Cowal Way / Loch Lomond & Cowal Way
The Cowal Way (also called the Loch Lomond & Cowal Way) is an 87 km waymarked route from Portavadie on the Kintyre coast to Inveruglas on Loch Lomond — through the Cowal peninsula and its forgotten glens and sea lochs.
This route has no official waymarking. Serious navigation experience is required — do not rely on GPS alone. Carry OS 1:25,000 maps and study the line before you go.
About Cowal Way / Loch Lomond & Cowal Way
The Cowal peninsula sits between the Firth of Clyde and Loch Fyne but remains almost entirely off the tourist trail — despite being less than an hour from Glasgow. The Cowal Way runs across it from the Kintyre ferry at Portavadie to Loch Lomond, passing through a series of empty glens, sea loch inlets and the forests above Dunoon.
For trail runners it is a two to three day challenge on varied terrain — from coastal paths and sea loch shores to high moorland and forest tracks. The Cowal peninsula roads are quiet and the glens genuinely empty. This is one of the least-known Scotland's Great Trails and all the better for it.
The route
Portavadie to Tighnabruaich (~20 km): Along the Kyles of Bute coast — one of Scotland's most scenic sea channels.
Tighnabruaich to Glendaruel (~20 km): Through the Cowal glens, climbing to moorland before descending to Glendaruel.
Glendaruel to Dunoon (~25 km): Through the forest above Dunoon and the Holy Loch.
Dunoon to Inveruglas (~22 km): By ferry across the Firth to Gourock then north (or by the long road route) — or directly from Dunoon over the Cowal hills to Arrochar and Inveruglas on Loch Lomond.
Getting there & logistics
Start: Portavadie. Ferry from Tarbert (Kintyre) or from the Clyde coast.
Finish: Inveruglas, Loch Lomond. No train station — bus to Arrochar; bus to Glasgow.
Best time: May to September.
Safety
The Cowal hills section and the moorland crossings are the most remote. Limited mobile signal in the glens. In an emergency: call 999 or 112, ask for Police then Mountain Rescue. Dunoon-based services cover most of Cowal. Pre-register SMS 999.
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