Kilmun – An Old Churchyard, Big Trees and Lunch on Loch Eck
A few hours.
The route
Kilmun sits on the north shore of the Holy Loch, with an old church and churchyard and an arboretum on the hill behind.
The morning starts among the stones, climbs through the trees, then drives up the glen to lunch at an old inn by Loch Eck.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Glenstriven House. Sleeps 15; next free Sun 1 Nov to Tue 3 Nov.
The day
Kilmun
A morning of old stones and big trees, with a climb through the arboretum and lunch by Loch Eck to finish.
About three hoursAbout 1 mile on foot
Historic Kilmun
Park in Forestry and Land Scotland's free car park at the western end of Kilmun village, a short walk from the church. Over a thousand years ago the Irish saint Fintan Munnu founded a Christian community here, and the village takes its name from his cell. Beside the church of 1841 stand the ruined tower of the old collegiate church and the Argyll Mausoleum under its cast-iron dome, where the Campbell chiefs were buried until 1949. Elizabeth Blackwell, who led the way for women in medicine, rests in the churchyard. From 2 April to 1 November the church opens Thursday to Sunday, 11am to 4pm, with a guided tour in the £5 ticket (under-16s free); at other times, panels outside tell the story. Then climb into Kilmun Arboretum, planted since the 1930s with over 150 kinds of tree. The Conifer Trail is a steep half-hour climb of three-quarters of a mile among redwoods, sequoias and monkey puzzles, looking over the Holy Loch; the John Jackson Trail is a gentler quarter-mile among maples and Japanese cedars. The nearest public toilets are in Dunoon.
About 10 min by car
The Coylet Inn
Lunch
The Coylet Inn is up the glen of the River Eachaig, past the Benmore estate where the sugar refiner James Duncan planted six million trees, at the foot of Loch Eck. The inn has almost 400 years of history, and its kitchen pairs pub favourites with local produce such as wild venison and Scottish seafood. Lunch is served from noon, Thursday to Sunday: ring 01369 840630 to check the day's times or to book, or book a table on its website. Dogs are welcome in the bar and the conservatory, and there are dog-free tables too.
If it rains
On a wet morning, keep to the churchyard and the short John Jackson Trail, then go on to lunch at the Coylet.
On the way
- Benmore Botanic Garden
Benmore Botanic Garden is a little way back down the same road from the Coylet: 120 acres of giant conifers and rhododendrons on the hillside, entered by an avenue of redwoods about 160 years old, with a Victorian fernery and a viewpoint over the Holy Loch. It opens every day from 1 March to 31 October, 10am to 5pm, and costs £12 an adult with a donation (£10.80 without); children 15 and under go free. Dogs on a short lead are welcome, but not in the Fernery.
Where to stay
Make it a weekend
More days out in Argyll and Bute.
Photographs by Jorgelina del Milagro Zelaya, Paddy Pollard and The Coylet Inn via Google
Maps from OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors; heights from Mapzen's terrain tiles.