Weekend On The Cowal Peninsula
This is a 3-night all-inclusive break, designed to give you a taster of one of Scotland’s recently revived ancient pilgrim ways. Accommodation is in a delightful private mansion house overlooking the Clyde estuary. This small group weekend break, for 14 guests, features 3 nights fully-catered luxury accommodation, with 2 full-day guided walks and fascinating talks from local experts.
St Munn’s Way in Argyll
The Cowal Pilgrim Way is located in Argyllshire on the Clyde estuary. This beautiful landscape of hills, glens and sea lochs is one of the most accessible parts of the Scottish Highlands. Cowal is a lush landscape of lonely hills, glens and crystal clear sea lochs. The parish of Kilmun is our location for the weekend and the start point of the 80 mile St Munn’s Way. The prefix ”Kil” in Scots means ”Saint”, hence the parish of Kilmun.
The west coast of Scotland was the arrival place of many Irish Saints, including Ninian, Columba and Munnu who founded communities and brought Christianity to Scotland. Cowal has some of the earliest signs of Christianity in the Gaelic world, thought to even pre-date St Columba’s 6th Century monastery on the Isle of Iona. Kilmun became the major church of the area, as well as the burial-place of the Campbell Dukes and Earls, and established a collegiate church served by a community of priests. It is probably the cult of St Munnu at this place that gave rise to the name Holy Loch on which the church stands. The mausoleum of Clan Campbell still stands on the site of the church.
Price
£750.00 per person based on two sharing double or twin accommodation
Includes:-
- 2 full-day guided walks on St Munn’s Way
- En suite accommodation
- Breakfast on three mornings
- Packed lunches for the guided walks
- Dinner on three evenings
- Afternoon tea on three days
- Honesty bar
NB We have exclusive access to Strone House during this weekend break
Not included:-
- Transport to/from Cowal
- Travel Insurance
Dates
- Friday 16th – Monday 19th July 2021
- Friday 13th – Monday 16th August 2021
Strone House
The beautifully appointed Strone House will be your home for 3 nights and is exclusively for the use of our weekend party. We have 5 luxury double ensuite rooms and 2 luxury king-sized twin ensuite rooms. The house has wonderful sea views, spacious drawing room, large kitchen, wonderful dining room, games room, outdoor area with pixie house.
Our hospitality team will be on hand to assist you during your stay. Enjoy informal talks from local experts who will share their knowledge and connections with the area. Discover more about the ongoing project to revive 15 Scottish Pilgrim Routes. The Clyde was once the busiest shipping route in the world, hear tales from centuries of shipping and wrecks. Benmore Botanic Garden is a magnificent mountainside garden and home to a world-famous collection of exotic plants from the Orient, the Himalaya and the Americas. The dramatic viewpoint at 450 ft (140m) overlooks Holy Loch and neighbouring mountain tops. You may like to visit the garden before you leave the area.
The Walks
On Saturday we set off on foot from Strone House heading west, with a two-mile warm-up walk to Kilmun Church and the Clan Campbell Mausoleum. After a guided tour of the site, we continue through Kilmun Arboretum into Pucks Glen and on to Ardnadam. On Sunday we head east towards Ardentinny on Loch Goil and onto Castle Carrick where Mary Queen of Scots stayed in 1563.
The Guide
We are delighted that Dan Romani is personally guiding both walks. Dan is at the heart of the Cowal Pilgrim Way project, having personally explored, mapped and developed the full 80-mile pilgrimage route. See the map at the bottom of the page.
Getting There
- By road – 90 minutes by car, north approach from Glasgow via Loch Lomond
- By Road and Ferry – 90 minutes by car, south approach from Glasgow via Greenock
- By Train – 50 minutes from Glasgow to Gourock
- By Ferry – 15-20 minutes crossing with a car or as a foot passenger. NB there are two ferry terminals, Gourock is by the Railway Station, McInroy’s is 2 miles further away.
- By Taxi – 10 or 15 minutes from either of Dunoon’s ferry terminals to Strone House