📌 Isle of Lismore, Argyll & Bute
★★★
The fertile island of Lismore means big garden in Gaelic, and takes the form of a long, narrow, predominantly grassy finger dotted with limestone outcrops. With farmland, picturesque hamlets, historic sights and a network of quiet roads and tracks, it’s a welcoming place for a day’s ramble. This deceptively rough route explores the northern portion of Lismore along with the island’s key tourist sights, and can easily be done as a day’s outing from the mainland with the help of frequent passenger ferries from Port Appin (or less frequent ones from Oban, landing half a mile from the south end of the circuit). Refreshments are available at the island’s heritage centre, usefully located approximately at the halfway point. The entire walk took us just under five hours including all the historic sites – but leave plenty of spare time if you’re aiming for the last ferry crossing.
📷 Chronological photo guide
The Point 
Port Aineann 
Looking back to Port Aineann 
Track to Port Ramsay 
Port Ramsay 
Port Ramsay bay 
Coastline between Port na Moralachd & Slughan 
Coastline between Port na Moralachd & Slughan 
Port na Moralachd 
Limekiln at Port na Moralachd 
This grassy ramp gives access to Druim Bàn 
Druim Bàn 
Castle Coeffin 
Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre 
Loch Baile a’ Ghobhainn 
Track to Balnagown 
Faint path alongside the burn north of Balnagown 
Tirefour Castle 
Lynn of Lorn from Tirefour Castle 
Balure from Tirefour Castle 
Bailouchdarach 
Rejoining the main road 
Returning to the shore at Stronacroibh 
Rubha Mòr
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at The Point ferry jetty, northeast tip of Lismore
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NM 895462
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.560287,-5.427149
🚢 Passenger ferry from Port Appin to start
🚗 Car park – but for day trippers, leave the car in Port Appin & use the passenger ferry
📝 Key info
▶ 15 km / 9 mi | ▲ 290 m | ⌛ 4.5-5 hr
Features: 🌊 Isle of Lismore coastline; 🏠 Port Ramsay; 🏰 Castle Coeffin ★★; 🏛️ Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre ★★; ⭕ Tirefour Castle ★★
⬤ Tough | Most of the route is on paths, tracks & minor roads, but some sections are rough, boggy or faint. There are a few pathless sections, notably on approach to Tirefour Broch; at least one fence needs to be climbed. Fairly complex navigation (as usual, O.S. map required).
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit: start – Port Ramsay – Fennachrochan – Port na Moralachd – pass along northeast clifftop of Druim Bàn – Castle Coeffin – Clachan – Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre – leave minor road just short of Balnagown – Tirefour Castle – join road just south of Balure – start via road
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Highland & dairy cows, horses, sheep, hares, buzzards, kestrel.
Weather: Increasingly sunny following cloud sheet breaking up. Moderate northwest wind in exposure, temperature eventually reaching high teens.
June 2021
