Rosneath Peninsula is a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

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 ...

, western

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, formerly in the historic county of

Dunbartonshire Dunbartonshire () or the County of Dumbarton is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the west central Lowlands of Scotland lying to the north of the River Clyde. Dunbar ...

. The peninsula is formed by 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 ...

in 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 ...

in the west, both merge with the upper

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde, is the estuary of the River Clyde, on the west coast of Scotland. The Firth has some of the deepest coastal waters of the British Isles. The Firth is sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre, Kintyre Peninsula. The ...

Geography

It is approximately long (as measured from the head of the Gare Loch) and across at its widest point. The 56th parallel north cuts through the southern end of the peninsula.

Highland Boundary Fault

The Highland Boundary Fault bisects the Peninsula.

History

Naming

The peninsula is thought to be named after the word Rosneath, derived from

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

, meaning "headland of the sanctuary".

Rosneath Castle

Rosneath Castle had stood since the medievil period, at least the 12th century. It was built on a rock outcrop overlooking Castle Bay. The building was attacked by

William Wallace Sir William Wallace (, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of St ...

while under English control. The castle was destroyed by a fire on 30 May 1802 and the site was cleared. The site is now occupied by the Rosneath Castle Park.

Rosneath House

Rosneath House built 1803–06, was for a time the residence of Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, the daughter of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. The house was a military base during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was where

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

was planned As with many castles and grand houses in the area, the house has been demolished.

Knockderry Castle

Knockderry Castle, is located in

Cove A cove is a small bay or coastal inlet. They usually have narrow, restricted entrances, are often circular or oval, and are often situated within a larger bay. Small, narrow, sheltered bays, inlets, creek (tidal), creeks, or recesses in a coast ...

. Designed by Alexander "Greek" Thomson in the 1850s.

Education

Kilcreggan Primary School is non-denominational and co-educational. Rosneath Primary School, the majority of the school was built 1967.

Religion

There has been a Christian presence on the peninsula from an early date. St.Modan's Parish Church In Rosneath opened for public worship on 11 September 1853. It was named after

Saint Modan St Modan was the son of an Ireland, Irish tribal chief, chieftain. He became a monk and built a chapel at Dryburgh, Scotland, in 522 which he used as a base for several years. This later became the site of a monastery: Dryburgh Abbey. He actively ...

on 14 June 1982. Craigrownie Parish Church, which was completed in 1853, serves the communities of Ardpeaton, Cove and Kilcreggan. St. Gildas R.C. church is in Rosneath and opened in 1968. Named after Gildas the Albanian Barbour Cemetery a 20th-century cemetery in Ardpeaton, where the families in the Rosneath peninsula that had no right of burial in Rosneath churchyard could be interred.

Settlements

The peninsulas settlements traveling round the coast from the top of the east coast to the top of the west coast are:- * Mambeg * Rahane, overlooks His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde. *

Clynder Clynder is a Hamlet (place), place on the western shore of the Gare Loch, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Historically in the Dunbartonshire, County of Dunbarton, Clynder is one of a string of small settlements on the Rosneath Peninsula. It is almost ...

Rosneath Rosneath () is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch, northwest of the tip of the Rosneath Peninsula. It is about by road from the village of Kilcreggan, which is sited on the southern shore ...

* Kilcreggan, location of the passenger ferry connection to

Gourock Gourock ( ; ) is a town in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a resort town, seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its ma ...

Inverclyde Inverclyde (, , , "mouth of the Clyde") is one of 32 council areas used for local government in Scotland. Together with the East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire council areas, Inverclyde forms part of the historic county of Renfrewshire, which ...

. *

* Ardpeaton * Coulport, is home to a Royal Navy Armaments Depot.

Historical

During the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

, from 1850 onwards, the large contiguous villages of

and Kilcreggan were developed, with luxurious summer

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s developed in attractive coastal settings for the wealthy of the greater

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 ...

area, so that businessmen and their families could enjoy the fresh air. Piers built at Cove and Kilcreggan had

Clyde steamer The Clyde steamer is the collective term for several passenger services that existed on the River Clyde in Scotland, running from Glasgow downstream to Rothesay and other towns, a journey known as going ''doon the watter''. The era of the Cl ...

services taking business and leisure commuters to railway terminals such as at Greenock Princes Pier railway station, or on more leisurely steamer trips down the

and up river into Glasgow.

Transport

Road

The B833 road which runs from Garelochhead to Coulport. The B833 follows the shoreline but two roads cross the peninsula: both un-numbered, one for local traffic from Ardpeaton to Rahane, the other considerably larger and mainly designed for military traffic between Coulport and Faslane.

Ferry

The Caledonian MacBrayne service from

to Kilcreggan on the peninsula. This service is for foot passengers only. Travel connections For foot passengers at Gourock Pier, a

ScotRail ScotRail Trains Limited, trading as ScotRail (), is a Scottish train operating company that is publicly owned by Scottish Rail Holdings on behalf of the Scottish Government. It has been operating the ScotRail franchise as an operator of las ...

train service provides access to the

National Rail National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, a group representing passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the passenger services previously provided by ...

network at Glasgow Central, via the local service

Inverclyde Line The Inverclyde Line is a railway line running from Glasgow Central station through Paisley (Gilmour Street) and a series of stations to the south of the River Clyde and the Firth of Clyde, terminating at Gourock and Wemyss Bay, where it conn ...

Sport and recreation

The PS Waverley calls at Kilcreggan pier during its summer season on the Firth of Clyde coast. More recently the area has become a popular destination for cyclists as it is possible to do a circular tour of the peninsula using the military road.

References

External links

Argyll and Bute Council

Rosneath Peninsula Highland Games
Peninsulas of Scotland Landforms of Argyll and Bute Firth of Clyde Highland Boundary Fault {{Purge