Kames to Millhouse

In 1955, when the government wanted to develop and test Fast Breeder Reactors, they chose to locate them at Dounreay, on Scotland’s far north coast because of the risk of explosion. As well as being about as far removed from Westminster as it could be the area has a very low population. During WWI one of the world’s largest armament factories was created from scratch along the shores of the Solway, on the Scottish side of the border with England and stretched all the way into England. It was so remote that several villages were built just to house the workers who moved there to help create a steady supply of cordite for the army. Further back, in 1839, this remote corner of Argyll was chosen as the location of Scotland’s largest gunpowder manufacturing operation. It existed until 1921 and employed some 400 people producing around 4000 tons of explosives every year.

This walks starts close to the old pier at Kames where saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal, the main ingredients for making black powder, were imported by sea. An old building used to stand nearby where the saltpetre was processed before being transported to Millhouse on the old right of way that is the first part of this walk. On the return journey the horses and wagons were loaded with barrels of gunpowder. This route was know as the Green Road because it had a top layer of turf to avoid the horses hooves making sparks on the stones. Some 70 cartloads of materials would make the double journey each day when production was at its peak. The early sea transport was by sailing ships, which were eventually replaced by steamers, one of which was the appropriately named Guy Fawkes. Although there was a constant danger of explosions it was the sea that claimed this vessel in 1864. There’s a memorial with the names of the crew that lost their lives, when she went down, along with the others who died in explosions, and that of John McGilp who died in 1922 from powder burns sustained as he was dismantling the mill. The old timekeeping bell from the Millhouse factory was used for this memorial and it was erected in 2000. Underneath it is the old mortar that was used to test the strength of the various gunpowder batches

From the north end of the car park follow the footpath sign to Millhouse. This is part of the Cowal way and though it is way marked, follow these instructions and not the marker posts. Head uphill through woodland and eventually reach a junction with a track.

Turn right onto the track and follow it until it bends right towards the golf clubhouse. Keep ahead over the grass on a rougher footpath that goes along the edge of the golf course. When the path ends, keep ahead across the course and towards a tee. The Cowal Way should proceed in a straight line but it is overgrown by gorse beyond the tee.

Just before the tee, cross a footbridge on your right and head downhill around the edge of the course with a clump of gorse on your left. At the end of the gorse veer left and continue downhill to go through a gate in the fence.

Turn left and head back uphill on the other side of the clump of gorse to reach a fence then turn right back onto the Cowal Way. Follow this, often boggy, footpath downhill to exit onto the main road beside a lodge and the Dolphin Bell.

Turn right onto the road and follow it back to the village of Kames. When you reach a crossroads, keep ahead, downhill. The road turns right, then left, then right again. At the next junction turn left continuing downhill to the Pier Hotel. Turn right and continue along the road besides the Kyles of Bute to return to the car park.