Ardgoil is an estate in Argyll & Bute, Scotland. It is part of the Argyll forest park and is within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The Ardgoil estate is managed as part of the Argyll forest park by Forestry Commission Scotland. The Ardgoil estate is publicly owned land with the land title held for the public by the ministers of the Scottish Parliament. In the past the Ardgoil estate was also known as the city of Glasgow's Highland estate.
The story of the Ardgoil estate begins in 1905 when another land estate in Argyll & Bute was put up for sale. In April 1905 the Ardkinglas estate was put up for sale. The estate was offered as one lot, but if not sold, it would be offered as two sections called the "Loch Fyne Section" and the "Loch Goil & Loch Long Section". There was no offer for the whole estate, and the Liberal Party politician Archibald Cameron Corbett arranged to purchase the "Loch Goil & Loch Long Section". Corbett was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Tradeston at the time, and he made the purchase with the aim of giving it to the city of Glasgow. In July 1905, Corbett sent a letter to the Lord Provost of Glasgow at the time, Sir John Ure Primrose, informing him of the purchase. A copy of Corbett's letter is shown below. The size of the land purchased was 9,360 acres (3,790 ha).
- New Club, Glasgow, 28th July 1905
My Dear Lord Provost,
I have just agreed to purchase a part of the Ardkinglas estate with the object of handing over the three sheep farms lying between Loch Long and Loch Goil to the Corporation of Glasgow. The extent of the land is about 9,000 acres (36 km2). As it is not possible in many cases for the public to have access to mountains in this neighbourhood, it seems to me desirable that our fellow-citizens should have a mountain territory which will be their own for all time. My usual clause against the sale of liquor would be a condition of the conveyance. I should also make it a condition that the revenue derived from the property should be diverted to the purpose of making it more accessible to our citizens, whether by ferry or other means. My general object is to preserve a grand and rugged region for the best use of those who love the freedom of the mountains and wild natural beauty. While I would not object to the erection of simple cottages, I should greatly repel anything being done which would disturb the naturalness of such scenery, and would suggest that our artists might be consulted before any step affecting its aspect be taken. While I make the two restrictions and one earnest suggestion, I trust that none of these will be felt by the Corporation to interfere in an undesirable way with their freedom to do their best for the citizens, or to imply any limitation of the heartiness with which I appreciate your own and their public services.
Yours sincerely
A. Cameron Corbett
The gift was accepted and for the moment the land was called the Ardkinglas property. The Corporation of Glasgow arranged an official inspection of the Ardkinglas property on Saturday 7 October 1905. The Ardkinglas property consisted of 9,360 acres (37.9 km2) of mountain territory lying between Loch Long and Loch Goil. It is a triangular piece of land 6 miles (9.7 km) in length and around 3 miles (4.8 km) at its widest point. An area called Argyll's Bowling Green is part of the estate. Three farms were included in the gift and they are Beach, Coilessan and Lochgoilhead. In November 1905 Corbett contacted the Lord Provost stating that he wanted to add some more land to the gift. He proposed adding the farm of Pole near Lochgoilhead, which was 5,380 acres (2,180 ha) in size. The additional gift was accepted and this brought the Ardkinglas property to 14,740 acres (5,970 ha) in size. Mr Corbett said he did not want the name of the property to be in any way connected with him, so the Corporation of Glasgow decided to call the Ardkinglas property "Ardgoil". The land was legally transferred to the Corporation of Glasgow in June 1906. In December 1911, under the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) act 1899, the Corporation of Glasgow were given the power to allow them to appropriate estate land for afforestation, construct roads, bridges, piers and ferries for the utilisation and development of the estate. They were also given the power to sell, feu and lease the estate or portions of the estate.
Between 1928 and 1929, the Corporation of Glasgow made a feu agreement with the Forestry Commission for two sections of the Ardgoil estate to be used for afforestation purposes. These sections were to be called "Pole" and "Coilessan". The Pole section consisted of 2,854 acres (1,155 ha) and the Coilessan section consisted of 4,794 acres (1,940 ha). In 1965 the Corporation of Glasgow made arrangements to transfer the Ardgoil estate into public ownership at an agreed price to the tax payer of £156,450. It was to be managed by the Forestry Commission as part of the Argyll forest park. The Corporation of Glasgow included three main conditions/burdens on the sale of the Ardgoil Estate. These were:
(One) The lands shall be used by the Forestry Commission for their functions under the Forestry Act 1967 and for no other purpose whatsoever unless with written consent from the Corporation of Glasgow.
(Two) The feuars shall be obliged to comply with the conditions of the said Deed of Gift in so far as it is possible and practicable for them to do so to ensure that the basic objects attaching to the said Deed of Gift shall be observed.
(Three) The lands will remain as part of Argyll Forest Park.
In August 1967 the Ardgoil estate land title was transferred to the Secretary of State for Scotland and into public ownership. In 1999 all land titles (including the Ardgoil estate) held by the Secretary of State for Scotland were transferred to the ministers of the new Scottish Parliament.
Since the Forestry Commission took over the management of the Ardgoil Estate, it has made 55 disposals of Ardgoil estate land amounting to 2,368 acres (958 ha). The most recent was 3.68 acres (1.49 ha) in 2009 to Dunbritton Housing Association for the price of £115,000. The total size of the Ardgoil Estate is 14,740 acres (5,970 ha). This means around 16% of the Ardgoil estate has been sold yet the lands were to remain as part of the Argyll Forest Park.
Lochgoilhead is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely considered to be one of the most beautiful areas in Argyll and in Scotland as a whole.
Inveraray Castle is a country house near Inveraray in the county of Argyll, in western Scotland, on the shore of Loch Fyne, Scotland's longest sea loch. It is one of the earliest examples of Gothic Revival architecture.
Knapdale forms a rural district of Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands, adjoining Kintyre to the south, and divided from the rest of Argyll to the north by the Crinan Canal. It includes two parishes, North Knapdale and South Knapdale. The area is bounded by sea to the east and west, whilst the sea loch of West Loch Tarbert almost completely cuts off the area from Kintyre to the south. The name is derived from two Gaelic elements: Cnap meaning hill and Dall meaning field.
Cowal is a rugged peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the west coast of Scotland. It is connected to the mainland to the north, and is bounded by Loch Fyne to the west, by Loch Long and the Firth of Clyde to the east, and by the Kyles of Bute to the south.
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park is a national park in Scotland centred on Loch Lomond and the hills and glens of the Trossachs, along with several other ranges of hills. It was the first of the two national parks established by the Scottish Parliament in 2002, the second being the Cairngorms National Park. The park extends to cover much of the western part of the southern highlands, lying to the north of the Glasgow conurbation, and contains many mountains and lochs. It is the fourth-largest national park in the British Isles, with a total area of 1,865 km2 (720 sq mi) and a boundary of some 350 km (220 mi) in length. It features 21 Munros and 20 Corbetts.
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the heads of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil. They are part of the Grampian mountains range, which stretch across Scotland. The villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead are the nearest settlements. Many of the mountains are located on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.
The Kyles of Bute form a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, on the Scottish mainland. The surrounding hillsides are roughly wooded, and overlooked by rocky tops and areas of moorland.
Beinn an Lochain is a mountain in the Arrochar Alps in western Scotland. A Corbett, reaching 901.7 metres (2,958 ft), Beinn an Lochain is situated within the Argyll Forest Park, which is itself within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
Glen Affric is a glen south-west of the village of Cannich in the Highland region of Scotland, some 15 miles west of Loch Ness. The River Affric runs along its length, passing through Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. A minor public road reaches as far as the end of Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin, but beyond that point only rough tracks and footpaths continue along the glen.
Dunans Castle is an historic structure located in Glendaruel, on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The property is owned by Charles and Sadie Dixon-Spain. A property at Dounens was shown on maps in 1590; Dunans House was elaborated into its present mock castle form in 1864. Once part of a much larger estate the property presently includes 16 acres (65,000 m2) of ground and in 2001 was ruined by fire.
The Brack is a mountain, located in the Arrochar Alps, on the south side of Glen Croe, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute in Scotland. The Brack has two summits: the lower peak, Cruach Fhiarach, can be seen from the shores of Loch Long, and the main peak is seen from Glen Croe and Loch Goil.
Glen Croe is a glen in the heart of the Arrochar Alps on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The glen is surrounded by large and rugged mountains characterised by huge boulders. The Croe Water flows through the glen and into Loch Long.
Ben Donich or Beinn Dòmhnaich is a mountain located in the Arrochar Alps, near Loch Goil in Argyll and Bute. It is a Corbett and part of the Ardgoil range with its sister The Brack. The closest settlement to Ben Donich is the village of Lochgoilhead.
Strachur and Strathlachlan are united parishes located on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne.
Argyll's Bowling Green, also known as the Ardgoil peninsula, is an area on the Ardgoil estate in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
Drumpellier Country Park is a country park situated to the west of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The park was formerly a private estate. The land was given over to the Burgh of Coatbridge for use as a public park in 1919, and was designated as a country park in 1984 by the then Monklands council, part of Strathclyde. The park covers an area of 500 acres and comprises two natural lochs, lowland heath, mixed woodlands and open grassland. The Monkland Canal lies towards the southern perimeter of the park. The lochs and the canal attract many water birds, both resident and over-wintering migrants, and the loch shores and woodland floor provides an abundance of wild flora. The woodlands are also rich in bird life, small wild animals and many types of fungi.
Scotland is ideal for tree growth, thanks to its mild winters, plentiful rainfall, fertile soil and hill-sheltered topography. As of 2019 about 18.5% of the country was wooded. Although this figure is well below the European Union (EU) average of 43%, it represents a significant increase compared to the figure of 100 years previously: in 1919 it was estimated that only 5% of the country's total land area was covered in forest. The Scottish Government's Draft Climate Change Plan has set an aim of increasing coverage to 21% of Scotland by 2032, with the rate of afforestation rising to 15,000 hectares per year by 2024.
Hell's Glen is a glen on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland, within the Arrochar Alps. The B839 single track road passes through the glen. To the west, the glen leads to Loch Fyne and to the east Lochgoilhead. Glen Mhor (B828) joins the glen about half way along and leeds to Glen Croe at the Rest & be Thankful viewpoint.
Carrick Castle is a village on the western shore of Loch Goil, 7 km (4.3 mi) south of Lochgoilhead by a minor road along the loch shore, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is within the Argyll Forest Park, and also within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
Ardkinglas House is a Category A listed country house on the Ardkinglas Estate in Argyll, Scotland. The estate lies on the eastern shore of Loch Fyne, and the house is located close to the village of Cairndow. Dating back to the 14th century and originally a Campbell property, the estate now covers more than 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of rolling hills and landscaped parkland. The centre of the estate was Ardkinglas Castle until this was replaced by a new house in the 18th century. This house was itself replaced by the present Ardkinglas House in the early 20th century, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer for Sir Andrew Noble. It remains the property of the Noble family, and is open to the public on a limited basis. The woodland gardens are open all year round.