Value Break in Dunoon & Cowal

Dunoon Burgh Hall is the creative cultural hub for Cowal. It is an accessible venue for exhibitions, performances and gatherings, and exhibitions are often free to visit. Why not also visit Castle House Museum, where you can step back into history and discover the fascinating past of Dunoon, with good value access for adults, and children go free.

When you’ve finished at the museum, why not visit the nearby Castle ruins on the mound and Highland Mary, a monument dedicated to Mary Campbell, the lover of Robert Burns. Historic Kilmun is another excellent cultural site that is free for children under 16. A former church, it overlooks the Holy Loch on a site with a religious history dating back to the 7th Century. Adjoining the church is the Argyll Mausoleum, a burial place for Campbells of Argyll from the 16th century until the last Duke was interred there in 1949. The current main building, erected in 1841 and set in a historic graveyard, boasts one of the very few working hydraulic water-powered organs in Britain, together with impressive stained-glass windows. If you’re looking for some modern culture, a small local cinema in Dunoon offers good value for money viewings.

There are also many free cultural sites you can visit across Cowal. Kilmodan Stones is a group of late medieval West Highland carved grave slabs exhibited in a burial aisle within Kilmodan Churchyard. Colintraive Heritage Centre is a free museum celebrating the local history and heritage of the rural village of Colintraive. Toward Castle ruins is the former seat of Clan Lamont, one of the most powerful families in the history of west Scotland. It dates from the 15th century and Sir John Lamont entertained Mary Queen of Scots there in 1563. Carrick Castle is on the shores of Loch Goil. The Loch Awe's Campbells built this castle's earliest sections in the late 14th century. Mary Queen of Scots also stayed at this castle in 1563. It is now in private ownership.