After a good journey to Tarbert we were in high spirits when we set off from the harbour, in lovely sunshine, in shorts and T shirts, backpacking only waterproofs, food and other essentials such as first aid kits etc.
The start was easy to find and took us uphill towards the castle where after a few group photographs and enjoying the views of East Loch Tarbert below we picked up the distinctive sky blue KW posts and made our way on a good Forestry Commission (FC) road through the forest.
The route at this point was clearly marked with KW posts at regular intervals and underfoot condition were good.
Having made an early start we were all hungry and had a welcome lunch stop at a conveniently placed picnic table in the clearing between the two parts of the forest below Cruach Doire Leithe.
The KW leaves the FC road here and follows a grassy (and at some bits muddy) track before taking a left turn onto a more distinctive path back into the forest. The lack of a KW post at this point caused confusion for a few minutes as a track appears to go straight ahead up the valley. Having opted for the more distinctive path to the left  we soon came upon KW posts confirming the route. From here the KW path was good and clearly marked all the way to Skipness where we enjoyed an ice cream from the village shop/post office. At Skipness we joined the minor B8001 Road for the 2.4 mile walk passed the Arran ferry jetty to Claonaig where our driver Jim was waiting to drive us to our hotel in Carradale.

Start time 1100 – Finish time 1500 – Breaks 30 mins.

Summary; A good, enjoyable reasonably easy first day’s walk with good underfoot conditions and a clearly marked route with the one exception mentioned. Picturesque start and finish with nice forest walk in between. Need to stock up at Tarbert, next shop at Skipness.
Highs; Just a really enjoyable walk in lovely weather which set us up for the rest of the week.
Lows; None, a good day enjoyed by all.

Other walks and ways: Kintyre Way, Day One

Walking Scotlands coast.....