Cairndow; ( gd, An Càrn Dubh) is a coastal hamlet, on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. The town lies between the A83 road and the head of Loch Fyne. Cairndow's school closed in 1988 after the roll fell to just 3 pupils. Now children in the area are sent to the primary school in

Strachur Strachur; ( gd, Srath Chura) and Strathlachlan; ( gd, Srath Lachlainn) are united parishes located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne. Geography Cowal is the l ...

and the secondary school in Dunoon. Medical facilities for the hamlet are provided by the GP in Strachur. Kilmorich Church at Cairndow was built in 1818 and is a category A listed building. After originating as an oyster farm in the loch, Loch Fyne Oysters opened its Loch Fyne Oyster Bar in 1988 at Clachan, across the head of the loch from Cairndow. The company has expanded into a restaurant chain, and the Oyster Bar continues to be a tourist attraction at Clachan, Cairndow.

Ardkinglas House

Ardkinglas House is located to the south of the village. Dating back to the 1300s, the Ardkinglas estate extends over more than of rolling hills and landscaped parkland. The present Ardkinglas House was built by architect Sir Robert Lorimer, completed in eighteen months in the Fall of 1907, and is considered to be his masterpiece. It replaces an earlier house where, in the 1820s, feminist

Caroline Sheridan Norton Caroline Elizabeth Sarah Norton, Lady Stirling-Maxwell (22 March 1808 – 15 June 1877) was an active English social reformer and author.Perkin, pp. 26–28. She left her husband in 1836, who sued her close friend Lord Melbourne, then the Whig ...

was raised. The house remains unaltered and is a popular location for television period dramas and film productions, as well as weddings. Today, it is open to the public, however, not on a regular basis, private tours of the house can be booked at any time of the year and public tours are available on Fridays from April to October. The house's original "Butlers Quarters" can be rented all the year round. The Woodland Gardens, dating from the 18th century, are open all the year round with views of the exterior of the Ardkinglas estate, with its scenic backdrop on Loch Fyne.

Geography

Climate

Gallery

Image:Loch Fyne from Cairndow road.jpg, A view across Loch Fyne near Cairndow Image:Cairndow Kirk.jpg, The kirk at Cairndow Image:Scotland Argyll Bute Cairndow Argyll and Bute.JPG, Scotland Argyll Bute Cairndow Argyll and Bute Image:Loch Fyne, Cairndow, (May 2001) - panoramio.jpg, Loch Fyne, Cairndow, (May 2001) - panoramio

References

External links

Cairndow page in the Gazetteer for Scotland - website

Ardkinglas House - website

Gaelic place names of Scotland - website
Villages in Cowal Highlands and Islands of Scotland {{Argyll-geo-stub