Things to See and Do
The Innellan Cottages are tucked up a quiet lane (there’s no through traffic) in the small village of Innellan, just 4 miles south of Dunoon, on
the Cowal peninsula. Dunoon has been a popular tourist area for over 100 years and is an ideal base for exploring the wild mountains and lochs
of Cowal, the many lovely towns and villages of Argyll, and the stunning scenery of
the west coast of Scotland.
Innellan
won
a
well-deserved
Gold
Award
plus
Best
Coastal
Village
Award
in
the
2023
Keep
Scotland
Beautiful
awards!
It’s
a
peaceful
small
village
with
a
lovely
pebble
beach;
fantastic
scenery
with
hills
and
forests;
a
range
of
activities
such
as
tennis,
golf,
sailing,
biking,
walking
and
pony-trekking;
a
community
owned
village
shop
and
post-office
(The
Lido)
as
well
as
two
lovely
restaurants
each
also with traditional bars
.
There’s
always
a
lot
happening
in
Cowal!
You
can
keep
up-to-date
on
the
latest
events on our
Facebook
page,
Wild about Argyll
and
Dunoon Presents
.
Dunoon is the main town of the Cowal Peninsula, where you’ll find everything you need for your holiday, including a range of lovely
independant shops, two supermarkets, restaurants & cafes, pharmacies, doctors surgeries, a hospital and a vet surgery.
Cowal is an area of unspoiled mountains, lochs, forests and beaches, home to the Argyll Forest Park and south-western gateway to the Loch
Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Places to explore
Dunoon is ideally situated for exploring the towns and villages of Argyll, from Inverary and Loch Fyne in the north, to the Isle of Bute in the
south. The countryside surrounding Dunoon boasts a host of lovely villages to explore, such as Kilmun, Ardentinny, Tighnabruaich, Kilfinan,
Colintraive and Strachur.
For longer day-trips there is the lovely harbour town of Oban and the splendour of Glencoe and the Highlands. While across the Firth of Clyde
there are the traditional coastal towns of Largs and Troon, and of course Glasgow makes a enjoyable and easy day-trip.
Outdoor activities
Cowal is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise! There are countless fabulous walking routes that snake their
ways through uninhabited glens and others that climb high into the mountains (the Loch Lomond &
Cowal Way is a long-distance walk of 57 miles from Portavadie by Loch Fyne in the west, to Ardgarten
by Loch Long in the east); there are a huge range of mountain bike paths across the hills of Cowal;
there is fantastic network of quiet roads for roadbiking; there are quiet tracks for pony trekking;
beautiful reservoirs and sea inlets for fishing and an amazing array of wildlife including many sea birds,
birds of prey, deer, pine martins, red squirrels, otters and dolphins.
You’ll find a great range of activities right here in Innellan:
•
TENNIS at Innellan Tennis/Bowling club - less than a minute from the cottages. Visitors welcome.
•
Pony-trekking at the Velvet Path: 01369 830580
•
Golf at Innellan Golf Club. Visitors welcome.
•
Fishing, Dunoon Angling Club
•
Beach combing, stone skimming & sandcastle making - at the end of Trinity Lane!
•
Sailing and watersports the Toward Seasports Club
•
Walking & cylcing: there are a HUGE variety of fantastic walks & cycle paths on our doorstep and within easy reach of the cottages.
Both cottages have sheds to store your cycles. Please do get in touch if you’d like ideas of where to go, I’ll be happy to help!
Attractions
Other attractions in and around Dunoon include:
•
Quadmania - quad-bike tours, kayaking, rock-climbing and more
•
Wreckspeditions - boat trips, rib rides and full diving charters
•
Benmore Botanic Gardens - over 100 acres of beautiful gardens surrounded
by dramatic scenery
•
The Waverley - paddle steamer running excursions throughout the summer
•
Kilmun Arboretum - established in the 1930s, a series of wooded paths
through a variety of exotic tree species
•
Castle House Museum - one of Dunoon’s most historic buildings
•
West Coast Cinema, Dunoon - small independant cinema
•
Riverside Leisure Centre, Dunoon - for swimming pool & gym
•
Queen’s Hall - with soft play, cafe, library and events centre
•
Hunters Quay Holiday Village - with all new soft-play and mini golf
•
Diving - The Professional Diving Academy runs a range of courses
•
CYCLE HIRE:
Startline MTB: mountain bike hire in Dunoon, with pickup from Stewarts Garage in the town
Heal n Glen: an independent sports shop in the town and new for 2023, bike hire by the day
•
Winston Churchill Venison - offers delicious local venison, as well as a variety of deer stalking experiences
•
Sea Kayak Argyll - sea kayak coaching, guiding and expeditions
•
Laser tag, crossbow and pony trekking at Argyll Adventure in Inveraray (just an hour drive)
Festivals & Events
Here are some of some of the best annual events that are held in Cowal (see Dunoon
Presents for a host of other events taking place throughout the year):
The Cowal Highland Gathering (Cowal Games) is held in August and is one of the
biggest and most spectacular highland games in Scotland!
Cowal FEST a five-day family friendly walking festival that showcases the beautiful
scenery and fascinating heritage of the spectacular Cowal peninsula
Cowal Open Studios over 50 artists and makers who live in Cowal open the doors of their studios and invite you to visit
Dunoon Presents, Dunoon - enjoy a range of sporting challenges including the Dunoon 10K, Ultra Marathon & Relay and Dunoon Half-Marathon:
Have you got what it takes to enter any of these events?!
Dunoon Dazzles, a winter day of family festive fun with a street Christmas market, reindeer parade, funfair rides, santa claus and bands.
Eating Out
There are a host of great places to eat out in Cowal, including a couple of very good restaurants/pubs in walking distance of the cottages.
•
The Osborne, Innellan - seafront restaurant (and bar) with great views and food
•
The Royal Bar Innellan* - cosy restaurant (and bar) with log-burner and great food
•
Swallow Cafe a traditional style cafe*
•
Chatters - a pop-up style restaurant perfect for a special occasion
•
Local Hero Cafe - a small cafe with some inventive options
•
The Shore Cafe, Strone - family-run cafe looking over the Holy Loch
•
Rio a good choice for Italian
•
Rock Cafe - seafront cafe with family favourites & home baking. Open late some evenings.
•
3-in-1 Dunoon if you fancy a generous & tasty take-away
•
Coast Coffee a tiny take-away, perched by the pier, serving good snacks, coffee & ice-creams
•
The Whistlefield, Loch Eck - old traditional pub/restaurant with fantastic views*
•
The Coylet, Loch Eck - old traditional pub/restaurant serving good food*
•
51st State and La Cantina an American diner with regular live music upstairs, and a cosy Italian restraurant downstairs
•
The Lorne welcoming restaurant with a good range of tasty food*
•
Inver, Strathlachlan - a well renowned small fine-dining restaurant seving local, delicous dishes
•
The Blairmore Blairmore - cafe serving lovely homemade treats*
•
Loch Fyne Oyster Bar Cairndow - 50mins away and a lovely drive for fantastic local seafood
* indicates dog-friendly, though it’s best to always check in advance!