Campbeltown to Dunoon cycle route

Here’s your route guide for exploring the Kintyre peninsula in Argyll. I start in Campbeltown, just reverse the route if you are starting in Glasgow. It’s about 70 miles and you could break the journey with a stay on the Isle of Gigha.

Campbeltown to Tayinloan- 19 miles

Bellochantuy

The first 5 or so miles is inland, through farming country. It’s not that interesting, but soon the road joins the coast and things get much more scenic.

There are dozens of places you could stop on a beach and have it all to yourself. My favourite part of the road was the downward, curving approach to Bellochantuy. A cluster of bright, white houses facing a sandy bay. Children were playing on the beach, dogs barking.

The road is smooth, wide and flat. It was not busy with traffic when I cycled it.

If you are visiting the Isle of Gigha you can catch the ferry from Tayinloan.

A long beach in Scotland. The sky is blue with some clouds

One of many beaches alongside the road between Tayinloan and Tarbert

Tayinloan to Tarbert- 19 miles

This part of the route has a coastal section with plenty of tempting beaches. When the weather is good you couldn’t ask for more from a bike ride. The sun on your back, the scent of the sea and not too much traffic.

After about 8 miles there’s a climb to the village of Clachan which has rows of lovely cottages with perfect gardens. It’s worth stopping here for a walk around.

Cottages in Clachan

Clachan Church, in particular, is a delight. It was built around 1760. Inside there is a beautiful, curved, wooden balcony. I walked up the stairs and took a seat in the balcony to enjoy the silence for a few minutes. I discovered that some of the seating is protected by a door, perhaps these areas were for wealthier members of the community.

Clachan Church

View from the gallery in Clachan Church

Box of numbers to change the hymns board, Clachan Church

There is a collection of medieval grave slabs in the grounds of the church. They are very faded, but the quality of the carving is impressive. One of the slabs has carvings of hounds next to a sword.

Grave slab with carving a sword and hound, Clachan church

The views from this part of the route are spectacular. They look over West Loch Tarbert to the opposite shore.

West Loch Tarbert

After 10 miles you’ll reach Tarbert. A waterfront location with buildings reflected in the water. A place to get a ferry. A pint of beer in the sunshine. A walk to the ruined castle.

A row of buildings, they are reflected in the harbour water. Some are colourful, painted blue and yellow

Tarbert

Ferry from Tarbert to Portavadie- 25 minutes

A small Caledonian Macbrayne ferry, painted white and black

The ferry from Tarbert to Portavadie

This can be a wildlife spectacle. I watched a pod of dolphins, their fins dancing up and under the water.

“There’s a seal!” One of the other passengers pointed to a head bobbing on the surface. “He’ll be after the same shoal of fish as the dolphins. ”

Portavaide to Loch Ruel viewpoint- 8 miles

The 3.5 miles to Kames has a steep climb. There are great views over the fields to the sea and hills of the Isle of Arran.

A view over fields and some farm house towards the sea and hills on the horizon

Views of the hills of the Isle of Arran, seen near Kames

The Kames Hotel is a great place to stay, if you are looking to break your journey. Another reason to stop here is the Shore Road, a short but beautiful cycle with woodland on one side and water on the other.

In Tignabruaich take a look at A.Irvine and Son, a vintage store front. It’s a reminder of the golden age of this village, when twenty steamboats arrived each day with holidaymakers. This is where Glaswegians came in the summer, before the era of cheap package holidays to Europe.

A Victorian-era shop front. It has the words A. Irvine and Son above the door. It is painted white and 3 stories tall

A. Irvine & Son shop front in Tignabruaich

There is a steep climb out of Tignabruaich, but its worth it to reach one of Scotland’s finest views. Loch Ruel viewpoint shows off the beauty of the Kyles of Bute.

Viewpoint of Kyles of Bute. There is a sign showing points of interest and beyond this the loch stretches off to the distance. It has a winding shoreline and some islands

Loch Ruel viewpoint with a sign pointing out what you can see

Viewpoint of Kyles of Bute. There is a sign showing points of interest and beyond this the lView of a loch with a winding shoreline and some islands

The view of the Kyles of Bute from the Locch Ruel viewpoint

Loch Ruel viewpoint to Dunoon- 20 miles

A single-track road that has many ups and downs

The road heading to Dunoon bumps up and down

This section goes up and down a lot, but the smooth road makes for pleasant cycling. You leave the coast behind and head inland for fields, forests and moorland.

It’s worth taking the 1 mile diversion to Kilmodan Church and the sculptured stones. I loved this church with its symmetrical collection of differently shaped windows. There’s a pair of tall arched windows, a pair of small round windows and 4 square windows. It was built in 1783.

Kilmodan Church. It is a Georgian era building with tall arched windows. There are also square windows and small round windows. There's a small bell tower on the roof

The Georgian era Kilmodan Church with its different shaped windows

Inside there’s a unique arrangement of three galleries, each with its own stair and door to the outside. The reason it is like this is supposedly because 3 branches of the Campbell family fell out. The separate balconies meant they could come to church without having to be near each other.

Inside Kilmodan Church

Some of the other things I enjoy about this church are the oil lamps hanging from the ceiling, the decorative handles on the front door and the chain on the outside, to pull the bell. I wanted to hear the sound, but I resisted the temptation to try it.

The place where the church is located is also lovely. Next to the River Ruel with forested hills in the background. The kind of place the word ‘idyllic’ was created for.

Kilmodan Church has a gorgeous riverside location

There’s a collection of carved gravestones at Kilmodan. All but one of them date from medieval times. The detail on them is impressive, with deer, human figures and unicorns.

Detail of a carved gravestone, featuring unicorns

Unicorns on one of the Kilmodan stones

Dunoon- take a look at the Royal Marine Hotel

When I arrived into Dunoon there was one building that took my breath away. The Royal Marine Hotel is a stunning piece of architecture. Built in 1890 it has a distinctive Tudor style. I stopped here for a bit of lunch, more as an excuse to take a closer look at this place

The Royal Marine Hotel in Dunoon. It has a Tudor style

The Royal Marine Hotel, Dunoon

I loved the stained glass windows with sailing ships.

Stained glass windows inside the Royal Marine Hotel

The hotel is right next to the ferry terminal. It takes 20 minutes to cross over to Gourock. Trains from Gourock to Glasgow take around 40 minutes.

The ferry linking Gourock and Dunoon. The hull is painted red and the top is white.

The final ferry of this route. Dunoon to Gourock