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Inveraray

A striking example of a planned ‘new town’, Inveraray was built in the mid-1700s by the 3rd Duke of Argyll, chief of the powerful Clan Campbell. He demolished the old settlement to build his grand new castle and re-housed the villagers in the attractive Georgian houses lining Main Street. The duke also provided them with an elegant neo-classical church, All Saints, which was originally divided into two parts: one for services in English; the other for Gaelic speakers. A later addition, erected as a memorial to Campbells who fell in World War I, is the free-standing Bell Tower, equipped with ten bells which are reputedly the second heaviest in the world. During the summer months, the tower is open to visitors and there are splendid panoramic views from the top.

Inveraray Castle stands to the north, and is an elegant, foursquare stately home. With its four turrets - one at each corner of the building - it looks more like a grand French château than a Highland castle, but this was the intention. It was designed to tell the world that the Campbells, Dukes of Argyll, belonged to one of the most powerful families in the land. Despite two major fires in 1977 and 1975, the most important treasures survived and include portraits by Gainsborough, Ramsay and Raeburn, superb furniture, and a mind-boggling array of weaponry which includes the dirk, or traditional Highland dagger, used by Rob Roy. Outside, the grounds are extensive with many pretty walks, some by waterfalls on the River Aray.

Moored alongside Inveraray Pier is the Arctic Penguin, a three-masted schooner built in 1911 which houses the Inveraray Maritime Museum. Here the maritime history of Scotland’s western seaboard is vividly brought to life. There’s an on board cinema with an archive of old film, and people can see what conditions were like aboard a ship taking them to a new life in America. The latest addition to the museum is the Eilean Eisdeal, a typical puffer built in Hull in 1944.

One of the most popular attractions in the area is Inveraray Jail, yet another of the 3rd duke’s benefactions to the town. The stately Georgian courthouse and the bleak prison cells were last used in the 1930s and have been converted into an award-winning and imaginative museum where costumed actors re-create the horrors of prison live in the past. Visitors can also seat themselves in the semi-circular courtroom and listen to excerpts from real-life trials that took place here.

One of the area’s most famous sons was Neil Munro (1863-1930), the writer and journalist who wrote the ever-popular Para Handy books. On the A819 through Glen Aray towards Loch Awe is a monument that commemorates him. It stands close to his birthplace at Carnus.