Ardentinny and Coulport

on Feb 29, 2020

The ferry across Loch Long at Ardentinny has been in existence long before steam boats gained access to the Clyde sea lochs. It formed part of an old drove road to bring cattle from the highlands to the Falkirk market. The crossing to Coulport, over to the Gareloch and thence by Glen Fruin to Balloch and the Endrick valley was a convenient track for the drovers from Lochfyneside. After the introduction of steam boats on the Clyde, the ferry also provided access for local residents and visitors who could sail from Glasgow on the steam boats bound for Lochgoilhead and Arrochar and land at the picturesque village on Loch Long. The landowner, General Sir John Douglas of Glenfinart was one of the promoters of the Caledonian Railway’s Gourock Harbour and Quay Bill to provide a pier and terminus at Gourock. In his statement in April 1883 he indicated that he never could understand why there...

Glenfinart

on Apr 26, 2019

The steam coaster Glenfinart was built by Messrs Burrell & Son in 1892 at their Hamilton Hill yard on the Glasgow extension of the Forth and Clyde Canal. As befits a puffer, for that is what she was, her dimensions conformed to the necessities of the locks on the canal, 65.6 ft length by 17.4 ft breadth and 6 ft depth, 52.47 tons gross and 31.46 net. She was constructed of steel and had a compound, direct-acting vertical engine supplied by Messrs Walker, Henderson & Co., Ltd., Glasgow, that was rated at 10 h.p., driving her single screw. Glenfinart around 1900 at Blairmore with Caledonia Her first owner was Robert Muir of Ardentinny, one of a family of fishermen who were about to embark on an adventure in the coasting trade. The name of the vessel was an appropriate one as Glenfinart House and the associated estate were adjacent to Ardentinny on the shores of Loch Long....

To Dark Lochgoil

on Dec 22, 2016

The importance of the Lochgoil route to Inverary and the Highlands was recognized from the beginnings of steamboat traffic on the Clyde and the early developments will be documented in a separate article. The Lochgoil & Lochlong Steamboat Company dated from 1825. From the beginning, the company adopted a bold and attractive colour-scheme for its funnels: red with a black top surmounting alternating white-black-white bands. The Lochgoilhead mail contract provided a subsidy that ensured year-round service. The Company and its steamers had a reputation for being well run and sailed through some of the most dramatic scenery on the sea-lochs of the Clyde. After leaving Greenock, Blairmore, Cove, Ardentinny, Coulport, Portincaple, Carrick Castle (in the photograph above by Annan), Douglas Pier and Lochgoilhead were the places where calls were made, initially by ferry but later, piers...