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Kilcreggan

Firth of ClydeUse British English from February 2017Villages in Argyll and Bute
Kilcreggan Pier geograph.org.uk 761016
Kilcreggan Pier geograph.org.uk 761016

Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: Cille Chreagain) is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach of Glasgow at about 25 miles (40 km) west of the centre of Glasgow by boat. Many Glasgow shipowners and merchants made their summer retreats or even permanent residences there, and this is reflected in some very grand houses along the shore. Not all have remained occupied; some were demolished and others have been converted into flats. Its location at the end of the Rosneath peninsula, between the Gare Loch and Loch Long, makes the journey 38 miles (61 km) by road. The B833 minor road runs along the shore for the length of the village then cuts north inland just to the east of Kilcreggan pier rather than going east along the shore past Portkil Bay to Rosneath Point. About 2 miles (3 km) north of Kilcreggan the road reaches the village of Rosneath then continues north along the shores of the Gare Loch. The majority of the houses look south across the Clyde towards the towns of Gourock and Greenock, and further down the firth towards the Isle of Arran. Large attractive houses continue westwards from the pier towards Baron's Point, which marks the southern entrance to Loch Long, almost to the adjoining village of Cove which looks across Cove Bay towards Blairmore, only about 2 miles (3 km) distant, but separated by the deep waters of Loch Long. To the east of the pier, houses at Portkil extend down to Portkil Bay, and the 413-foot (126 m) hill at Rosneath home farm is topped by a television mast. A ferry subsidised by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport provides a regular service from Kilcreggan pier across the Clyde to Gourock. Until 2012, the ferry service also included crossings of the Gare Loch to Helensburgh, and was operated by Clyde Marine Services which ran the elderly MV Kenilworth until 2007 when they introduced the new MV Seabus for the route. After re-tendering, the contract for the Gourock to Kilcreggan route was awarded by SPT to Clydelink which bought the smaller MV Island Princess for the run and commenced services on 1 April 2012. On 24 March 2012 more than 400 people protested at the pier over fears for the future of the service. The contract was taken away from Clydelink and returned to Clyde Marine, who resumed the Gourock to Kilcreggan ferry service on 14 May 2018 with the former Seabus, now in blue livery and renamed Chieftain. CalMac are to take over the contract from 1 June 2020, leasing Chieftain from Clyde Marine.Kilcreggan is in the historic county of Dunbartonshire. Before the local government reorganisation in 1975 it formed part of the joint police burgh of Cove and Kilcreggan. It then formed part of Dumbarton District and Strathclyde Region until the reorganisation of the 1990s. It has been part of Argyll and Bute unitary authority since then. Craigrownie Parish Church of Scotland serves the communities of Ardpeaton, Cove and Kilcreggan.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Kilcreggan (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Kilcreggan
Tigh Dearg Road,

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Wikipedia: KilcregganContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 55.984722222222 ° E -4.8302777777778 °
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Tigh Dearg Road

Tigh Dearg Road
G84 0JZ
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Kilcreggan Pier geograph.org.uk 761016
Kilcreggan Pier geograph.org.uk 761016
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Granny Kempock Stone
Granny Kempock Stone

The megalithic Kempock Stone, popularly known as Granny Kempock (perhaps because of its resemblance to an old woman), stands on a cliff behind Kempock Street, the main shopping street in Gourock, Scotland. The stone, or menhir, is grey mica schist and of indeterminate origin, but it has been suggested that it is an old altar to the pagan god Baal, or a memorial to an ancient battle. Supposedly there is a superstition that for sailors going on a long voyage or a couple about to be married, walking seven times around the stone would ensure good fortune. A flight of steps winds up to the stone from Kempock Street below. There is also an association with witchcraft. In 1662 Marie Lamont and a group of other local women were burned to death in the local area after it was alleged that she and her coven had danced around the stone on the sabbath, with the intention of cursing and sinking shipping that passed through the Clyde by casting the long-stone into the sea. A decorative iron archway sits above the passageway leading up to the stone. A number of markings exist on the stone. Some of these appear to be 17th- to 19th-century graffiti and most are obviously initials. Alongside some of these initials are some as yet unexplained symbols or markings which resemble modern-day navigation marks. These may be mason's marks but it is unclear why someone would claim artistry on an irregularly shaped piece of stone with no apparent working, unless of course it originally formed part of a larger structure, perhaps nearby Gourock Castle. There is also a 2 cm (¾") hole at the bottom of the stone. It is not known if this hole goes all the way through the stone, but if it does, this could point to the stone having been moved at some point or used as perhaps an anchor stone or counterweight. Given the stone's current location it has been suggested that the stone's original location may have been elsewhere. A 1987 children's fantasy TV series Shadow of the Stone written by Catherine Lucy Czerkawska dramatises the witchcraft element. The series stars Shirley Henderson in the role of a young girl, who has some kind of spiritual connection with Marie Lamont, and Alan Cumming as her boyfriend. Scenes were filmed in and around Gourock. In "Notes about Gourock", published 1880, Reverend D. Macrae writes: "A Bronze Age standing stone dating from about 2000bc. This is the famous 'Lang Stane' of Gourock, more familiarly spoken of as 'Granny Kempock'... It is supposed that the Kempock Stone marks the site in Druid times of an altar to Baal... However that may be, The Kempock Stane was for many centuries an object of superstitious awe and reverence... Marriages in the District were not regarded as lucky unless the wedded pair passed round the 'lang stane', and obtained in this way Granny Kempock's blessing... It was chiefly in connection with the winds and sea that the Kempock Stane was regarded with superstitious dread... sailors and fishermen were we... to take a basketful of sand from the shore and walk seven times round Granny Kempock, chanting a weird song to insure for themselves a safe and prosperous voyage."