From Galloway, one can cross into Ireland. A short distance along the Irish coast, one can hop over the sea back to Scotland, but a very different Scotland. This is Highland Scotland, the Mull of Kintyre, only 12 miles from Ireland. Kintyre is perhaps not as mountainous as the rest of the Highlands, but it has wonderful views towards Arran, Ireland, Islay and Jura, and has a slightly more pastoral and prosperous air than the rest of the Highlands. Its main town, Campbeltown - although isolated at the end of its peninsula from the rest of Scotland - is friendly and bustling, more like an Antrim town than a Highland one. It has still figured well in Highland history and this long peninsula with its narrow isthmus was once classed as an island itself!

The Lord of the Isles had a base in Islay, the most fertile of all the islands, and still pleasantly populous today, thanks in no small part to sales of her unique whiskies, often considered the best in Scotland, and therefore the world. Islay has lots of history and friendly inhabitants and, although not as mountainous as some islands, it has some very fine beaches. The Lordship stretched from Lewis in the north to the Isle of Man in the south, and Viking settlers from Norway also ruled the Northern Isles of Shetland and Orkney. The Lord of the Isles and his followers - a mix of norse and celtic - were theoretically under Norweigan control, but in reality their distance from central control and their independent natures meant they were a law unto themselves. The Norse sent longboats to fight the Lord of the Isles, but every time a new Lord was put in place, he became autonomous and started running the place for himself, very similar to the way English inavders later in Ireland went 'native.' After the Scots defeated the Norse at the battle of Largs in 1263, the Lordship of the Isles came under Scottish control, but the same situation continued. The Lord - a MacDonald - even plotted at one point with HenryVIII of England against the Scots king. The Lordship was not subdued until the late 15thc. when James IV, the Scots king, built a ring of castles all round Argyll, now mostly picturesque ruins. The Lord was defeated in battle and never again had any significant influence. Unfortunately, Scotland at this time was still too rugged and trackless a country to be ruled effectively from a central government, and this left a power vaccuum in the western Highlands which resulted in the characteristic Highland period of clan warfare.

Nowhere is the idiom that 'every Scottish island has its own unique character' more starkly illustrated than in the contrast between the neighbouring islands of Islay and Jura. Where Islay is low lying and prosperous, Jura is a rough, hilly wilderness, the entire west coast of which is trackless and uninhabited. Red deer roam freely, and the majority of the tiny population live in the small hamlet of Craighouse near the southern end of the island. It is a long way along a single track road, then rough track, to the northern tip of the island, and the isolated cottage of Barnhill, where George Orwell came for peace and quiet to write his masterpiece, '1984.' At the very northern tip of the island lies a huge whirlpool called Corriebhreachain, the second largest in the world, and the only stretch of water around the British Isles officially classed as unnavigable - although a wily sailor with an eye on the wind and tide can safely sail through under the right conditions. One is a long way from anywhere else here: and a strong walker can enjoy an expedition along the cliffs and caves of the west coast, build a driftwood campfire, sample a malt, and take in the sunset views out to Mull and the mountainous interior of Jura.

The rest of Argyll is slightly less rugged however, and this area was the site of the first foothold of the people who would go on to name the country - the Scots. It was also the area where Christianity was introduced to most of Scotland, and both these invasions came from Ireland. In one small area, Kilmartin glen, a remarkable historical record remains of Scotland's settlers - not just the early Scots, but the people before and after as well. This area is rivalled only by Orkney for its concentration of historical remains - the beautiful, zen-garden like Templewood standing stones, a line of five prehistoric chambered tombs at Nether Lairgie, the ancient citadel of Dunadd, first capital of the Scots (now, alas, little more than a rocky outcrop), the interesting carved tombstones from the 13th to 18th centuries in Kilmartin Church - and more - litter a concentrated area. A car park is provided, shyly hidden just off the main road, and the visitor can take a walk amongst some of the historic and prehistoric remains of this peaceful, small glen, perhas imagining how their ancestors lived before recorded history.

At first the Scots only ruled a small part of Scotland, today known as Argyll. To my mind it is perhaps the most beautiful part of Scotland, and although lacking the grandeur of the best Highland scenery further north, its innumerable bays, islands, and sealochs, with fine beaches and ruined castles, and an air thick with history, is the most enticing part of Scotland. The ancient Gaelic folk tales, with faires, amazons, and heroes, seem to be fresh and wonderful and add light to the landscape. For although the times of settlement were known as the Dark Ages, in Ireland at least - and in Argyll - Christian monks were writing beautiful books and keeping records of history and old stories. The centre of this source of light in Scotland was Iona, where Columba had finally settled. This is a small island which seems somehow to have a lighter atmoshpere than the neighbouring islands, due no doubt to its brilliant white beaches and shallow water. Indeed this island and its neighbour Staffa, with the famous Fingal's cave, rather leave the much larger parent island of Mull in the shade. This is quite a feat, as Mull is a large and very interesting island, with a wonderful coastline, and a high hill with a fine scramble which gives incomparable views of Argyll and the surrounding islands. Especially recommended on Mull is the coastal walk to the Carsaig arches, strange volcanic shapes with tunnels made by the sea, set under 1000ft high cliffs and an outlook to Islay and Jura. Also the wonderfully picturesque castle called Duart is worth a visit, and the colourful island capital, Tobermory. From here one can catch a ferry to the neglected but fascinating mainland peninsula of Ardnamurchan, the westernmost point on the British mainland, and home to some gorgeous beaches with fine views north to the islands of Rum and Skye. The whole area is volcanic and around here some of the foremost pioneers in geology, such as Hugh Millar and James Hutton, did their studying and came up with new ideas about the age of the earth, ideas at the time as blasphemous as those of Darwin, though not as sensationalised.

The whole area off the north of Argyll is littered with islands, many of which are mountainous or have fine beaches. If the Firth of Clyde was a good sailing area, this Firth of Lorne is even better, and perhaps the best area in the whole of Europe, depending upon taste (lovers of warmth might prefer the Greek islands). Tiree, Coll, Colonsay, Lismore, Kerrera, the Garvellachs, the Treshnish Isles - all unique, and inhabited by puffins, seals, porpoises and Minke whales. The capital of all this area, however, is back on the mainland - the port of Oban, the gateway to the isles.
From Oban heading inland, one comes to Campbell country. The two greatest clans in Highland Scotland - the Campbells and the MacDonalds, one based in the islands, and one on the mainland - were almost constantly at each others throats, but it was the Campbells who were wiser in their support of the monarchy and who generally came out on top. Their capital was Inveraray, a beautiful village on the shore of Loch Fyne, a 40 mile long sealoch biting north from the Clyde. From here they plotted and schemed, spreading their influence, and becoming over time the crown's right hand man in the Highlands. Away from the open sea, the hills fall steeply straight into the water and become higher inland. Today much of this area is in the Argyll forest park, a new forest planted this century so that Britain would be self sufficient in timber during wartime. There is some fine walking, especially in the rugged region around Arrochar, and one of the strangest looking hills in the whole country - The Cobbler. To reach the summit of the Cobbler requires rock climbing ability, a rare thing on British hills. From the top of the Cobbler, one looks down to Arrochar, and one of the most famous stretches of water in the world - Loch Lomond.