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 A82 is a major road in Scotland that runs from Glasgow to Inverness via Fort William. It is one of the principal north-south routes in Scotland and is mostly a trunk road managed by Transport Scotland, who view it as an important link from the Central Belt to the Scottish Highlands and beyond. The road passes close to numerous landmarks, including Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor, Glen Coe, the Ballachulish Bridge, Ben Nevis, the Commando Memorial, Loch Ness, and Urquhart Castle. Along with the A9 and the A90 it is one of the three major north–south trunk roads connecting the Central Belt to the North.
Loch Awe is a large body of freshwater in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It has also given its name to a village on its banks, variously known as Loch Awe or Lochawe. There are islands within the loch such as Innis Chonnell and Inishail.
Loch Etive is a 30 km sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It reaches the sea at Connel, 5 km north of Oban. It measures 31.6 km long and from 1.2 km to 1.6 km (1 mi) wide. Its depth varies greatly, up to a maximum of 150 m (490 ft).
Glen Etive is a glen in the Scottish Highlands. The River Etive rises on the peaks surrounding Rannoch Moor, with several tributary streams coming together at the Kings House Hotel, at the head of Glen Coe. From the Kings House, the Etive flows for about 18 km, reaching the sea loch, Loch Etive. The river and its tributaries are popular with whitewater kayakers and at high water levels it is a test piece of the area and a classic run.
The Kings House Hotel is a remote inn at the eastern end of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands. The inn, which is in an isolated position about 2 km east of Glen Etive, stands on the edge of Rannoch Moor. It faces Buachaille Etive Mor which makes it a popular hostelry with rock climbers. In 2019 the hotel was reopened after a substantial modern redevelopment which involved the demolition of a large 1960s extension. Only the original 18th-century coaching inn was retained and incorporated into the new building.
The River Coe rises at the north-eastern base of Buachaille Etive Beag in Scotland and flows west along Glen Coe. After dramatic waterfalls at the Pass of Glen Coe, it runs through the small Loch Achtriochtan before it turns north west. It then runs past the site of the Massacre of Glencoe and passes through Glencoe village, shortly before flowing into the sea loch of Loch Leven at Invercoe.
The Battle of the Pass of Brander in Scotland forms a small part of the wider struggle known as the Wars of Scottish Independence, and a large part of the civil war between the Bruce and Balliol factions, a parallel and overlapping conflict. It was a victory for King Robert the Bruce over the MacDougalls of Argyll, kinsmen of John Comyn, also known as the Red Comyn, who had been killed by Bruce and his adherents at Dumfries in 1306. The sources do not allow us to determine the date of the battle with any degree of precision: various dates between 1308 and 1309 have been suggested, though the late summer of 1308 would seem to be the most likely. Traquair dates it to August 1308.
Bonawe is a village in Ardchattan Parish Argyll and Bute, Scotland opposite Taynuilt on the north shore of Loch Etive, most famous for the shipping firm J & A Gardener's Bonawe Quarry - now owned by Breedon Aggregates Scotland Ltd. Bonawe is primarily a linear settlement along on the B845 road and the coast. The iron furnace is at Bonawe in Glenorchy & Inishail Parish across Loch Etive nr Taynuilt in Muckairn Parish.
Connel is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is situated on the southern shore of Loch Etive. The Lusragan Burn flows through the village and into the loch.
Taynuilt is a large village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland located at the western entrance to the narrow Pass of Brander.
The Bridge of Awe was a triple-spanned arch bridge near Taynuilt in Argyll, Scotland.
Stob Ghabhar is a mountain in the Scottish Highlands, part of the Black Mount group. It is a Munro with a height of 1,089.2 metres (3,573 ft). Stob Ghabhar lies nine kilometres (5.6 mi) northwest of Bridge of Orchy and stands on the border of the Argyll and Highland council areas.
Innis Chonain or Innischonan is an island in Loch Awe, Scotland connected to the mainland by a bridge.
Creise is a mountain summit in the Black Mount range, in the Scottish Highlands. It overlooks the northern end of Glen Etive and its height is 1,100 metres (3,600 ft). Creise is one of four Munros in the Black Mount, along with Meall a' Bhuiridh, Stob Ghabhar and Stob a' Choire Odhair. The mountain is a long and flattish ridge, whose highest point was unnamed until 1981. It is popular with cross-country skiers, being near the White Corries ski area from where it is often climbed along with adjoining Meall a' Bhuiridh. The steep and craggy northern buttress, Sròn na Crèise, is well seen from the A82 road road and the Kings House Hotel.
The Corran Ferry crosses Loch Linnhe at the Corran Narrows, south of Fort William, Scotland.
The River Orchy is a river that passes through the village of Dalmally, Argyll in the West Highlands of Scotland. It rises in the Black Mount Forest, and flows southerly, passing through Loch Tulla and Glen Orchy before reaching Loch Awe. The hills of Beinn Mhic-Mhonaidh, Beinn Udlaidh and Beinn Bhreac-liath are to the north and south; there are falls and islands within the river. Reachable by the A82 road, tourists partake in kayaking, whitewater rafting, and fishing. Recent gold mining exploration has occurred in one of the river's glens just outside the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The Pass of Brander is a mountain pass in the Highlands of Scotland, where the main railway and road to Oban makes its way between Cruachan, a 3,689 ft mountain, and Loch Awe.
Ben Nevis and Glen Coe is a national scenic area (NSA) covering part of the Highlands of Scotland surrounding Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, in which certain forms of development are restricted. It is one of 40 such areas in Scotland, which are defined so as to identify areas of exceptional scenery and to ensure its protection from inappropriate development. The Ben Nevis and Glen Coe NSA covers 903 km2 (349 sq mi) of land, lying within the Highland, Argyll and Bute and Perth and Kinross council areas. A further 19 km2 (7.3 sq mi) of the NSA are marine, covering the sea loch of Loch Leven.
The Awe Hydro-Electric Scheme was the penultimate scheme developed by the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric Board. It centres around Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, on the southern edge of the Scottish Highlands. It consists of three power stations, two conventional hydro-electric stations, and the Cruachan power station, the first large pumped storage scheme built by the Board. It was completed in 1965.
