction and turn left to follow the dead-end road down to Toberonochy, soon reaching the small village. It is a pretty place of mostly white-painted terraced bungalows, many of them around a green. Toberonochy, Isle of Luing Toberonochy, Isle of Luing Luing like the other islands nearby was used for slate mining and I believe most of the houses served as houses for those working the quarry, now disused and a man-made lake just behind the village. Toberonochy, Isle of Luing Toberonochy, Isle of Luing On the green by the shore are some information panels about the slate mining, with the slate transported out by sea and an old railway wagon and short stretch of track. Toberonochy, Isle of Luing At it's peak the quarry produced 50,000 slates a week. The quarry closed at the out break of World War I in 1914 and never re-opened. Now it's a pretty and peaceful place located around a small harbour. Toberonochy, Isle of Luing Toberonochy, Isle of Luing This is the end of the road so after exploring the village I head back up the road to a place called Kilchatton with a large farm. The road doesn't go any further south on the island than here but a farm track does, so I follow that beside the large barn and out into more open country, though there are a couple of wind turbines which presumably help with supplying electricity to the island (but large pylons also carry wires from the mainland). The track is straight and winds it's way invitingly over the hills ahead. Track to the southern tip of the Isle of Luing After passing the wind turbines the track climbs again with views down to the mud and sand bay on my left (which is un-named on the OS map) and beyond it is the Isle of Shuna where I can see an isolated white coloured cottage. The south west of the Isle of Luing The south west of the Isle of Luing The south west of the Isle of Luing The track soon narrows to a path and then ends just before the southern tip of the island. I initially start re-tracing my steps intending to follow the track but decide to divert off to my left over the sometimes boggy land to walk closer to the shore. The south west of the Isle of Luing Nearer the shore it is flatter but occasionally boggy, but there are some sheep paths in places that makes things a bit easier, but it is certainly more interesting than returning along the farm track. I am soon nearing a small shingle beach at Camas nan Gall where a stone cairn has been built on the grass just south of the bay for some reason. Camas nan Gall, Isle of Luing This is my (late) lunch stop though I see some kayaks on the beach and soon spot the owners of them sitting on the rocks above the beach. I sit at one end and them the other, but they give me a cheery wave. Given there is no road or track to the beach I was not expecting there to be anyone else here anyway. Camas nan Gall, Isle of Luing Near Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing It is only around half a mile further along the shore to the next settlement, Black Mill Bay and I can already see the houses in the distance and a woodland plantation a little inland of it that is marked on the map. Near Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing Near Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing Near Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing The weather now is picking up with some blue sky and the mist that threatened to close in earlier is now lifting. It is a lovely day and progress is fairly easy along the shore despite the lack of path. Over to my left are several more islands - Scarba to the south west, Lunga to the west and Rubha Foila to the north west. There are so many islands in this part of Scotland! There are several small shingle and mud beaches on the way and the grass behind these beaches is short owing to the number of sheep grazing, many of whom seem not to notice me approach until I am a few metres away and then run off. Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing Soon I reach the first houses of Black Mill bay and follow the track to the road. Black Mill bay was once the hub of the island. It was a busy port with freight, including slate of course transported from here by boat from the pier. Passenger ferries also ran to many destinations as it was a port of call for the steamers that ran from Glasgow and beyond. Presumably there was also once a mill here but I don't see any building that looks like a mill now. It is all quite now as the town declined and is no longer the capital of the island and little remains of the pier. Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing The name doesn't make it sound very pretty, but it's actually a very pretty spot. Black Mill Bay, Isle of Luing The west coast of the Isle of Luing The west coast of the Isle of Luing From Black Mill Bay I head up the road which will join up with the "main" road to the north but before I reach the junction I am planning to turn left up a track which turns back towards the coast and then runs parallel, about 2-300 metres from the coast to the road to Cullipool (the capital of the island) so that is where I am heading. The west coast of the Isle of Luing The west coast of the Isle of Luing I am a bit put off by a number of cows grazing on the track but as I approach they move, somewhat reluctantly, onto the hill behind watching my every move. Track on the Isle of Luing Track on the Isle of Luing Track on the Isle of Luing The map doesn't show steep gradients but the track is steeper than I expected, climbing and climbing to the western point of the island but I get wonderful views from up here. Track on the Isle of Luing View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing Off the coast of Luing are a number of small islands, I think many also "slate islands" that were extensively quarried. I am surprised to see a large lighthouse on one of these islands. This is the island of Fladda and the lighthouse occupies almost all of the tiny island! I presume it was considered a hazard to shipping, hence the lighthouse. View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing Behind it I can see the island of Belnahua which was another busy quarry but I think is now abandoned and most of the island has been quarried out leaving a large lake in the middle, the island is sort of like a rocky doughnut now! View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing The track now begins to descend with many islands and islets over to my left, a complicated coast and a difficult one to navigate by boat I would imagine but of course when the mining was at it's busiest it would have been very busy. View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing I can now see the islands "capital" ahead, Cullipool. The road runs along the shore to the village where it ends and the village runs along the road for almost half a mile. View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing View from the west coast of the Isle of Luing The track descends down to the road and I turn left along it passing the village (and I think island) shop and post office. It looks like an extended beach hut with the white and blue stripes. I can see from the road that it is closed however, I assume it doesn't open every day. Cullipool shop, Isle of Luing The road is flat and easy to follow around the shore to the slipway and small harbour. Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool is another very pretty place. Like all the settlements on the island it seems it is mostly white painted bungalows that all look very well kept. Beyond is a very pretty beach with the flat stones typical of the local rock. Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool, Isle of Luing The map in the shed at the ferry "terminal" didn't show a path north of here but a track continues along the shore, passing another old quarry (and the lake formed by it), confirming that Cullipool was another slate mining village. Cullipool, Isle of Luing Cullipool, Isle of Luing I wonder what the islanders do now that quarrying has stopped? Some would work in agriculture and providing the facilities of the island but I imagine there is less employment on the island now and many are holiday homes. Cullipool, Isle of Luing The track follows the pretty bay north from the village but then comes to an abrupt end. Near Cullipool, Isle of Luing The obvious thing to do would be to go back but I decide to head down onto the beach to see if I can get around instead, reluctant to waste time heading back. Near Cullipool, Isle of Luing There is another part of the quarry round the corner and the track briefly resumes. Near Cullipool, Isle of Luing Near Cullipool, Isle of Luing I am soon able to make may way past the area with higher cliffs and reach the flatter northern part of the island, where a grassy path that seems well walked continues along the shore and the area is grazed by sheep again. Port Mary, Isle of Luing Port Mary, Isle of Luing I can follow the shore easily enough to reach another large quarry at a place called Port Mary. It is all abandoned now but I imagine it was another once busy port. Port Mary, Isle of Luing Old quarry near Cuan Point, Isle of Luing Beyond this a track resumes around the coast to Cuan Point and I can see across to the Isle of Seil just a few hundred metres away. Near Cuan point, Isle of Luing Near Cuan Point, Isle of Luing The track again ends but I can follow the shore around on a rough path and grass the few hundred metres back to the small settlement built around the ferry slipway to complete my (more or less) circumnavigation of Luing and take the ferry back. Isle of Luing ferry What a lovely day it had been, the island had turned out to be a fascinating place. The map suggested it was quite flat so I wasn't sure how scenic it would be, but it turned out to be beautiful and very varied. I couldn't quite believe how many other islands it is surrounded by, either. It was clear the island had had a very industrial past but now it is a quiet and peaceful place and I was very glad I had made the effort to come and explore it. Here are details of the public transport needed for this walk. As this is a circular walk there is no need for transport on the island:- The Isle of Luing ferry runs typically every 30 minutes during the day 7 days a week, but with some breaks and less frequently in the evening and no service during the evening on Sunday. The timetable can be found here. The ferry departs from Cuan on the Isle of Seil. Cuan can be reached using the following bus service from Oban. West Coast Motors route 418 : Oban -Kilmore - Barran - Clachan Sail - Balvicar - North Cuan - Ellenabeich. 5 buses per day Monday - Saturday. Here are the complete set of photos for this walk : Main Link. Here is a map of the walk:- Coast Walk 413 map Share this: * Twitter * Facebook * Like this: Like Loading... Related This entry was posted in Argyll and tagged Ardinamir, Argyll, Argyll and Bute, Argyllshire, Black Mill Bay, Coast, Cuan, Cullipool, Isle of Luing, Luing, Toberonochy. Bookmark the permalink. - 412. Ellenabeich to Kilmore 5 Responses to 413. The Isle of Luing 1. [b70a] alan says: July 27, 2023 at 7:43 am Hi Jon, the first time I read about the isle of Luing was 11 years ago while reading an info board on the Marilyn - Gummers How situated above Lake Coniston in the Lake District. The reference was to the famous breed of Luing cattle, which had been imported from the Isle of Luing to graze on Gummers How. I did'nt actually see any Luing cattle that day, but it looks like you certainly did. Thanks for a very interesting report of this unique island. Reply + [d346] jcombe says: July 27, 2023 at 8:50 pm Thanks for the information about the cows Alan. I do remember them looking a little unusual and had no idea until your comment that the island had it's own breed of cows. Very interesting and glad I did get to see them. Reply 2. [7b0b] Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter says: July 27, 2023 at 9:54 am Interesting! It's hard to imagine what it must have been like in its industrial heyday. And I learned a new word - lynchet. Reply + [d346] jcombe says: July 27, 2023 at 8:51 pm Ah yes strip lynchets are quite common on a lot of hill forts in England. Now you mention it I haven't noticed them much in Scotland. It's nice to see areas that were clearly once very industrial have largely returned to nature again. Reply 3. [802c] helpful_mammal says: July 28, 2023 at 5:32 pm Awesome! I never visited Luing (although I was very tempted), so thank you for the chance to do so vicariously. Much appreciated! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here... 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Email Address: [ ] Follow Join 127 other subscribers Round the Island Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Visiting all the maps! Every OS Explorer map area, eventually, hopefully, and related insights into my life. Walking the Coast of Great Britain with Alan Palin BusAndTrainUser Journeys around Britain by bus and train The Glasgow Gallivanter Adventures at home and abroad Walking the coast of Belgium Walking the British Coast Jane's walk Round Britain somewhere near to the edge. Just Coasting Walking the coast of Britain - a walking diary Walking the coast of Malta Closer to the edge Walking the coast of Britain bowlandclimber Walks and climbs A 5000 mile walk A walk around the mainline coast of Britain helpful mammal other adjectives are available Turn Right At Liverpool And Keep Walking Walking the coast, a travelling staycation Werewolfandflump UK Coast Path My 4000 mile adventure around Britain. allanprussell Around These Islands Round Britain and Ireland 2019 trainwalkslondon Walks in London from station to station White Acorns Completing the Pennine Way and other strolls Coast Walk A Gentle Stroll Around the Coast of Britain morphed into Adventures Around the Coast A Trail of Two Hearts Nine years after transplantation, I am setting myself the challenge to raise PS20,000 for the British Heart Foundation by walking 5000 miles around the coastline of Britain. 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