Venue: Kintyre

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Carradale Goat Hill

A nice route with a couple of steep climbs to a great viewpoint then an enjoyable fast descent down a made footpath.
A Tougher alternative is given that takes you to the top of the hill.
Start at the Network Centre (Tearoom , Bike Hire & small heritage museum). Up the steps at the rear of the site and on to bike. Start up through short steep path in woods to exit onto the forestry road (T2). Turn left and follow this contouring around Goat Hill until reaching the FC car park at Grainain (T3). The route now follows the ‘Kintyre Way’ LDFP. The Kintyre way is not busy with walkers but its worth bearing in mind that there may be some around on the downhill sections.
Steeply up the narrow path (water worn) above car park to exit onto forestry road at T4. Follow to junction and turn right (T5). Carry on along to a junction where the track bears round left (T6). The footpath you want to take is straight in front marked by pale blue post markers. Use path, very steep at first up from track, to get to the top of a summit (T7) with a picnic table. Very good viewpoint.
Then down the footpath (well made single track) all the way back down to Carradale, steep and twisty at first then a straighter and gentler - but still fast.
Exit the forest at the Airds football pitch (T9)and carry on to main road past picnic site (T10). Turn left onto main road then right (T11) towards Port Righ. Go through the gate at the bottom of the hill (T12) – straight on at tight right hand bend - towards beach. Over cattle grid and through a second gate (T13) then right and over small burn by wooden bridge to the back of the beach (T14). Either along beach or field behind it to the caravan site (T15). Now through the estate to exit on to the main road, opposite the Network Centre.

Alternative finish via the summit of Goat Hill
From the bottom of the first steep part of the descent (T8) an alternative is to push up (at first) the footpath on right to the top of Goat Hill (signposted). Then follow the rough and muddy footpath through the heather underneath the summit to the top of a steep, tricky descent. Follow this - steep and grassy in places - back to the Network Centre path at T2. This is Tech Hard grade and Fitness Hard grade

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Around Saddell Glen

Start at the car park off the B842 in the small hamlet of Saddell, alternative parking just inside the estate entrance. Have a look at the impressive carved stone grave slabs in the Abbey a few yards from the car park.
Then head up the hill on B842 towards Campbeltown until reaching the summit. Enter the forest through the large access track entrance on the right (Tag 1)and up a hill round a right hand hairpin. Follow the wide forestry tracks along the line of the Kintyre Way keeping right at a junction. At the second junction (T2) head south west (left turn) through a shallow bealach (gap between hills) and then downhill all the way to the head of Loch Lussa. Do not cross the river here but turn right (T3) and head upstream along the very wide access road to the windfarm. Ignore tracks to right until over the summit and carry on through the windfarm, past the control building (T4) and back into the forest. The forestry track now enters the head of Saddell Glen and contours around the hillside above a deep gorge/valley. Good views from this track down the glen. Follow this track around above the glen until a point directly above Ifferdale Farm (T5).
Look closely below the main track and you will see a far smaller, steep path dropping from the track, from a flat timber stack area on the right, down into the glen – trending rightwards as it drops. Follow this steeply down to the fields behind Ifferdale. Farm tracks and gates lead out to the main farm road running down the glen (T6). Follow this back to the B842 (T7), turn right and back to Saddell.
Cycle through the estate down to the very good beach for a swim if its good weather.