Loch Lomond and Cowal Way

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Loch Lomond & Cowal Way
Cowal Way marker post above the Donich Water (geograph 5477451).jpg
Cowal Way marker post above Donich Water
Length92 km (57 mi)
LocationCowal, Argyll and Bute, Scotland
Established2000
DesignationScotland’s Great Trails
Trailheads
UseHiking, Biking
Elevation
Elevation gain/loss1,810 metres (5,940 ft) gain [1]
Highest point520 m (1,710 ft)
Lowest pointSea Level
Hiking details
SeasonAll Year
Waymark Yes
Website http://www.lochlomondandcowalway.org

The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way is a waymarked footpath through the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, between Portavadie on Cowal and Inveruglas on Loch Lomond side. It was formerly known as the Cowal Way, but was renamed in December 2018 to reflect the fact that half of the route lies with the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. [2] The way is 92 kilometres (57 mi) long, [3] [4] [5] [6] and is suitable for both walkers and mountain bikers. [3] Much of the route is also suitable for experienced horseriders, although in some places steps, narrow footbridges and gates may restrict access for horses. A review to identify these obstacles and suggest alternative routes and/or remedial measures was undertaken in 2016. [7]

The route was first established in 2000, [3] and is managed by the Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust. [8] It was renamed in 2018 to in order to increase usage of the trail, as the Trust considered that Loch Lomond had higher brand recognition in the target markets. [9]

Since 2016 the trail has been listed as one of Scotland's Great Trails by NatureScot. [10] The route is fully waymarked with the Loch Lomond and Cowal Way logo, which depicts a stylised image of a path in a landscape of hills and lochs. [11] [12] The trail links directly to another of the Great Trails, the Three Lochs Way, which shares the section between Arrochar and Inveruglas. [13] [14] [15] There are also indirect links to three further Great Trails at both end points of the Loch Lomond and Cowal Way: at Portavadie there is a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service to Tarbert, which is one of termini of the Kintyre Way, whilst at Inveruglas there is a passenger ferry across Loch Lomond to Inversnaid, which is one of the termini of the Great Trossachs Path, and lies on the West Highland Way. [16] [17] [15]

As of 2018 around 45,000 people use the way each year, of whom over 3,000 walk, cycle or run the complete route. The top five markets for users are Scotland, England, the Netherlands, Germany, and North America. [9]

Related Research Articles

Argyll and Bute Council area of Scotland

Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current Lord-Lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current Council leader is Councillor Robin Currie, a councillor for Kintyre and the Islands.

Loch Lomond Lake in Scotland

Loch Lomond is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands. Traditionally forming part of the boundary between the counties of Stirlingshire and Dunbartonshire, Loch Lomond is split between the council areas of Stirling, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire. Its southern shores are about 23 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the centre of Glasgow, Scotland's largest city. The Loch forms part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park which was established in 2002.

Cowal Human settlement in Scotland

Cowal is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the Firth of Clyde.

Loch Fyne Sea inlet on west coast of Scotland

Loch Fyne, is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends 65 kilometres (40 mi) inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the Sound of Jura by the Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, Abhainn Fìne, was a well-respected river.

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park National park in Scotland

Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the fourth-largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It features 21 Munros and 20 Corbetts.

Trossachs Area of wooded hills and lochs in the southern part of the Scottish Highlands

The Trossachs generally refers to an area of wooded glens, braes, and lochs lying to the east of Ben Lomond in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The name is taken from that of a small woodland glen that lies at the centre of the area, but is now generally applied to the wider region.

Arrochar Alps

The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular with hillwalkers, due to their proximity and accessibility from Glasgow. They are largely within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and in part also extend into the Argyll Forest Park. Glens which go into the heart of the range include: Glen Croe, Hell's Glen and Glen Kinglass.

Kyles of Bute Channel in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK

The Kyles of Bute form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and overlooked by rocky tops and areas of moorland.

Tarbert, Kintyre Village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Tarbert is a village in the west of Scotland, in the Argyll and Bute council area. It is built around East Loch Tarbert, an inlet of Loch Fyne, and extends over the isthmus which links the peninsula of Kintyre to Knapdale and West Loch Tarbert. Tarbert had a recorded population of 1,338 in the 2001 Census.

Tarbet, Argyll Human settlement in Scotland

Tarbet is a small village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

The Brack

The Brack is a mountain, located in the Arrochar Alps, on the south side of Glen Croe, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. The Brack has two summits: the lower peak, Cruach Fhiarach, can be seen from the shores of Loch Long, and the main peak is seen from Glen Croe and Loch Goil.

Colintraive Human settlement in Scotland

Colintraive is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Once the site where cattle were swum across the narrows to the Isle of Bute, the MV Loch Dunvegan — a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne — now provides a link to the island.

Portavadie Human settlement in Scotland

Portavadie is a village on the shores of Loch Fyne on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands.

MV <i>Loch Alainn</i>

MV Loch Alainn is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ferry built in 1997 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. Berthing problems on her intended route at Fishnish meant she began a decade of service at Largs. Since 2007, she has operated across the Sound of Barra.

Inveruglas Human settlement in Scotland

Inveruglas is a hamlet on the west shore of Loch Lomond, fairly near the north end of the loch and is within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It is situated on the A82 trunk road, connecting Glasgow to Inverness. It is within the historic county of Dunbartonshire, and since 1996 it has been part of the Argyll and Bute council area.

Cowal is a peninsula, a geographical region in the south of Argyll and Bute, within the Scottish Highlands.

Great Trossachs Path

The Great Trossachs Path is a 48-kilometre (30 mi) long-distance footpath through the Trossachs, in the Stirling council area of Scotland. It runs between Callander in the east and Inversnaid on the banks of Loch Lomond in the west, passing along the northern shores of Loch Katrine and Loch Arklet. The path is suitable for walkers and cyclists; much of the route is also suitable for experience horse riders, although the middle section along the shoreline of Loch Katrine is tarmacked and so may not be ideal for horses.

Kintyre Way Long-distance path in Argyll and Bute, Scotland

The Kintyre Way is a waymarked footpath through the Kintyre peninsula of Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It runs between Machrihanish near the southern end of the peninsula's west coast, and Tarbert at the northern end of Kintyre where the peninsula is linked to Knapdale, via Campbeltown. The way is 161 kilometres (100 mi) long, and is fully waymarked. Additionally there are distance markers at 1 mile (1.6 km) intervals along the route. The route is primarily intended for walkers, but most sections can also be cycled.

Three Lochs Way Long-distance path in the west of Scotland

The Three Lochs Way is a 55-kilometre (34 mi) long-distance path in Argyll and Bute in Scotland that links Balloch and Inveruglas. The path crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, which divides the Scottish Highlands from the Lowlands, and is named for the three major lochs linked by the route: Loch Lomond, the Gare Loch and Loch Long. About 1,500 people use the path every year, of whom about 300 complete the entire route.

References

  1. ↑ "Trails Archive". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Loch Lomond and Cowal Way". Scotland's Great Trails. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 "The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way". Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way". WalkHighlands. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  5. ↑ "Loch Lomond & Cowal Way". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  6. ↑ "Cowal Way". GPS Cycle and Walking Routes. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Vyv Wood-Gee (May 2016). "Cowal Way Multi-use Access Notes" (PDF). Cowal Way. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  8. ↑ "Who We Are". Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Cowal Way becomes Loch Lomond & Cowal Way" (PDF). Loch Lomond and Cowal Way. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  10. ↑ "The Cowal Way joins the SGT family". Scotland's Great Trails. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "Cowal Way News" (PDF). Cowal Way. Autumn 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "FAQs". Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Arrochar to Inveruglas". Three Lochs Way. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "Lochgoilhead to Inveruglas". Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  15. 1 2 "The Loch Lomond & Cowal Way". Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  16. ↑ Ordnance Survey. 1:50000 Landranger Sheet 56. Lomond & Inveraray.
  17. ↑ Ordnance Survey. 1:50000 Landranger Sheet 62. North Kintyre & Tarbert.
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