Welcome toCowal & Dunoon
Bordered on three sides by sea lochs, with excellent hill walking, wildlife, and a sculpture park.
More about Cowal & Dunoon
Ideal for:
Nature & wildlife
History & heritage
Arrochar Alps and Benmore botanic gardens
From the spectacular treks through the Arrochar Alps to long walks in the hills around Loch Eck, the Cowal peninsula is excellent for walkers of all abilities. The ferry to Cowal from Rhubodach on Bute takes five minutes, and before you head off into the peninsula, stop off at the sculpture park at Caol Riadh in Colintraive. Head round to Ostel Bay for the best beach in the area, or make your way to Benmore Botanic Gardens for its collection of giant redwoods, rhododendrons, and other rare plant species. Don't miss the wildlife in Cowal: look out for red squirrels, red deer, otters, and the occasional bird of prey.
For more on Cowal visit the following sites, Visit Cowal and Explore Argyll .
How to get here
The ferry from Rhubodach in Bute to Cowal takes five minutes, arriving at Colintraive. No advance booking is necessary on this sailing. Simply turn up at the port of departure, buy a ticket, and go on the next available sailing.
Looking for the best form of travel to and from our ports? Our Public Transport Journey Planner can help you plot your journey from anywhere in the UK, using a wide range of public transport options e.g. ferry, train and bus.
We have also listed some travel information below that you may find useful:
You can get the ferry to Bute from Wemyss Bay
Most routes to Wemyss Bay pass through, or past, Glasgow:
By car
Wemyss Bay is 32 miles from Glasgow, and it takes about 50 minutes to get there.
Postcodes for sat nav
Wemyss Bay: PA18 6AR
Colintraive: PA22 3AP
Travelling without a car
By train
Regular trains to Wemyss Bay leave from Glasgow Central Station, and take 52 minutes. Check out our Public Transport Journey Planner tool to plan your bus, rail and ferry travel to Scotland's west coast and islands and make active travel part of your trip.
By bus
You can get to Wemyss Bay by bus from Glasgow, which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes, including a change at Greenock.
West Coast Motors operate regular services (Monday-Saturday) from Rhubodach, Portavadie, and Colintraive ferry terminals.
By foot
Cowal and Dunoon is a three-pronged peninsula between Loch Long and Loch Fyne and is easily accessible from the Scottish Central Belt. There are walking routes to suit all levels among the rugged terrain and mountainous landscape that passes beautiful lochs and expansive forests where you may even see red squirrels. The Cowal Way starts at Portavadie and is a 7 stage 90 km walk that runs the length of the Cowal peninsula and for those keen walkers it can link into both the Three Lochs Way at Arrochar and the West Highland Way at Inveruglas. If you would like more information on walking in Cowal and Dunoon check out the Visit Cowal website.
By bike
Why not cycle on Cowal and Dunoon? With its quiet country roads and wonderful scenery, Cowal and Dunoon is the ideal spot for families and cyclists to get out on their bikes. There are shoreline roads in the south west of Cowal that offer a great family cycling experience and the Argyll Forest Park on the hills surrounding Loch Long, Goil and Eck offer a great and safe opportunity to go off-road. Visit Cowal for more information. Further details of bike hire can be found at Visit Scotland.
Note: Groups of cyclists should contact us in advance advising of preferred sailings, as space on some ferries may be limited
Plan your journey at CycleStreets.
You can get to Dunoon from Gourock with Argyll Ferries
The Argyll Ferries passenger only service runs between Gourock and Dunoon, with up to 60 sailings a day!
By train
Regular trains run between Glasgow Central Station and Gourock train station, which is conveniently situated beside the ferry terminal. You can buy a combined Rail and Sail ticket to make your journey even easier. Check the train times on Argyll Ferries Ltd website.
