Rosneath Peninsula | |
|---|---|
Peninsula | |
 Sunrise Over Rosneath | |
  Rosneath Peninsula | |
| Coordinates: 56°01′31″N4°50′41″W / 56.025250°N 4.8446960°W | |
| Grid position | NS 22818 85022 |
| Location | Argyll and Bute, Scotland |
Rosneath Peninsula is a peninsula in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland, formerly in the historic county of Dunbartonshire. The peninsula is formed by the Gare Loch in the east, and Loch Long in the west, both merge with the upper Firth of Clyde.
It is approximately 7 miles (11 kilometres) long (as measured from the head of the Gare Loch) and 3.5 miles (5.5 kilometres) across at its widest point. The 56th parallel north cuts through the southern end of the peninsula. [1]
The Highland Boundary Fault bisects the Peninsula. [2]
The peninsula is thought to be named after the word Rosneath, derived from Gaelic Ros Neimhidh, meaning "headland of the sanctuary". [3] [4]
Rosneath Castle had stood since the medievil period, at least the 12th century. It was built on a rock outcrop overlooking Castle Bay. The building was attacked by William Wallace while under English control. The castle was destroyed by a fire on 30 May 1802 and the site was cleared. The site is now occupied by the Rosneath Castle Park. [5] [6] [7]
Rosneath House built 1803–06, was for a time the residence of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the daughter of Queen Victoria. The house was a military base during World War II and was where Operation Torch was planned [8] As with many castles and grand houses in the area, the house has been demolished. [9] [10]
Knockderry Castle, is located in Cove. Designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson in the 1850s. [11]
Kilcreggan Primary School is non-denominational and co-educational. [12] [13]
Rosneath Primary School, the majority of the school was built 1967. [14] [15]
There has been a Christian presence on the peninsula from an early date.
St.Modan's Parish Church In Rosneath opened for public worship on 11 September 1853. It was named after Saint Modan on 14 June 1982. [16] [17]
Craigrownie Parish Church, which was completed in 1853, serves the communities of Ardpeaton, Cove and Kilcreggan. [18]
St. Gildas R.C. church is in Rosneath and opened in 1968. Named after Gildas the Albanian [19] [20]
Barbour Cemetery a 20th-century cemetery in Ardpeaton, where the families in the Rosneath peninsula that had no right of burial in Rosneath churchyard could be interred. [21]
The peninsulas settlements traveling round the coast from the top of the east coast to the top of the west coast are:-
During the Victorian era, from 1850 onwards, the large contiguous villages of Cove and Kilcreggan were developed, with luxurious summer villas developed in attractive coastal settings for the wealthy of the greater Glasgow area, so that businessmen and their families could enjoy the fresh air. Piers built at Cove and Kilcreggan had Clyde steamer services taking business and leisure commuters to railway terminals such as at Greenock Princes Pier railway station, or on more leisurely steamer trips down the Firth of Clyde and up river into Glasgow.
The B833 road which runs from Garelochhead to Coulport. The B833 follows the shoreline but two roads cross the peninsula: both un-numbered, one for local traffic from Ardpeaton to Rahane, the other considerably larger and mainly designed for military traffic between Coulport and Faslane.
The Caledonian MacBrayne service from Gourock in Inverclyde to Kilcreggan on the peninsula. This service is for foot passengers only. [22]
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Caledonian MacBrayne Ferry | Gourock |
Travel connections
For foot passengers at Gourock Pier, a ScotRail train service provides access to the National Rail network at Glasgow Central, via the local service Inverclyde Line. [23]
The PS Waverley calls at Kilcreggan pier during its summer season on the Firth of Clyde coast. [24]
More recently the area has become a popular destination for cyclists as it is possible to do a circular tour of the peninsula using the military road. [25] [26]
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.
Inverclyde is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire, which currently exists as a registration county and lieutenancy area. Inverclyde is located in the west central Lowlands. It borders the North Ayrshire and Renfrewshire council areas, and is otherwise surrounded by the Firth of Clyde.
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. The Sound of Bute separates the islands of Bute and Arran.
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.
Dunbartonshire or the County of Dumbarton is a historic county, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbartonshire borders Perthshire to the north, Stirlingshire to the east, Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire to the south, and Argyllshire to the west.
Greenock is a town in Inverclyde, Scotland, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. The town is the administrative centre of Inverclyde Council. It is a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, and forms part of a contiguous urban area with Gourock to the west and Port Glasgow to the east.
Gourock is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a residential area, extending contiguously from Greenock, with a railway terminus and ferry services across the Clyde.
Kilcreggan is a village on the Rosneath Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland.
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.
The Holy Loch is a sea loch, a part of the Cowal Peninsula coast of the Firth of Clyde, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
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.
The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it connects to Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services. The line has been in operation since the 1840s between Glasgow and Greenock and was the first passenger service to follow the River Clyde to the coast. The line was electrified in 1967.
Rosneath is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch, 2 miles northwest of the tip of the Rosneath Peninsula. It is about 2.4 miles by road from the village of Kilcreggan, which is sited on the southern shore of the peninsula, on the Firth of Clyde.
The Tail of the Bank is the name given to the anchorage in the upper Firth of Clyde immediately North of Greenock, between Inverclyde and Argyll and Bute. This area of the Firth gets its name from the deep water immediately to the west of the sandbank which marks the entrance to the navigable channel up the Estuary of the River Clyde.
Cove is a village on the south-west coast of the Rosneath Peninsula, on Loch Long, in Argyll and Bute, western Scotland.
Kirn is a village on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute in the Scottish Highlands on the west shore of the Firth of Clyde on the Cowal peninsula. It now forms part of the continuous habitation between Dunoon and Hunters Quay, where the Holy Loch joins the Firth of Clyde. It originally had its own pier, with buildings designed by Harry Edward Clifford in 1895, and was a regular stop for the Clyde steamer services, bringing holidaymakers to the town, mostly from the Glasgow area.
Coulport is a village on the east side of Loch Long and the west side of the Rosneath Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.
MV Orion is a ro-ro passenger and vehicle ferry. Saturn was operated by Caledonian MacBrayne in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland between 1978 and 2011, for the first decade of her career on the Rothesay crossing. Later, she also saw service on the Dunoon and Brodick crossings, as well as on short cruises around the Clyde.
Coastal fortifications in Scotland played a vital role during the World Wars, protecting shipping as they mustered to convoy. New fortifications were built and old defences were also rebuilt or strengthened around the Scottish coast in case of invasion. New technologies like Radar were also deployed.
