Pagus Soham: Scotland in October

We took a trip up to Tayvallich in the west coast of Scotland during October this year.

Our first view of Loch Sween at Tayvallich, where we arrived late on a damp autumn afternoon.

The next day I did a bit of exploring on foot. We stayed in a holiday cottage on the tiny road crossing the narrowest part of the Knapdale peninsula, and this was the view looking across the road at the entrance to our cottage. Sadly, the cottage itself looked out on a small, uninteresting field.

Looking back along the road towards our cottage, which is obscured by the trees on the left.

Rowan trees were looking spectacular, with their bright red berries blending perfectly with the autumnal colours of the trees.

The road leads across the peninsula to Carsaig Bay looking out on to the Sound of Jura, with Jura itself looming in the distance across the bay. Our landlord lived pretty much at the end of this road, the last hundred yards of which was a muddy pebble track, climbing steeply back up the hill.

This rowan was growing right on the edge of the Sound of Jura, and its bright berries form a sharp contrast with the craggy appearance of its branches, festooned with old man’s beard lichen.

Views over the Sound of Jura.

In places the pebble beach was covered with beautiful autumnal coloured seaweed, left high and dry by the receding tide.

There had been so much rain recently that all drainage ditches were full.

Looking back to Carsaig from the entrance to our cottage, with Jura just visible on the horizon.

A little further down the road and you are back in Tayvallich, where the grey skies and leaden waters of Loch Sween are much as when we first saw them about twenty-four hours earlier.

Later that afternoon we headed out along the road to Keills Chapel at the end of our peninsula. There were many spectacular views of Loch Sween with its banks in their full autumnal glory.

The sun was already low in the sky, and occasional patches of brightness provided a striking contrast to the prevailing dullness.

We didn’t make it all the way to Keills Chapel as the road suddenly deteriorated significantly.

These impressive curly horned rams were quite inquisitive.

Finally, back to Tayvallich, where the waters had settled peacefully for the night.

The next day was much brighter, and it was good to see the odd splash of blue sky across the shores at Tayvallich.

Even so, by the time I’d crossed to Carsaig clouds had obscured the sun again.

Our neighbours at the cottage had several bird feeders and we enjoyed a good variety of common garden birds in the bushes on our patio. The blue tit …

… the chaffinch …

… and the sparrow.

Later that morning we set off for Campbeltown and found Loch Sween perfectly still in bright sunlight. I hope you’re not getting bored with pictures of Tayvallich just yet!

There were some wonderful reflections in Loch Sween as we travelled along its banks to the northern end of our peninsula.

After passing through Lochgilphead we headed south towards the Mull of Kintyre, stopping for tea at a rather noisy café in Tarbert.

Then it was a long journey down the western side of the peninusla with the Sound of Gigha on our right, with the island of Gigha in the distance.

After a splendid lunch in the Royal Hotel's Harbourside Grill in Campbeltown we enjoyed the journey home as light faded. It was a fine evening, so I walked out to Tayvallich later on, hoping to catch some lights reflected in the harbour.

I had quite a wait, as after the clocks had gone back a few days earlier, people were arriving home pretty much after dark.

But it was worth the wait, because suddenly I was aware that the moon had risen and now started to peep out from behind the clouds.

Even so, by the time I headed home again around six o’clock there was still a little light in the sky.

What a contrast the next day proved to be! We had been promised partly cloudy weather with sunny intervals in the forecast the day before, but that proved lamentably wrong. We had planned to drive around Loch Awe, so, hoping the weather would improve, we set out. Loch Sween at Tayvallich was once again shrouded in by now familiar dull grey.

We took the road along the southern banks of Loch Awe, and there were some fine views in the steady downpour. At around midday the deluge eased up and I was able to get out of the car at the Falls of Blarghour, looking lovely surrounded by autumnal forest.

We then headed for Inveraray where we had coffee at Costa’s, and then around the northern shores of Loch Fyne, for another excellent lunch, this time at the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar.

It was around 3:00 before we made it back to Inveraray, here just visible on the far shores of Loch Fyne.

Just on the outskirts of Inveraray this quiet cemetary on the banks of the Loch looked particularly peaceful in its autumn finery.

We had coffee again in Inveraray, this time at a great little Italian restaurant. There was time for a short walk along the banks of the loch afterwards.

Memorial to those who died in the Great War.

The Crinan Canal was familiar territory by now, as we passed it almost every day. It has a pretty staircase of fifteen locks starting at Cairnbaan, where I took these pictures in the fading light.

The slopes of the autumnal forests on the far banks of Loch Sween were perfectly mirrored in the still water, so I had to do a hand-held 1 second exposure at f 5.6 … not bad results!

Bright and early the next day I caught the moon getting lower in the sky as the sun rose.

After breakfast I went for a walk down to Tayvallich and the old adage “red sky in the morning …”, well, it couldn’t have been more wrong, as reflected in these still waters!

And then across to the other side, Carsaig Bay.

This was our final day in Scotland, and so we decided to head up to Oban. Loch Sween at Tayvallich looked, if anything, even more beautiful than when I visited it earlier.