Hopping Across the Cowal Peninsula by Ferry! Tarbert /Portavadie/Dunoon/Gourock (Calmac & West. Fs.

Enjoy two scenic ferry crossings and save two hours' driving time. Perfect! Travellers going from the Kintyre peninsula to Glasgow and the central belt face a long journey up Loch Fyne and down Loch Lomond, but there is another route, taking two ferries to hop across the stunning but little visited Cowal peninsula. Arriving off the ferry from Islay and headed home for Dumfries we drove straight to the Tarbert slipway. This is one of Calmac’s turn up and go services. The crossing takes about 25 minutes. Calmac have operated a small car ferry across Loch Fyne from Tarbert to Portavadie since 1994, although it took another four years to become an all year round offering. The summer vessel is the Isle of Cumbrae. She’s an old lady of the fleet, having been launched way back in 1976.Loch Fyne (Loch Fìne in Gaelic) is, of course, a sea loch, so the waves here can whip up on a stormy day. There used to be very little at Portavadie but these days there’s a marina with holiday accommodation and even a spa. However, we motor on. The Cowal peninsula coastline is a forgotten corner of Argyll. Indeed, it bills itself as Argyll’s secret coast. This is a very different experience to driving the A83 and the A82. Most of the route is a single track with passing places. Few people live here but you can still get a great coffee courtesy of the Argyll Coffee Roasters. Take a break at the wild kitchen at Kame, just follow the aroma of home baking. The main settlement is Tighnabruaich, a...