Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod. The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch.
The Firth of Clyde is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula. The Firth lies between West Dunbartonshire in the north, Argyll and Bute in the west and Inverclyde, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire in the east. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran. The Kyles of Bute separates the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula.
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 Long is a body of water in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The Sea Loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles. The loch also has an arm, Loch Goil, on its western side.
Loch Fyne, is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends 65 kilometres (40 mi) inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest of the sea lochs in Scotland. It is connected to the Sound of Jura by the Crinan Canal. Although there is no evidence that grapes have grown there, the title is probably honorific, indicating that the river, Abhainn Fìne, was a well-respected river.
Loch Striven is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The loch meets the Firth of Clyde and the Kyles of Bute just north of the Isle of Bute, and forms a narrow inlet about 8 miles (13 km) long extending north into the Cowal Peninsula.
Colintraive is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Once the site where cattle were swum across the narrows to the Isle of Bute, the MV Loch Dunvegan — a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne — now provides a link to the island.
Portavadie is a village on the shores of Loch Fyne on the coast of the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
Toward Point Lighthouse is situated in the south of the Cowal Peninsula, near the village of Toward, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It marks the point where Loch Striven meets the Firth of Clyde. There has been a lighthouse here since 1812.
Strachur and Strathlachlan are united parishes located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne.
Loch Eck is a freshwater loch located on the Cowal peninsula, north of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is seven miles long. It is oriented in a north-south direction. Its main inflow, at the northern end, is the River Cur, and its main outflow, at the southern end, is the River Eachaig, which meanders somewhat within the confines of the broad strath before flowing into the head of Holy Loch, about 5 km further south.
The A815 is a major road located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It runs for about 35.7 miles (57.5 km) from the A83, near Cairndow, in the north to Toward in the south. It passes beside three lochs, while its final stretch is along the Firth of Clyde.
National Cycle Route 75 runs from Edinburgh to Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula, via Glasgow. It is often known as the Clyde to Forth cycle route.
Finnart Oil Terminal, also known as Finnart Ocean Terminal or Chap Point, is an oil depot on the eastern shore of Loch Long, Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland, about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north of Garelochhead on the A814 road to Arrochar. It has piers extending a short distance into the loch, providing a deep water berth for oil tankers up to 324,000 tonnes. Two pipelines connect the terminal across the width of Scotland to the Grangemouth Refinery on the Firth of Forth on the east coast, and extensive oil storage tanks have been built into the hillside on both sides of the main road.
Polphail was a ghost village in Scotland. It was located at Portavadie on the west coast of the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll & Bute. Originally built in the 1970s, it was never occupied and was demolished in 2016.
Ardtaraig is a hamlet lying at the head of Loch Striven on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. The hamlet is on the single track B836 road.
The 478 is a bus route in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, which runs between Dunoon and Portavadie via Tighnabruiach and Kames. It is operated by West Coast Motors, which was established in 1921. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport inaugurated the route, along with that of the 477 and 479, in October 1993. The route is noted for its long stretches of single-track roads with scattered passing places, especially along the B836 between Sandbank and Auchenbreck, at the junction with the A886 Colintraive–to–Strachur road. The drivers of the 477, 478 and 479 have dubbed their routes the "Bermuda Triangle" due to their complexity and remoteness.
Striven Hydro-Electric Scheme is a small-scale hydro-electric power station, built by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board and commissioned in 1951. It is located near Ardtaraig on the Cowal peninsula, part of Argyll and Bute in Scotland. It is sometimes known as the Cowal Hydro-Electric Scheme. It was originally designed to supply power to the remote communities on the peninsula, but is now connected to the National Grid.
Kilbride Bay, also known as Ostel Bay, Ostell Bay or Bàgh Osde, is a bay and beach in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is situated in the far south-west of the Cowal peninsular, where Loch Fyne meets the Firth of Clyde. The nearest settlements are Kames, 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north, and Portavadie, 5 miles (8.0 km) to the west. Ardlamont Point, the southern-most point in Cowal, is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to the south-east.
Ardlamont Point is a headland in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is the southern-most point of the Cowal peninsular, situated in the far south-west of that peninsular. Ardlamont House, with its surrounding estate, lies to the north of the point.
