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Still loch mirrors pine-covered hillside and shoreline under clear blue sky
Argyll and Bute

Loch Eck

A long, quiet loch in the Argyll Forest Park, with red squirrels on its shores and the rare powan in its depths.

Welcome

Loch Eck is a long, narrow freshwater loch on the Cowal peninsula, running north from near Dunoon between steep, wooded hills in the Argyll Forest Park, part of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.

The A815 follows its eastern shore, with gorgeous views across the water, and it is a quiet place, rarely busy even in summer.

Red squirrels forage along the shores, and deep in the loch swims the powan, a relic of the ice age and Scotland's rarest freshwater fish, found only here and in Loch Lomond. Halfway along is Jubilee Point, a picnic spot on its own little bay. The loch is good water for a kayak or a paddleboard, and for fishing, with permits to buy. The forest walks of Benmore and Glenbranter lie at either end, and the Gleneck viewpoint walk climbs through the woods for a view down the loch.

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The Daily for 9 November, from Scotland with love. an autumn-wooded loch reflected in still water, rocks breaking the surface in the foreground
A little further outOld Castle LachlanThe ivy-hung ruin of the Maclachlans' 15th-century castle on Loch Fyne, bombarded by a government warship in 1746.22 min by roadSee itOld Castle Lachlan

Before you go

The A815 runs along the east shore of Loch Eck, north of Dunoon, with the Jubilee Point picnic site halfway along.

Road
The A815, east shore.
Picnic
Jubilee Point, halfway along.

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Where it is

Cowal, north of Dunoon.

Close byIn Cowal.
  1. The wooded shore of Loch Eck.Jubilee Point, Loch EckA picnic spot halfway along Loch Eck, in the Argyll Forest Park, with red squirrels on the shore and the powan in the depths.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. 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 1863.4 miles 6 min by road
  3. The Allt Robuic tumbling through its green gorge.GlenbranterA forest hamlet by Loch Eck in Cowal, once Harry Lauder's estate, with a waterfall gorge walk and a wildlife hide.5 miles 8 min by road
  4. 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.6 miles 14 min by road
  5. Walkers follow a path through moss-covered pine trees and fernsPuck’s GlenPuck’s Glen is a stretch of forest on the Cowal Peninsula, formed over thousands of years by the river beside it.6 miles 9 min by road
  6. St Munn's Church at Kilmun in sunshine, its square tower and tall windows above the sloping churchyard and its stone wall, the ruined medieval tower beside it and the wooded hill behind.Historic KilmunThe old church of Kilmun on the Holy Loch, open for guided tours from April to the start of November.6 miles as the crow flies
Directions
The blacksmith at the glowing forge.AttractionsStrachur Smiddy Museum and Crafts7.0 miles
Loch Long at Blairmore under a blue sky of high cloud, the white rails of Blairmore Pier and its Saltire on the left and the far shore low across the water.CafeThe Blairmore7.3 miles
Mist on the hills above the still water of the Holy Loch.AttractionsHoly Loch9.0 miles
Bishop's Glen Reservoir above Dunoon on a bright summer day, still blue water below a bank of conifers and birch, a grassy bank along the near shore.WalksBishop's Glen9.6 miles
Dunoon Burgh Hall at dusk, a stepped-gable stone building with a round rose window, its tall windows lit and a green door between two street lamps.AttractionsDunoon Burgh Hall9.6 miles
Castle House in Dunoon, a turreted sandstone villa with battlements, above a rocky bank of rhododendrons in flower, steps climbing the lawn beside it and the Castle Hill flagpole on the left.AttractionsCastle House Museum9.9 miles
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.CafeRock Cafe10 miles
White cottages with black roofs beside a loch, timber-clad building in foregroundRestaurantsInver, Strathlachlan14 miles
Ruined stone tower on a small wooded promontory beside a lochAttractionsOld Castle Lachlan14 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

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

A 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
  • 6 miles from Loch Eck
Check datesSeal Cabin, Argyll and ButeSeal Cabin
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Lochgoilhead
  • 6 miles from Loch Eck
Check datesGlenstriven 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
  • 10 miles from Loch Eck
Free 10–12 NovA dark timber cabin with a pitched metal roof stands among ferns and birch trees.Kabn
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Cairndow
  • 11 miles from Loch Eck
Free 17–19 NovPlaces 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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