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Portavadie
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Portavadie | |
Location within Argyll and Bute | |
OS grid reference | NR930694 |
• Edinburgh | 82 mi (132 km) |
• London | 368 mi (592 km) |
Council area |
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Lieutenancy area |
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Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | TIGHNABRUAICH |
Postcode district | PA21 |
Dialling code | 01700 |
UK Parliament |
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Scottish Parliament |
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Portavadie (Scottish Gaelic : Port a' Mhadaidh) is a village on the shores of Loch Fyne on the coast of the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. [1]
The Portavadie complex was built in 1975 [2] by the then Scottish Office for the purpose of constructing concrete platforms for extraction of oil from the North Sea. However, the intention was soon overtaken by acceptance that steel platforms were the future for the oil industry in Scotland. Despite suggestions to turn the complex into a holiday village, it lay redundant until in the mid-1980s the enclosed port was used by a local fish farm company.
In 2013 a further report in the Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard says that the derelict "village", known as Polphail, was sold to a forestry company who planned to demolish the buildings and build new houses. By 2016 the buildings had been demolished, but the plans had changed to the construction a whisky distillery on the site, with construction to commence in early 2023. [3] [4] [5]
In late 2009 the marina was used for the first time to tie up yachts for the Scottish series by the Clyde Cruising Club, won by Nigel Biggs; England; J109-IRC. [6]
The new Portavadie Marina [7] complex opened to the public in 2010. The first phase of the complex consisted of five-star luxury apartments, with private sauna facilities and four-star cottages, alongside a restaurant, conference suites and a retail space.
The second phase, The Lodge, arrived shortly after, consisting of hotel style accommodation, fully accessible studio apartments, staff accommodation and a second "family style" restaurant.
The third phase was officially launched in August 2016, with a luxury spa and leisure complex being added to the amenities.
The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way starts and finishes at Portavadie; this long-distance waymarked footpath takes one to Inveruglas on the shore of Loch Lomond, in the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, 57 miles (92 kilometres) of walking later.
Portavadie is on the NCR75 a route from Edinburgh to Tarbert on the Kintyre peninsula. [8] The National Cycle Network is maintained by sustrans. [9] If you cross Loch Fyne, continuing on the NCR75 onto the Kintyre peninsula at Tarbert, you can join the National Cycle Route 78 (The Caledonia Way). [10]
National grid reference NR9259869816
There is a 25-minute-long Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service across Loch Fyne to Tarbert on the Kintyre Peninsula. It runs eleven times on weekdays (ten on Sundays), between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm. There is no 8:30 am ferry on Sundays. [11]
Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
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Terminus | Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry | Tarbert |
Portavadie is the destination of the 478 bus from Dunoon, 28 miles (45 km) away. It runs six days a week.
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.
Dunoon is the main town on the Cowal Peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the council area of Argyll and Bute, Dunoon also has its own community council. Dunoon was a burgh until 1976.
Caledonian MacBrayne, in short form CalMac, is the trade name of CalMac Ferries Ltd, the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries to the west coast of Scotland, serving ports on the mainland and 22 of the major islands. It is a subsidiary of holding company David MacBrayne, which is owned by the Scottish Government.
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 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, west of 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.
Sandbank is a village on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located 2.5 miles north of Dunoon on the coastal A815 or the inland A885. It sits on the southern shore of the Holy Loch, a sea loch of the Firth of Clyde.
Tarbert is a village in the west of Scotland, in the Argyll and Bute council area. It is built at the head of an inlet of Loch Fyne called East Loch Tarbert, on a narrow isthmus which connects Kintyre to the south with Knapdale to the north and separates East Loch Tarbert from the much longer West Loch Tarbert. Tarbert had a recorded population of 1,338 in the 2001 Census.
Otter Ferry is a settlement on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland, formerly the site of a ferry across Loch Fyne. Otter Ferry is situated 9 miles from Portavadie from where there is a ferry to Tarbert, in Kintyre, operated by Caledonian MacBrayne.
Tighnabruaich; is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, on the western arm of the Kyles of Bute in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. In 2011 the population was 660. It is west of Glasgow and north of the Isle of Arran.
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.
Kames is a small village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland, on the shore of the west arm of the Kyles of Bute.
MV Isle of Cumbrae is a Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited ro-ro car ferry, built in 1976 and operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. For ten years she was at Largs and operated the Loch Fyne crossing from 1999 to 2014. She was replaced by the MV Lochinvar in 2014, a new diesel-electric hybrid ferry capable of holding 23 cars and 150 passengers. She returned to Tarbert in 2016 after MV Lochinvar was moved to the Mallaig - Armadale station. As of 2024, she is the oldest vessel in the CalMac fleet.
MV Juno was a passenger and vehicle ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the Firth of Clyde, Scotland between 1974 and 2007. She was the middle of three vessels nicknamed "streakers", the first in the Calmac fleet to be fitted with Voith Schneider Propellers. Juno left service in early 2007 and was laid up at Rosneath for 4 years. On 18 May 2011, she was beached there for scrapping and was gone by the end of July.
Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited owns the ferries, ports, harbours and infrastructure for the ferry services serving the west coast of Scotland, the Firth of Clyde and the Northern Isles.
The Loch Lomond and Cowal Way is a waymarked footpath through the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, between Portavadie on Cowal and Inveruglas on Loch Lomond side. It was formerly known as the Cowal Way, but was renamed in December 2018 to reflect the fact that half of the route lies with the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The way is 92 kilometres (57 mi) long, and is suitable for both walkers and mountain bikers. Much of the route is also suitable for experienced horseriders, although in some places steps, narrow footbridges and gates may restrict access for horses. A review to identify these obstacles and suggest alternative routes and/or remedial measures was undertaken in 2016.
Ardtaraig is a hamlet lying at the head of Loch Striven on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. The hamlet is on the single track B836 road.
The Kintyre Way is a waymarked footpath through the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It runs between Machrihanish near the southern end of the peninsula's west coast, and Tarbert at the northern end of Kintyre where the peninsula is linked to Knapdale, via Campbeltown. The way is 161 kilometres (100 mi) long, and is fully waymarked. Additionally there are distance markers at 1 mile (1.6 km) intervals along the route. The route is primarily intended for walkers, but most sections can also be cycled.
Millhouse is a village in the parish of Kilfinan. Located on the B8000 inland from Kames in the east and Portavadie in the west, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.
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.