Southern Highlands & Islands
The family seat of the Stuart Earls of Bute is one of Britain's more magnificent 19th-century stately homes, the first to have a telephone, underfloor…
Must-see attractions in Southern Highlands & Islands
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
At the northern end of Loch Awe are the scenic ruins of the strategically situated and much-photographed Kilchurn Castle. Built in 1440, it enjoys one of…
-
Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lomond
Two areas of great natural beauty, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, became the heart of Scotland's first national park, created in 2002. The park extends…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
If the tide is right, don't miss walking across the half-mile of cockleshell-strewn sand linking Colonsay to smaller Oronsay. Here you can explore the…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Bonawe Iron Furnace is one of the region’s most unusual historical sights. Near Taynuilt (not Bonawe), and dating from 1753, it was built by an iron…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
This museum, in Kilmartin village, is a fascinating interpretive centre that provides a context for the ancient monuments you can go on to explore,…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
One of Scotland's most spectacularly sited castles, Castle Stalker perches on a tiny offshore island – Monty Python buffs will recognise it as the castle…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
There were once no fewer than 32 distilleries around Campbeltown, but most closed in the 1920s. Today this is one of only three still in operation. It is…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Subtropical plants thrive in Gigha's Achamore Gardens, the island's principal sight. Rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas take advantage of the…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
The splendid, ruined 13th-century Rothesay Castle, with seagulls and jackdaws nesting in the walls, was once a favourite residence of the Stuart kings. It…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Located 10 miles north of Oban on the shores of Loch Creran, Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary provides a haven for orphaned seal pups. As well as seal pools,…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
This hill fort, 3.5 miles south of Kilmartin village, was the seat of power of the first kings of Dál Riata, and may have been where the Stone of Destiny…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
A narrow winding road, 15 miles long, leads south from Campbeltown to the Mull of Kintyre, passing good sandy beaches near Southend. This remote headland…
-
Lismore Gaelic Heritage Centre
Southern Highlands & Islands
This centre houses a fascinating exhibition on Lismore’s history and culture; alongside stands a reconstruction of a crofter’s cottage. It's in the middle…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Beyond Skipness village rise the substantial remains of 13th-century Skipness Castle, a former possession of the Lords of the Isles. It’s a striking…
-
Oban
A pleasant 1-mile stroll north along the coast road leads to Dunollie Castle, built by the MacDougalls of Lorn in the 13th century and unsuccessfully…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Dunstaffnage, 2 miles west of Connel, looks like a child’s drawing of what a castle should be – square and massive, with towers at the corners, and…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
This garden, 7 miles north of Dunoon, contains Scotland's finest collection of flowering trees and shrubs, including impressive displays of rhododendrons…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
This visually stunning castle on the north side of town has been the seat of the Dukes of Argyll – chiefs of Clan Campbell – since the 15th century. The…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
At this entertaining interactive tourist attraction you can sit in on a trial, try out a cell and discover the harsh tortures that were meted out to…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
The friendly folk here do a great range of craft beers in this attractive modern brewery off the A83 9 miles northeast of Inveraray. There's a lovely bar…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
At Connel Bridge, 5 miles north of Oban, the loch joins the sea via a narrow channel partly blocked by an underwater rock ledge. When the tide flows in…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
In the Pass of Brander, by the A85, you can visit this power station. Electric buses take you more than half a mile inside Ben Cruachan, allowing you to…
-
Oban
This handsome distillery has been in operation since 1794. The standard guided tour leaves regularly (worth booking) and includes a dram, a take-home…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Dating from 1899, these toilets are a monument to lavatorial luxury − a disinfectant-scented temple of green and black marbled stoneware, glistening white…
-
Loch Lomond
The centrepiece of Loch Lomond Shores is this aquarium, which has displays on the wildlife of Loch Lomond, an otter enclosure (housing short-clawed Asian…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
A very unusual sight awaits in this cave on the southern side of Davaar island, at the mouth of Campbeltown Loch. On the wall of the cave is an eerie…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Set in a former piggery on the Torrisdale Castle estate, this new distillery on the eastern side of Kintyre has been turning heads in the spirit world,…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
The most interesting displays in this museum behind Rothesay Castle are those recounting the history of the famous Clyde steamers. Other galleries cover…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Situated at Colonsay House, 1.5 miles north of Scalasaig, these gardens are tucked in an unexpected fold of the landscape and are famous for their…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
There aren't a whole lot of indoor attractions on the island of Jura apart from visiting the Isle of Jura Distillery. The standard tour runs twice a day,…
-
Oban
Crowning the hill above town is this Colosseum-like Victorian folly, commissioned in 1890 by local worthy John Stuart McCaig, with the philanthropic…
-
Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation
Southern Highlands & Islands
This nature centre near the Knapdale beaver project has regular wildlife walks and events; check the website. Drop by the centre for advice on wildlife…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
Kilmartin Churchyard contains medieval grave slabs with carved effigies of knights, swords, shears and hunting scenes. They date across various centuries…
-
Campbeltown Museum & Memorial Garden
Southern Highlands & Islands
This museum in the noble library building has a few interesting archaeological artefacts from various periods of history, and canvases by William…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
At the northern end of Jura island, three local women have set up this distillery in the former stables of the Ardlussa estate. It produces gin that's…
-
Oban
Military buffs will enjoy the little Oban War and Peace Museum, which chronicles Oban’s role in WWII as a base for Catalina seaplanes and as a marshalling…
-
Southern Highlands & Islands
At the southern end of Bute island, the picturesque ruins of this 12th-century chapel can be found a 10-minute uphill walk from the road. A holy place…
-
Loch Lomond
The vintage paddle steamer Maid of the Loch, built in 1953, is moored at Loch Lomond Shores while awaiting full restoration – you can nip aboard for a…
-
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond Shores, a major tourism development situated a half-mile north of Balloch, sports various visitor attractions, outdoor activities and boat…
