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Museums and history
in Argyll and Bute.

It’s 01:40 in Argyll and Bute.
Argyll and Bute

Townships, jails and prehistory.

History is everywhere in Argyll. Walk through the last Highland farming township to survive the clearances, see a courtroom of 1820 and its prisons at Inveraray, or explore Kilmartin Glen, with more than 800 prehistoric monuments around it. There are island museums on Bute and Lismore, a clan museum above Oban and a village smiddy at Strachur. Most are small and easy to fit into a day.

Auchindrain Township→
Rest and be Thankful→
Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds→
Inveraray Jail→
Glencoe Folk Museum→
Kilmartin Glen→
Strachur Smiddy Museum and Crafts→
Place of the dayJust now

Dunollie Museum, Castle and Grounds.

The MacDougalls' castle ruin on its cliff above Oban Bay, with a museum in the 1745 House, woodland grounds and a café.

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Newly discoveredJust nowArgyll and ButeCruachan Visitor CentreCafeArgyll and ButeEttrick Bay CaféCafeArgyll and ButeIsle of Lismore CaféCafeIsle of JuraBothan Jura Wild SaunaActivityIsle of JuraJura GuidedTourIsle of JuraBarnhillAttraction

Some good places to go, newly added to the site.

The newest places on our pages in Argyll.

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From our guideJust now

The bridge over the Atlantic.

Between 1792 and 1793, a hump-backed bridge was built between Seil Island, just south of Oban, and the mainland. It therefore spans a narrow section of the Atlantic Ocean.

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StayJust nowArgyll and ButeKabn8.9 milesArgyll and ButeSeal Cabin10.6 milesArgyll and ButeRed Squirrel Cottage10.6 miles

Stay near Auchindrain Township.

The three good places closest to it: Kabn, Seal Cabin and Red Squirrel Cottage.

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Museums and historyJust now

Rest and be Thankful.

The pass at the head of Glen Croe, 803 feet up, where travellers have stopped to rest since the military road of 1749.

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From our guideJust now

Kilmartin Glen.

There are an amazing 350 Neolithic and Bronze Age chambered and round cairns, stone circles and rock carvings within a few miles’ radius in Kilmartin Glen, making it one of Britain’s most important prehistoric sites. Much of the region belonged to the Kingdom of Dalriada, which extended to Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and was established by the Scoti (Irish Celts) who settled here in the 5th century. A few miles south is the Iron Age hillfort Dunadd, with commanding views over the storied landscape of green mounds and hillocks. The hillfort, at its most powerful from 500 to 900 AD, is thought to have been the capital of Dalriada. Some of the stone fortifications remain intact; there is ogham text (straight lines used in early Irish writing) carved into stone slabs; and look carefully and you’ll see a 'footprint' - size 8, apparently - in a rock near the summit that is thought to be connected to the coronation ceremony for the kings of Dalriada. Kilmartin Museum runs guided walks, or you can explore for yourself.

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From our guideJust now

Inveraray Jail.

With glimpses into carefully preserved cells, exhibitions on topics such as torture, death and damnation, and a courtroom playing extracts from actual trials, Inveraray Jail takes you into a 19th-century prison. You can search records from 1820 to 1889, revealing crimes ranging from being drunk and disorderly to the theft of eggs and even being furious and insane.

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Museums and historyJust now

Glencoe Folk Museum.

A folk museum in Glencoe village, at the Loch Leven end of the glen.

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From our guideJust now

World Stone Skimming Championship.

In 1983, an argument in Easdale Island’s pub kicked off the World Stone Skimming Championship. Now attracting participants from around the world to the tiny island off Oban every last weekend in September, the competition takes place in Easdale’s disused slate mining quarries, which were flooded and lost forever following a vicious storm in 1881. People don wacky costumes, while participants must adhere to strict rules, including using stones made of naturally formed Easdale slate.

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From our guideJust now

Bute Museum.

Just off the seafront in Rothesay, Bute Museum explores the island’s archaeology, history, geology, and flora and fauna via an extensive collection of photographs and artefacts. There are Mesolithic microliths, the skull of a young Bronze Age woman, a rare Viking sword hilt found near Ettrick Bay, and a touch table for children.

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From our guideJust now

The Tinkers’ Heart.

This delicate heart-shaped arrangement of 26 quartz stones marks the spot where members of Scotland’s travelling community gathered for marriages and christenings. It’s close to the A815 junction at Cairndow, overlooking Loch Fyne, but is harder to place in history due to the oral nature of the Traveller community’s record-keeping. One story says that the monument was constructed as a tribute to the local tinkers who died in the Jacobite rising of 1745.

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