Book one of our Lochgilphead hotels and explore a beautiful area which is excellent for walking, cycling, fishing and other outdoor pursuits.
Outdoor activities and leisure
The woodlands and lochs around Lochgilphead provide endless opportunities for cycling and walking. Popular cycle routes include the flat, family friendly Crinan Canal Towpath, numerous Forestry Commission tracks and the Fire Tower Mountain Bike Trail, a purpose-built track with jumps and drop-offs.
There are plenty of places to fish for brown trout, pike and perch, including Loch Glashan, Loch Ederline and Loch Fyne, and you can hire boats at Crinan or Ardrishaig. Fyne Pioneer, at Asknish, runs diving trips, and Craignish Cruises, in Ardfern, runs wildlife watching trips. You'll see the lovely islands of the west coast while looking out for seals, sea eagles, dolphins, whales and more.
The town also has a swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course and a sports centre with a fitness centre, a sports hall, a squash court and an outdoor pitch.
Castles
Built in the 15th century by Bishop John Carswell, the excellently preserved Carnasserie Castle has been little altered since. Made up of a five-storey tower house and a hall, the castle sits on a hill overlooking Kilmartin Glen, a valley with more than 350 ancient monuments.
The 13th-century Tarbert Castle, a former royal castle associated with Robert the Bruce, is a scheduled monument, albeit a ruined one, overlooking the harbour and Loch Fyne. A flock of Hebridean black sheep graze on the site.
Parks and gardens
Right on the west coast, a short walk from the beach, Arduaine Garden is warmed by the North Atlantic Drift and is home to rare plants from around the world. You'll see Tibetan blue poppies, giant Himalayan lilies, Chatham Island forget-me-nots and palm trees alongside rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias. Look out too for kestrels, seals, badgers and porpoises.
Crarae Garden, near the banks of Loch Fyne, has a river gorge and waterfalls and is filled with colourful Chilean flame trees, camellias and buddleias covered in butterflies. There's also a huge array of ferns and a national collection of southern beech. As well as red squirrels and deer, the gardens are frequented by a huge variety of birds, including treecreepers, ravens, woodpeckers and birds of prey.
Eating and drinking
Enjoy locally caught seafood at the Tayvallich Inn, a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence winner overlooking Tayvallich bay. There's a kids' menu and outside seating in summer. Another popular place for seafood is the Westward Restaurant at the Crinan Hotel, which overlooks Loch Crinan and also has a coffee shop and an art gallery. Head to the Smiddy Bistro, another Certificate of Excellence winner, for home-cooked light lunches, or the Argyll Inn for Scottish pub classics, a kids' menu, live music and quizzes. There's also a café and a bar with a log fire.
