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Argyll and Bute.

Seal Cabin · Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute

Seal Cabin.

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Argyll and Bute

Where to go, eat and stay in Argyll and Bute.

Sea lochs cut deep into the hills along Argyll's coast, and there's always a ferry heading out to another island. Oban sits on its horseshoe bay with McCaig's Tower above it, and the boats leave for the isles from right beside the station.

Castles, standing stones and island chapelsPlaces to visitBeaches, islands, forest walks and hillsWalks and the outdoorsOysters, seafood from the pier and old innsFood and drinkShops, studios and makersShops and makersThe distilleriesWhiskyBothies, cabins and houses by the waterPlaces to stayDays we have driven, stop by stopDays out
The guide

Our guide to Argyll and Bute.

All of Argyll and Bute, part by part: what is where, how to get round, and where to eat and stay. Photographed by us.

Read the guide to Argyll and Bute
PubsFor today's weatherIsle of IslayHarbour InnRestaurantArgyll and ButeThe Oyster Inn, ConnelRestaurantArgyll and ButeThe Oban InnRestaurant

A pint by the fire.

Pubs with good food, and the fire lit by October.

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From our guideOban and areaSt Conan’s KirkOban and areaKilchurn CastleLochgilpheadKilmartin GlenLochgilpheadDuntrune CastleLoch FyneAuchindrain TownshipLoch FyneInveraray Jail

The history of Argyll and Bute.

Once upon a time on a round hill in Kilmartin Glen, the first kings of Scotland were inaugurated in a ceremony that symbolically married them to the land.

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Days outA morningPort Askaig and paint-your-own pottery at PersabusBy carA morningA walk up to the Cruachan Dam above Loch AweBy carA morningA walk through Glenan Wood to the lost villageBy carA morningA walk to Old Castle Lachlan from InverBy carA morningA walk to Finlaggan, island of the Lords of the IslesBy carA morningA walk on the Kilmartin Coach Road to Carnasserie CastleBy car

New days out in Argyll and Bute.

Ready-made days, the newest first, each with its drive times, its stops and somewhere to eat.

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In Argyll and Bute10 minutes ago

The community garden at Cardross station in Argyll and Bute has won the RHS's new Railway Stations in Bloom award.

Volunteers took on the station in 2022 and now grow flowers, fruit and vegetables along its platforms and embankments. Cardross beat four stations from England to the award, which is new this year.

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In Issue 13The magazine

A Weekend Exploring the Isle of Mull

Photographer, painter and now magazine founder, Shelley Richmond wears a few hats on the Isle of Mull. She shares her insider's guide to the island, revealing the beaches, creative corners and much-loved local spots that shape her life in Dervaig.

Read it in Issue 13
From our guide23 minutes ago

Mount Stuart.

This 19th-century manor house on Bute, home to the Stuarts of Bute, is a vision of Victorian Gothic architecture in red sandstone, elaborate arches and spiky turrets. Every nook and cranny is exquisite – from larger masterpieces such as astronomy-inspired stained glass windows and a map of the stars on the Marble Hall ceiling to squirrels munching acorns in the wooden trim around the dining room. It reflects the Third Marquess of Bute’s interest in astrology, astronomy, mysticism and religion, and contains a casket that was used to transport his heart to the Holy Lands. They say that the keys to the casket were returned to his wife so she would have "the keys to his heart". It was the first house in Scotland to have electric lights, an indoor swimming pool and a telephone, and the 300 acres of grounds are a luscious encyclopedia of unusual trees and plants from across the world.

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Food and drink35 minutes agoArgyll and ButeCuan Mor, ObanRestaurantArgyll and ButeDalavich Shop and Wild Rowan CafeRestaurantIsle of MullCafé FishRestaurantArgyll and ButePoppies, SaulmoreCafeIsle of MullAn Cala CiùinRestaurantIsle of IonaSt Columba LarderRestaurant

Somewhere to eat in Argyll and Bute.

Six of ours, a different six each day.

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True or false47 minutes ago

True or false: the house in Skyfall, James Bond's family home, was built in Glen Etive.

Did you know59 minutes ago

There are more than eight hundred ancient monuments within six miles of this field.

Kilmartin Glen in Argyll is one of the richest prehistoric landscapes in Scotland, and the museum sitting in the middle of it counts over eight hundred monuments inside six miles of its own front door. People have been living in these few miles of low ground for something like twelve thousand years. The stones standing here are a small part of what is within a walk of them, and Kilmartin Museum is the keeper of what has come out of the ground around them.

See Nether Largie Standing Stones · Argyll and Bute
From our guide1 hour ago

Isle of Kerrera.

Ten minutes by ferry from Oban, forboding stocky cliffs topped with glossy green constitute Kerrera, which looks like something from Game of Thrones. Old sea stacks at its southern end support the partially restored skeleton of 16th-century Gylen Castle, which was occupied for only 100 years before it was besieged and burned down. Kerrera’s 10km circuit is often described as one of the best coastal walks in the UK, taking in views of Mull, Colonsay and the Garvellachs. You’ll also pass Kerrera Tea Garden, which serves sandwiches made with homemade organic sourdough and eggs from the island.

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Did you know1 hour ago

From Ulva Ferry on the Isle of Mull, Turus Mara lands visitors for two hours on Lunga, among the puffins of the Treshnish Isles.

Lunga is the largest of the Treshnish Isles, and its colony of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes, fulmars and shags is one of the most accessible in Scotland. The boat leaves daily at 11.40am from April to the end of July, and calls at Staffa for an hour. It costs £85 for adults and £42.50 for under-16s. The family firm has sailed these waters since 1973, and runs trips from Oban too.

See Turus Mara · Argyll and Bute
In Glasgow1 hour ago

The paddle steamer Waverley had almost 160,000 passenger journeys this year, her second-busiest season in almost 30 years.

In her 80th year she sailed the whole six-month season without a cancellation caused by a technical fault. Her last call of the year was at Tighnabruaich in the Kyles of Bute on 18 October.

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