Things to See and Do

There is always a lot happening in Cowal! You can keep up-to-date on the latest events on our Facebook page, Visit Cowal and Dunoon Presents. Dunoon is the main town of the Cowal Peninsula, 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. Innellan is just 4 miles from Dunoon and has a lovely pub/restaurant, a village shop, a Post Office, a golf course, tennis courts, forest walks, pebbly beaches, a bowling green and a pony-trekking centre. There’s so much to see and do that you’ll be spoilt for choice if you only have a week or two to explore!

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 Cowal Way is a long-distance walk of 47 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. Here in Innellan itself we play host to a great range of activities: • Pony-trekking at the Velvet Path: 01369 830580 • Golf at Innellan Golf Club • Fishing, Dunoon Angling Club  • Beach combing - at the end of Trinity Lane! • Sailing at Toward Sailing Club • Tennis & bowling - Innellan Tennis/Bowling club • Forest walks: this photo was taken on a beautiful springtime walk up into the forests,  reached on foot from The Snug

Attractions

Other attractions in and around Dunoon include: • Waverley paddle steamer - the last remaining, fully functional paddle steamer in the world, regularly departs from Dunoon during the summer months • Quadmania - quad-bike tours, kayaking, rock-climbing and more • Benmore Botanic Gardens - over 100 acres of beautiful gardens surrounded by dramatic scenery • 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 • Cinema • Swimming pools - at the Dolphin Leisure Centre and Riverside Leisure Centre • Queen’s Hall - with soft play, cafe, library and events centre • Rustys Indoor Play at Hunters Quay • Diving - The Professional Diving Academy runs a range of courses • Winston Churchill Venison - offers delicious local venison, as well as a variety of deer stalking experiences

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! South Cowal Community Festival consists of a host of events centred around Innellan and Toward during May each year and is great fun for all the family Cowalfest is an annual walking and outdoor festival, taking place in October each year Dunoon Triathlon, 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 Dunoon Outdoor Festival, new for 2019, a weekend of indulgence for those who love the outdoors, including running, mountain biking, mountaineering and sea kayaking

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 Snug: • The Villagers Royal, Innellan (happy to take dogs in the bar area) • The Osborne, Innellan • Swallow Cafe, Dunoon - a traditional style cafe, and dog-friendly! • Shiela’s Diner, Kilmun - not fancy, but a traditional diner with tasty, big portions • Livingstone’s, Dunoon • Rio, Dunoon • 3-in-1 Dunoon, for if you fancy a generous & tasty take-away • The Whistlefield, Loch Eck - recently re-opened and already receiving a loyal following • 51st State and La Cantina, Dunoon - an American diner with regular live music upstairs, and a cosy Italian restraurant downstairs • The Braes, Dunoon • Holy Loch Inn, Sandbank • Inver Cottage, Strathlachlan - a well renowned small restaurant, well worth the trip • Benmore Cafe & Shop, Benmore Botanic Gardens • Or only an hour away and a lovely drive is the famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Cairndow