Please sign in to post.

Argyll and Bute, Scotland

This is a long shot, and probably a big ask. I'm bringing my mother to Scotland in October. She is 89. I've been getting lots of help and working hard on a doable itinerary for her.

So, today, she decides she desperately needs to track down her ancestor. I've tried to figure out this for her in the past and was just able to get a general region, southwest of Glasgow. Today, I quite easily tracked down her ancestors and I can trace where they lived and died. I found the cemetery where they are buried. I've never been to Scotland, but I've spent a lot of time over the last month pouring over maps, and this cemetery seems like it would be quite challenging to get to on public transportation. I have information and pictures from Wikipedia and Wiki travel and know where every place is located, etc., but if anyone has anything they want to share with mom on these cities beyond what I can get on the internet, we'd appreciate it. They initially lived in Cumnock, Ayrshire (1778-1841), then they moved to Saddell and Skipness (1851), and died in Carradale (1855), Argyllshire, in Argyll and Bute. Cemetery is Waterfoot Burial Ground, it is on a roadside and not in great shape. I did find a photo of the cemetery and tombstone. Just her luck, it seems to be in quite a remote location. Interestingly, we will be going to Oban which is in the same region.

I'm just thinking if someone on the forum lives or has traveled to this area and wanted share anything, we'd appreciate it. I told her I could take her to Carradale, but that would take up probably half her trip.

Posted by
83 posts

You can hire a car in Oban, you'll need to contact the agents to request an automatic if that's what you prefer, most cars will be manual. From there it's a stunning two hour drive to Carradale.

I would not attempt it on public transport at all, public transport in rural Scotland tends to be ok to get you from your village to your nearest large town. Anything beyond it such as this, a longer trip over multiple bus routes, will just take an age and with the potential for a delay to cause you to miss a connection and be stuck somewhere.

Posted by
8206 posts

Olivia, that's quite tempting. Is it fairly rural? I would not be concerned at all except that the driving on the opposite side of the road makes me nervous. The directions seem quite straight forward.

Posted by
83 posts

Yes it's very rural. Once you get off the main road at Kennadale, the road is mostly single track with occasional passing places eg

https://maps.app.goo.gl/i49dVYzotKNr1987A?g_st=ac

Driving on the opposite site is not challenging per se, and as brits we have to do it just about every time we go anywhere that is not Ireland. I find you adapt in about ten minutes.

The challenge for you as an American is that the roads just demand more concentration, they are narrower, there are lots more roundabouts, and the locals who are used to all the above will appear to be flying past (although I will say in general British drivers are very courteous)

Posted by
11700 posts

Are you also intending going to Cumnock? We don't seem to have dates yet for this year, but based on last year you will only just have missed the Cumnock Tryst- quite an important musical and cultural festival in the area- nothing touristy about it, the absolute real deal. Although best done from Glasgow it can be visited from Edinburgh.
Indeed, mercifully, the tourist economy doesn't even seem to have heard of the Tryst- a purely local thing.

At Carradale you will meet buses on that road as there are 4 buses a day from Campbeltown.

It is also possible to fly from Glasgow to Campbeltown with Loganair (a wonderfully scenic flight), and rent a car there. Like at Oban they are local car hirers so one way rentals are not possible.
But from Campbeltown there are Citylink buses to Lochgilphead for connections to Oban.

Time is your enemy here, because you could drive from (Edinburgh) to Cumnock to Troon/Ardrossan (whichever of the ports is then in use in this never ending game of musical chairs) over to Arran (1 night), around Arran, then the ferry over from Lochranza to Claonaig (for Skipness Castle) then the Kintyre 66 road route down to Carradale, on to Campbeltown then up the other side of the Kintyre peninsula on the main road to Oban.
Everyone here turns north from Claonaig for Oban and ignores the Kintyre 66, which is a real shame. And if Mull becomes untenable due to a certain Motor Rally the Isle of Gigha is just off the K66- one of those little gems of an island.

At Cumnock there are two good little museums- the Baird Institute (Thursday to Saturday) and the Cumnock Heritage Centre (Friday and certain Sundays).

Also, just outside Cumnock, there is Dumfries House- another place which international tourism ignores, but is well known domestically- https://dumfries-house.org.uk/