Loch Awe: Access at Kilchurn Castle
Oct 10, 2018
The most popular access point on Loch Awe for kayakers and canoeists is Kilchurn Castle at the eastern end of the Loch. Boats are taken down the access road to the Loch and then cars left in the car park adjacent to the A85. The Castle is a managed by Historic Scotland and is listed. Recently there have been complaints that visitors to the Castle have not been able to park, which is largely due to the sheer volume of visitors which has been averaging in excess of 200 people per day. It doesn’t help if kayakers cars and trailers are taking up parking spaces for a long period of time over weekends or across the high summer holiday months. The ‘carpark’ is an access road for the landowners, Historic Scotland and the railway and access is open for people visiting the castle daily, parking is very limited for the number of visitors as it is.
The landowners (with right of way to the access road) have requested that whilst they are happy for kayakers to drive along the private road to unload boats to be taken to the water, they request that excess cars and trailers be left elsewhere and have suggested that the railway station at Loch Awe has readily available parking with plenty of space and just one vehicle per group be left in the car park/access. They would just like to also hi-light that parking adjacent to the Castle on the A819 is also NOT an option due to the sheer volume of visitors at this layby as well.
The land owners also emailed "We are not trying to be difficult and we appreciate that history has allowed this parking, but the castle has grown in popularity over the past few years and the parking has been tested daily. If we can all work together to enable access to the Loch and accommodate both the visitors, canoeist and kayakers this would be an ideal outcome for all."
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