The Peanuts News: Loch Fyne day 4

We both started the day with a hearty breakfast because we knew we would probably not eat at midday, which proved to be true. We had planned a drive heading due west from the hotel and stopping to see a number of local attractions along the way. The weather forecast promised better conditions than yesterday, but only marginally, so we did encounter a bit of drizzle on and off throughout the day but not enough to interfere with our planned itinerary.

First stop was a historical site at "Achnabrek" where ancient carvings have been found in a number of large stones, probably dating back between 5,000 and 4,500 years. There are notably several sets of concentric circles, the biggest about 40cm in diameter (16"). Some have other shapes with them, radial lines, heart shapes and cup shaped indentations. Nobody knows why they were carved, but ask an archaeologist and they will probably say something about a "ritualistic ceremony".

To reach the stones you have to walk a few hundred metres along a winding footpath through dense woodland. The forest is so dense that virtually no light can penetrate through the trees. It appears to be completely dark beyond the first few metres. Quite spooky - the stuff of fairytales and horror stories.

Second stop was an area called "Nether Largie" where there are several sites with arrangements of standing stones and burial cairns. (For my non-British readers, Stonehenge is not the only standing stone monument in the UK. There are lots!) A short walk through the fields, avoiding the cowpats, allows one to get right up to the stones. Actually there were 5 different sets all fairly close to one another. A short distance further brought us to a fairly large burial cairn, again one of several in the area. We could see about 5 just from where we stood, plus more that we drove past. The one we visited is open, and yes, we did climb inside! Again I hear the archaeologists crying "ritual ceremony".

A short drive further west and we came to the pretty seaside village of "Crinan" where we stopped for a coffee. On a clear day one can see the "Inner Hebrides" islands from Crinan, however we didn't realise that we should have continued just further around the bend to see them, so missed the opportunity.

From there we headed back towards Loch Fyne. On the way we passed the village of "Port Ann" where we had to stop for a photo, for obvious reasons! And a few miles after that we stopped at a living history museum of a rural farm township called "Auchindrain". The collection of buildings and their contents show how people lived in these little farming settlements even up to the 1960s. Very interesting, but alarming to think that people were living in such primitive conditions so recently.

Back to the hotel for a shower and change before we walked into town for supper at "The George Hotel". Excellent food, but the place was a bit loud and crowded for our liking. So now it's time for bed after a busy but enjoyable day.

Enjoy the photos.

Carved stones (zoom in to see the details)