something for the weekend

AT THIS time of year, the most optimistic way way to describe our countryside would be, to quote Billy Connolly, windswept and interesting. But if you're hoping to hop up north in the next couple of weeks, you should still just catch the very last of the leaves.

Leaves or no leaves (and there are lots, this being an evergreen Forestry Commission zone), Tayvallich on the shores of Loch Sween in Argyll is a supremely beautiful and chilled-out place to spend a weekend when you're trying to escape a dirty, wet city. It's one of these places that most people don't know about; you drive along lots of unlikely windy roads to get there, and tucked away like a well- kept secret, it is worth the wait.

This west coast area is the geography of my childhood summers; messing about on small boats, fishing on lochs, watching seals and seabirds and picnics in forests, so it was a much anticipated return for my family. Usually such places change over time and what you see with adult eyes is inevitably a disappointment. But we were lucky; Tayvallich has not changed so much. It is still a thriving, beautifully kept village where any new-build houses marry in sympathetically with the existing stone cottage style.

The village itself curves around a lagoon at the head of Loch Sween where a handful of yachts are anchored in the sheltered bay. There is one shop, a church, a school and a decent pub with a good seafood restaurant attached. It is the kind of village where they have summer dances in the local hall, a yachting regatta, a seafood festival, Hallowe'en walks in the forest and Hogmanay ceilidhs. And it's also the kind of place where outsiders are welcome to join in.

We stayed in The Steadings, a cottage we found on the internet, which was a mere five-minute walk from the village. A converted barn of three dwellings it sat at the end of a lane backing on to a bubbling burn with a small garden and a patio which was perfect for five adults plus an enthusiastic golden retriever. It's ideal for a family, with three double bedrooms (master en-suite), a well-stocked kitchen, a living room with TV, video and CD, plus, best of all, a wood-burning stove with a good pile of logs in the shed outside. Views out the back look over some fields to Carsaig Bay and a glimpse of Jura in the distance.

Each morning I woke up the sound of the burn outside and could lean out the window for a few lungfuls of the freshest sea air while looking over to the sound of Jura. What more could you ask as city escapee? For places to see there's the picturesque Crinan canal nearby, Kilmartin with its excellent museum is a few miles sway and there's boat trips aplenty and horseriding and lots of lovely little pubs to just sit in and while away your time. Perfect.

JANE WRIGHT Week-long breaks at the Steadings from (pounds) 225; short breaks from (pounds) 100, depending on season. Email jamesb@riddellj.freeserve.co.uk or visit www.riddellj.freeserve.co.uk or call 01546 870294

Copyright 2002 SMG Sunday Newspapers Ltd.
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