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A grassy mound and church spire rising above a row of coastal buildings, waves lapping the shore below
Argyll and Bute

Castle Hill, Dunoon

The green hill between Dunoon's two bays, the site of a 13th-century castle, with the Highland Mary statue and wide views over the pier and the Clyde.

Welcome

Castle Hill is the green knoll between Dunoon's two bays, with a fine view over the town and the Firth of Clyde.

A stone castle stood on its top from the 13th century, and Mary, Queen of Scots, came to visit in July 1563. Only grassy mounds are left now, with a flagpole marking the spot, but climb up and you look down onto the town's historic wooden pier. On the slope below stands Highland Mary, the bronze statue of Dunoon-born Mary Campbell, the sweetheart of Robert Burns. She has been here since 1896, holding the Bible Burns gave her and gazing across the Clyde towards Ayrshire. At the foot of the hill, across Tom-a-Mhoid Road, is the Clan Lamont Memorial, a granite memorial carved with a Celtic cross. The clan put it up in 1906 for the Lamonts who died near the spot in the wars of the 1640s, after the fall of their castle at Toward. Castle House Museum stands beside the hill, and there's free parking a few minutes away on Jane Street.

A little further outThe OystercatcherA bar and seafood restaurant on the shore of Loch Fyne at Otter Ferry, with a beach and moorings below.38 min by roadSee itThe Oystercatcher
Before you go

Open at any time, all year.

Where
Castle Gardens, between Dunoon's East and West Bays, above the ferry terminal, PA23 7HH.
Parking
A small car park by Castle House, for five cars, with two accessible spaces; or the council's free car park on Jane Street, a few minutes' walk west.
By ferry
The CalMac passenger ferry from Gourock takes 25 minutes. From the terminal, cross at the zebra crossing and take the inclined path up the hill.
Paths
Paths climb the hill. The Lamont Memorial has a ramp for wheelchairs.
Castle House Museum
Beside the hill, open in its summer season, Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm, last entry 3.30pm.
Dogs
Castle House Museum welcomes well-behaved dogs on leads.

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Where it is

Castle Gardens, Dunoon, between the town's East and West Bays, PA23 7HH.

Close byDunoon and Cowal.
  1. The front of Rock Cafe on West Bay in Dunoon, painted with a big ROCK sign, a caveman carrying a tray and a stone wall, bunting along the roof.Rock CafeA café on West Bay in Dunoon looking across the Clyde, for breakfasts, lunches, cakes and Argyll Coffee Roasters coffee.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Mist on the hills above the still water of the Holy Loch.Holy LochA short sea loch in Cowal named for Saint Munn, home to American nuclear submarines from 1961 to 1992 and quiet again now.3 miles 8 min by road
  3. The avenue of giant redwoods at the entrance to Benmore.Benmore Botanic GardenThe Royal Botanic Garden's mountainside garden in Cowal, entered by an avenue of redwoods planted in 1863.7 miles 14 min by road
  4. The ruin of Toward Castle from the air: its ivy-covered tower and the roofless walls of the courtyard among spring woods, the Firth of Clyde blue beyond.Toward CastleThe ruined tower house of the Lamont chiefs on the Toward shore of Cowal, raised around 1475 and left in ruins by the Campbells in 1646.8 miles 14 min by road
  5. Pines on a point, mirrored in the still water of Loch Eck.Loch EckA long, quiet loch in the Argyll Forest Park, with red squirrels on its shores and the rare powan in its depths.11 miles 20 min by road
  6. A walker on Ardentinny Beach under the trees.Ardentinny BeachThe longest beach on the Cowal peninsula, on Loch Long, backed by forest, with a shore path to Carrick Castle.14 miles 28 min by road
Directions
Walkers follow a path through moss-covered pine trees and fernsAttractionsPuck’s Glen5.3 miles
The wooded shore of Loch Eck.AttractionsJubilee Point, Loch Eck11 miles
The Hollies, Argyll and ButeTighnabruaichThe HolliesSleeps 18 · 24 miles

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The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the hill, and when each is next free.

Glenstriven House, a white Victorian house with grey stone corners, at the top of a gravel drive between lawns, with a wooded hill behind.Glenstriven House
  • Sleeps 15
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 6 miles from Castle Hill
Free 25–27 OctThe Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Tighnabruaich
  • 13 miles from Castle Hill
Check datesA stone cottage with a slated roof sits nestled among dense woodland, two paddleboards resting on the lawn in front.Red Squirrel Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 14 miles from Castle Hill
Check datesSeal Cabin, Argyll and ButeSeal Cabin
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 14 miles from Castle Hill
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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