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Standing stones in a frosty field at dawn, mist over distant hills
Argyll and Bute

Kilmartin Glen

One of Scotland's richest prehistoric landscapes, with more than 800 monuments within six miles of Kilmartin and a museum to explain them.

Welcome

Kilmartin Glen is one of the richest prehistoric landscapes in Scotland: within six miles of the village of Kilmartin there are more than 800 monuments, and people have been leaving their mark here for some five thousand years.

A line of burial cairns runs down the floor of the glen, and there are standing stones, stone circles, rock carvings and cists, as well as the rock of Dunadd, where the early kings of Dál Riata were made.

The best place to begin is the Kilmartin Museum in the village, which reopened in 2023 after a £7.5 million redevelopment. Its galleries explain the monuments and show what has been found among them, from its nationally significant collection, and it will point you to the sites. From March to October it opens every day from 10am to 5pm, and in the winter months from Wednesday to Sunday. The glen lies eight miles north of Lochgilphead and thirty south of Oban.

Round the cornerKilmartin StonesMedieval West Highland grave slabs of warriors, swords and interlace in the churchyard at Kilmartin.1 min by roadSee itKilmartin church and its churchyard.
Before you go

The museum opens daily 10am to 5pm from 1 March to 31 October, and Wednesday to Sunday 11am to 4pm in February and from November to 23 December; last entry an hour before closing.

The monuments in the glen can be visited at any time.

Museum
Mar to Oct daily 10:00 to 17:00; winter Wed to Sun 11:00 to 16:00.
Monuments
Any time.
Where
8 miles north of Lochgilphead.
Where it is

Kilmartin, north of Lochgilphead.

Close byIn Kilmartin Glen.
  1. Nether Largie Standing StonesNether Largie Standing StonesFive tall stones in Kilmartin Glen raised some 3,200 years ago, thought to mark the rising and setting of the moon.1 mile2 min by road
  2. Carnasserie CastleCarnasserie CastleThe Renaissance tower house of John Carswell, first Protestant Bishop of the Isles, at the head of Kilmartin Glen.1 mile2 min by road
  3. Dunadd FortDunadd FortThe rock of the Gaelic kings of Dál Riata in Kilmartin Glen, with footprints carved for the making of kings.4 miles8 min by road
  4. Duntrune CastleDuntrune CastleThought to be Scotland's oldest continuously occupied castle, on a rock above Loch Crinan, home of the Malcolms since 1792.5 miles14 min by road
  5. Achnabreck Rock ArtAchnabreck Rock ArtCup and ring marks carved into the rock some 5,000 years ago, among the finest prehistoric rock art in Scotland, in Kilmartin Glen.7 miles10 min by road
Directions
Kilmartin church and its churchyard.AttractionsKilmartin StonesA step away
The overgrown stone walls of Kilmory Oib among bright green bracken and trees.AttractionsKilmory Oib Township6.9 miles
A path between azaleas and rhododendrons in flower.AttractionsArduaine Garden10 miles
The covered deck of the Tayvallich Café, picnic tables looking out over the bay.RestaurantsTayvallich Café12 miles
Stay nearby

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

The Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 19 miles from Kilmartin Glen
Check datesA landscape view of the whitewashed cottage in low evening sun, its blue doors, lit lamps and teak chairs, smoke rising from the chimney.Fern Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Croggan
  • 19 miles from Kilmartin Glen
Check datesGlencruitten House, Argyll and ButeGlencruitten House
  • To stay
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 19 miles from Kilmartin Glen
Check datesTimber cabin with copper roof beside a loch, shaded by oak treesUisge Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Oban
  • 19 miles from Kilmartin Glen
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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For further reading, before you go.