Things To Do in Inveraray

At one end of the town's main street is a Celtic burial cross from Iona. The parish church is divided by a wall that enables Mass to be held simultaneously in Gaelic and English.

Because so many of its attractions, and those in its environs, involve walking, hope for a sunny day. A local beauty spot is the Ardkinglas Woodland Garden (tel. 01499/600-261; www.ardkinglas.com), 6.5km (4 miles) east of Inveraray, at the head of Loch Fyne. People drive from all over to see Scotland's greatest collection of conifers and its masses of rhododendrons bursting into bloom in June. Admission is £3; it's open daily from 9am to 5pm.

If you have a car, you can explore this scenic part of Scotland from Cairndow. Head east along A83 until you reach the junction with A815, at which point proceed south along the western shore of Loch Fyne until you come to the famous inn at Creggans , directly north of Strachur. About 8km (5 miles) south from The Creggans Inn along the loch is the old Castle Lachlan at Strathiachian, the 13th-century castle of the MacLachlan clan. Now in ruins, it was besieged by the English in 1745. The MacLachlans were fervent Jacobites and played a major role in the uprising.