Two fingers to the ash cloud No2

Bute in June




Lighthouse just south of Kilchattan Bay

A weekend is all you need as an introduction to this little gem. I had always been a little sniffy about Bute because of all the 'goan doon the watter fur the fair' history. What I found was an island of many faces.
Bute has a short/long distance route - The West Island Way - This meanders round coast land, through forests and roadside paths for thirty miles, giving the feeling of a long tramp but never far from the main town of Rothesay. The views are towards the mainland and Cumbrae on one side and Arran on the other. Good fish and chips too.

Two fingers to the ash cloud No1

You don't need an ash cloud threat to enjoy what your home country has to offer. Here is one from a selection of trips I have made in Scotland in the past few months.

The Kintyre Way in May

This is a 87 mile long footpath that crisscrosses through the Kintyre Peninsula. We completed it, south to north, in six days but did cheat on two of the road sections because we felt they were too dangerous. It was a unique experience, sore on the feet, kind on the mind. With hardly any other walkers on the route we felt we had the world to ourselves.