Garelochhead (,
, "Headland of the Short Lake") is a small town on the

Gare Loch The Gare Loch or Gareloch () is an open sea loch in Argyll and Bute in the west of Scotland, and it bears a similar name to the village of Gairloch in the north west Highlands. The loch is well used for sailing, recreational boating, list of ...

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, Scotland. It is the nearest town to the

HMNB Clyde His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

naval base. Garelochhead lies northwest of

Helensburgh Helensburgh ( ; ) is a town on the north side of the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, situated at the mouth of the Gareloch. Historically in Dunbartonshire, it became part of Argyll and Bute following local government reorganisation in 1996. Histo ...

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; ) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF), often considered the boundary between the lowlands of Central Scotland and the Highlands.Tom Weir. ''The Scottish Lochs''. pp. 33-43. Published by ...

is a few miles to the east, and

Loch Long 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, to the Arrochar Alps at the head of the loch. It measures approximately in length, with a wi ...

to the west. In addition to the few local shops, pub and church, it has a bowling club and two community buildings – the Gibson Hall and Centre 81, which is home to Route 81 youth project, gym, café, computer suite and meeting rooms. There is also a gallery featuring work by Scottish artists. Garelochhead is served by Garelochhead railway station on the

West Highland Line The West Highland Line ( – "Iron Road to the Isles") is a railway line linking the ports of Mallaig and Oban in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow in Central Scotland. The line was voted the top rail journey in the world by readers of indepen ...

and a local bus service running between Coulport and Helensburgh.

History

Garelochhead, originally in Dunbartonshire, now in Argyll and Bute, developed from the 1820s with the advent of steamer cruising during the Glasgow Fair holiday.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

was boosted with the opening of the West Highland Railway line to Fort William in 1894, and in the late 20th century its prosperity was linked to the deepwater oil tanker terminal at Finnart on

and the Faslane naval base. Garelochhead Forest lies to the south. In 1854 there was a great dispute that became known as the ''Battle of Garelochhead'' fought between the locals, led by Sir James Colquhoun, and the passengers of the steamer Ship "Emperor". The trouble started when Colquhoun did not want trippers on the sabbath day. The battle was eventually won by the passengers, but undeterred Colquhoun took his case to the courts who subsequently banned sailings on Sundays. Before

Faslane His Majesty's Naval Base, Clyde (HMNB Clyde; also HMS ''Neptune''), primarily sited at Faslane on the Gare Loch, is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Devonport and HMNB Portsmouth). It ...

naval base A naval base, navy base, or military port is a military base, where warships and naval ships are docked when they have no mission at sea or need to restock. Ships may also undergo repairs. Some naval bases are temporary homes to aircraft that usu ...

was constructed during World War II, Garelochhead was a summer destination for people from

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

who would arrive from the Gare Loch and spend time in one of the Garelochhead hotels. Following transport advancements, holidaymakers stopped coming to Garelochhead. Faslane was built after this and extended the town as workers settled in the area. During the 1990s, two of the town's hotels, The Dahlandui and Garelochhead Hotel, burnt down in fires. In the last ten years, due to lack of attendance the local

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Chapel has closed down with Garelochhead Parish

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

Kirk in the town holding a combined congregation of both

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The Gibson Hall is commonly used as headquarters for cycle races around the Coulport peninsula, such as the Scottish Cycling national road race that was organised by Lomond Roads Cycling Club..

Garelochhead Training Area Garelochhead Training Area is a military training area located near Garelochhead in Scotland. History The camp was originally built in 1940 during World War II. Some 22,000 American servicemen were accommodated and trained at the camp prior to ...

is a military training facility located nearby.

References

{{Authority control Towns in Argyll and Bute