Here I am once again just a couple of days before flying to Scotland for another deep dive of wandering and wondering. This Friday my dad and I fly to Glasgow and begin a two-week jaunt through Argyll & Bute! I have traveled through the region on several occasions over the years but never focused on it, so I’m really happy to rectify that. It’s always exciting to see Scotland at different times of the year, too, and autumn on the west coast ought to be interesting especially given the recent spate of fading hurricanes that have lashed the area.
The impetus for this trip stems from my growing interest of Kilmartin Glen. Kilmartin Glen occupies a region of Argyll between Kintyre and Oban, and it has the most important concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age remains on mainland Scotland. I’ve had the good fortune to see a lot of mainland Scotland, and this is really saying something.
With Kilmartin Glen in mind, I began building out a trip with a visit there as the centerpiece. Argyll & Bute stands in southwest Scotland composed of a series of massive peninsulas created by lengthy, deep sea lochs stretching out of the Firth of Clyde. The isle of Bute made a sensible starting point close as it is to Glasgow. It’s a small island and one I’ve never visited. From there I could ferry to the Cowal Peninsula and see Dunoon and great sweeps of Argyll’s “secret coast.” Then it’s an easy journey to the Kintyre Peninsula. I could finally spend time in Campbeltown, visit Springbank distillery, and soak in the coastlines.
The trip would wrap with a series of days in Kilmartin Glen, the heart of Argyll, from where I could explore in many directions: Oban, Jura, and that shredded coastline of innumerable fingers reaching into the sea. This was the seat of the ancient kingdom of Dal Riada. We’ll wind down the journey in Glasgow with a day immersed in Glasgow’s exuberant culture.
There will be a couple weeks’ quiet here while I’m traveling, but you can follow along with my adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook in the interim.
I find myself reflecting on Traveling Savage now. I created this site almost nine years ago to lever me out of a rut and propel me toward an imagined brighter future. It has accomplished that goal. One cannot travel around Scotland (or anywhere) mostly solo for close to a decade and not see oneself more clearly. My Picture This posts have catalogued this journey the best, even if they’re somewhat opaque. I’m so grateful to have and to have had the opportunity to get under Scotland’s skin, and my own, for that’s what this has been.
I’m happy to have you along for the ride. Until I return,
Sláinte mhath!
Kilmartin Glen was one of the highlights of our trip to Scotland in 2017. Seeing Dunnad, the linear cemetery, the cairns, the standing stones, the museum were a wonderful trip through ancient history. Kilmartin Glen and the Pictish carved stone museum in Meigle were two of our favorite places we saw during our trip, and as wonderful as they are, we had them almost entirely to ourselves.
I can’t wait, Teresa! I loved the Meigle Museum and I know I’ll love Kilmartin Glen.
You’re going to fall in love with Kilmartin Glen. In many ways it is the absolute heart of what would become ancient Alba. As a retired archaeologist, I could happily spend the rest of my days there and not begin to see the five-thousand sites and identified features that there are to be seen. Safe travels!
David
Hi David. Kilmartin Glen was truly spectacular (I’ve returned from the trip). It’s right up there with Orkney as one of the most astounding ancient complexes.