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   has   just   won   a   Gold   Award   plus   Best   Coastal   Village   Award   in   the   2023 Keep   Scotland   Beautiful   awards!   It’s   a   peaceful   small   village   with   a   lovely pebbly   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   a   lovely   restaurant   and   a traditional bar . 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. The cost is just £4pp (donation to the club) • Pony-trekking at the Velvet Path: 01369 830580 • Golf at Innellan Golf Club • 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 • The Royal Bar Innellan* • Swallow Cafe a traditional style cafe* • Chatters, Dunoon - a pop-up style restaurant perfect for a special occasion • Shiela’s Diner, Kilmun - not fancy, but a traditional diner with tasty, big portions • The Shore Cafe Strone - family-run cafe looking over the Holy Loch • Rio for Italian • 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 for good food and drinks* • Inver Strathlachlan - a well renowned small 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!