Carrick Castle Walk 7 – It is also possible to walk to Ardentinny in about 4 hours (12.9 km / 8 miles one way, village to village). The first part of the walk after Ardnahein to the south of the village has now been restored.  The Carrick Castle Amenities Association, in association with other organisations (Lochgolihead Community, Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park & Argyll & Islands Leader) obtained the funding for this project and work was completed in the spring of 2010 and officially opened on 9th May 2010 – See the Ardentinny to Carrick Castle official opening walk here.

Alternatively you can walk just the first part of this walk to the forestry road that takes about 1 hour to it and 3/4 hour back. We now have photographs of this part of the walk that starts from the castle.

Please note there is a ‘Geocache’ on this walk – for more information go to http://www.geocaching.com.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment. Search for a geocache below or learn more about getting started.

Walk 7 – From the castle head south on the road.

Walk 7 – Walk past the public toilets and slipway.

Walk 7 – Walk over the bridge towards Ardnahein on the private road.

Walk 7 – Looking back towards Carrick Castle.

Walk 7 – View towards the entrance to Loch Goil.

Walk 7 – Ardnahein Point.

Walk 7 – Ardentinny sign says 4 miles – go right just before the gate.

Walk 7 – Walk right up to the gate, that says to the left of it ‘Ardnahein Private’, and turn sharp right on to the new path heading towards Ardentinny.  There is another sign ‘Ardentinny’ at the start of the path but it is not visible until you reach this gate.  It takes 15 minutes to reach the start of the new path from the castle.

Walk 7 – The path goes round the back of Ardnahein Farm. The path undulates up and down for this next section.

Walk 7 – The path continues behind the buildings.

Walk 7 – Ardnahein Bay on the south side.

Walk 7 – Great view of Loch Goil and Cruach Mountain to the left when looking north.

Walk 7 – Wild Orchids can be seen along this path.

Walk 7 – The path runs around the back of Toll nam Muc (Swine’s Hole) a nice anchorage between the two red buoys.

Walk 7 – The path behind Swine’s Hole.

Walk 7 – Swine’s Hole looking north – It takes 30 minutes to walk to this point from the castle.

Walk 7 – The new path finishes just after the gate to join the old path.

Walk 7 – The path then crosses a small burn.

Walk 7 – The bridge was constructed in 1998.

Walk 7 – The path crosses a ford – plenty of stepping stones but beware when crossing the burn in spate.

Walk 7 – The path gets steep here – this photo is looking down on where you come up…

Walk 7 – View looking north over Loch Goil towards Cruach Mountain.

Walk 7 – View showing Carrick Castle, Cruach mountain and Loch Goil on a better day!

Walk 7 – The path continues up through the forest.

Walk 7 – The path through the forest.

Walk 7 – The path rises quite high at this point.

Walk 7 – View towards Loch Long.

Walk 7 – View of Loch Goil and Cruach Mountain looking north.

Walk 7 – Looking back at the path to Carrick Castle from the foresty road to Ardentinny showing the sign on the right. It takes 1 hour to this point from the castle, however only 45 minutes back due to going mainly downhill.

Walk 7 – To continue on to Ardentinny turn left on to the forestry road. Don’t turn right as it is a dead end 15 minutes up the hill.

Walk 7 – The forestry road zigzags downhill and on to Ardentinny.

There are currently no more photographs of the route to Ardentinny on this website.

Local facilities at Ardentinny include a hotel, cafe, shop and public toilets. Carrick Castle has only public toilets. There are also public toilets in the Forest Enterprise car park that is near Shepherd’s Point north of Ardentinny (these particular ones are open in the summer only).

This route is available in more detail with an associated map in the Footprint Guide to ‘The Cowal peninsula’ available from Tourist Information Centres. OS Map Explorer 363: Cowal East.