Path upgrades: news from the Kintyre Way Ranger

[Kintyre Way Ranger]

Hi All
Over here in Kintyre it's been raining off and on for the last three weeks. Not surprisingly several section of the route are very wet. If anyone is thinking of walking the Way over the next few weeks either good boots and gaiters or wellies are essential.  Anyway good news is that we have some funding and hopefully the path between Claonaig woods and Clachan will improve considerably over the winter. I'll let you all know how the work progresses. In the meantime any comments or suggestions on how to improve the Kintyre Way can be sent to me at routemanager@kintyreway.com

[Ramsay]

Well done Owen! Good luck in replacing that nasty stretch under the low tree branches amidst the mud and cattle tracks across the stream on the way to the turkey farm... I did however love being charged by several hundred turkeys lunging toward the fence as I descended the hill toward Clachan.

Sounds like you're off to a great start!  Have you hired the burro yet to carry the boards for water crossings on the Claonaig/Clachan bit?  :-)

Ramsay in Oregon

[Jacquetta]

Thanks, Owen, for posting ... not many rangers are in touch at all, let alone in December!

I accept that in May the weather was mostly good, but wonder if some folk aren't making unduly heavy weather out of the boggy bits ... or maybe it's a matter of managing expectations?  If you walking in the wilds of the Scottish scenery don't you expect some rough stuff?!

My tuppence-worth is that for walkers, Scotland is more of a March-October destination.  In winter months the killer is less the possible danger of snow and ice, more the certainty of short hours of daylight ... It leaves you so much less flexibility and makes it harder to achieve the distances safely.  And of course, if the ground is apt to be boggy in summer, you can guess what will happen in winter!

[Kintyre Way Ranger]

Work has started on improving the path between Claonaig Wood car park and Clachan and will be ongoing until early April. The path is still open but take care when passing machinery and please don't proceed until the digger drivers indicate that it is safe to do so.

[Jacquetta]

That's great news, Owen, thanks for sharing it.  All those who moaned about the boggy bits can now feel confident that they were listened to.  Do please update us when work is finished.

[Kintyre Way Ranger]

Claonaig Wood to Clachan Update

A huge amount of work has been done on this section over the last few months. The first half of the route from Claonaig wood to the top of the ridge is now a wide forest track but we haven't managed to continue the track down to the Larachmór Burn yet so walkers will have to continue to use the existing waymarked path. We also haven't been able to replace the bridge across the burn which mysteriously disappeared over the winter either. During the current incredibly sunny dry spell we have been experiencing the stream is not a problem. However walkers should be aware that after a period of heavy rain they may have difficulty crossing the stream. We are currently looking at options for a new bridge and I'll post an update once a decision is made. On a brighter note there is now an excellent path from the Larachmór burn across the moor, through the forest and right to the top of Clachan glen. No more sinking to the knees in boggy ground! Clachan Glen itself is very dry at the moment but once again can be difficult after heavy rain. We hope to improve drainage there over the next few months.

Other News
Its been VERY sunny over the last few weeks and everything is very dry.  Many sections of the path are a riot of wildflowers but with the summer comes the bracken so strimming has started up. The section south of Ronachan point to Tayinloan has now been strimmed and we will move on to other sections as necessary.