Cowal ( gd, Còmhghall) is a
peninsula in
Argyll and Bute
Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...
, in the west of Scotland, that extends into the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
.
The northern part of the peninsula is covered by the
Argyll Forest Park
Argyll Forest Park is a forest park located on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. Established in 1935, it was the first forest park to be created in the United Kingdom. The park is managed by Forestry and Land Scotland, a ...
managed by
Forestry and Land Scotland. The
Arrochar Alps
The Arrochar Alps are a group of mountains located around the head of Loch Long, Loch Fyne, and Loch Goil, near the villages of Arrochar and Lochgoilhead, on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The mountains are especially popular ...
and Ardgoil peninsula in the north fringe the edges of the
sea lochs whilst the forest park spreads out across the hillsides and mountain passes, making Cowal one of the remotest areas in the west of mainland Scotland. The
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park extends into Cowal. The peninsula is separated from
Knapdale by
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Soun ...
, and from
Inverclyde
Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "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 hist ...
and
North Ayrshire to the east by the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
.
Loch Long and its arm,
Loch Goil are to the north-east. The south of the peninsula is split into three forks by
Loch Striven and
Loch Riddon (Loch Ruel). The
Isle of Bute
The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Formerly a constituent is ...
lies to the south separated by the narrow
Kyles of Bute which connect the Firth of Clyde to Loch Riddon.
Cowal's only
burgh is
Dunoon in the south-east, from which
ferries
A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water tax ...
sail to
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...
in Inverclyde. Other ferries run from
Portavadie in the west to
Tarbert in Kintyre, and from
Colintraive
Colintraive ( gd, Caol an t-Snàimh) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Once the site where cattle were swum across the narrows to the Isle of Bute, the MV ''Loch Dunvegan'' — a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne — now provides ...
in the south to
Rhubodach on the Isle of Bute.
Much of Cowal was once held by the
Lamonts. Later, the
Campbells came to be one of the most powerful families in Cowal.
Geography and geology
The Cowal
peninsula is bounded by
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Soun ...
on the west and
Loch Long and the
Firth of Clyde
The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...
on the east. It is separated from the
Isle of Bute
The Isle of Bute ( sco, Buit; gd, Eilean Bhòid or '), known as Bute (), is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, United Kingdom. It is divided into highland and lowland areas by the Highland Boundary Fault.
Formerly a constituent is ...
by the deep narrow straits of the
Kyles of Bute. The coastline is incised by deep sea lochs, principally
Loch Riddon, and
Loch Striven. These split the southern half of Cowal into three narrower peninsulas; on the west, the
Kilfinan peninsula, and on the east, the
Toward
Toward; ( gd, Tollard) is a village near Dunoon, Scotland, at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula.
During the Second World War, the Toward area was a training centre called HMS Brontosaurus also known as the No 2 Combined Training Centre (C ...
peninsula, which is also isolated from the north of Cowal, by the
Holy Loch. The small central peninsula is divided from the Kilfinan peninsula by Loch Riddon, and the interjection of Bute, and its Kyles.
Cowal's underlying geology is made up largely of resistant
metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock ( protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, caus ...
s, but south of the
Highland Boundary Fault
The Highland Boundary Fault is a major fault zone that traverses Scotland from Arran and Helensburgh on the west coast to Stonehaven in the east. It separates two different geological terranes which give rise to two distinct physiographic terr ...
part of the Toward peninsula is composed of
sedimentary rock
Sedimentary rocks are types of rock that are formed by the accumulation or deposition of mineral or organic particles at Earth's surface, followed by cementation. Sedimentation is the collective name for processes that cause these particles ...
s. The landscape is mountainous, the high ground dominated by
moorland,
peat
Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and is the most efficient ...
mosses and the forest that often extends down the sides of the sea lochs to the water's edge. The acreage of improved farmland is small. Most land is owned by estates or the
Forestry and Land Scotland except in the more settled areas.
The coast is mostly rocky and the few beaches are mostly shingle and gravel except on Loch Fyne: the longest sandy beach is at
Ardentinny on Loch Long.
The only lowland areas are around the coast where most of the settlement is found, particularly around
Dunoon, Cowal's largest settlement on the Firth of Clyde. Other settlements include
Innellan,
Sandbank,
Kilmun,
Strone,
Arrochar,
Lochgoilhead
Lochgoilhead ( gd, Ceann Loch Goibhle, IPA: �kʰʲaun̴̪ˈɫ̪ɔxˈkɤilə is a village on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. It is located within the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park and is widely consider ...
,
Tighnabruaich,
Kames and
Strachur.
Transport
The
A83 trunk road crosses the northern end of the peninsular passing
Arrochar at the head of Loch Long and
Cairndow near the head of Loch Fyne. It partly follows or runs parallel to
William Caulfield's historic
military road
{{Use dmy dates, date=November 2019
The following is a list of military roads worldwide.
Australia
* Part of the A8 (Sydney) between Neutral Bay and Mosman
* Military Road, part of Route 39, Melbourne
* Military Road, off Wanneroo Road just nort ...
that takes its name,'' Rest and Be Thankful'' from the stone seat erected at the summit at the head of
Glen Croe. As the A83 has been subject to
landslips, the old route has been used as a diversionary route. The other A roads are the
A815 which links the A83 with Dunoon via Strachur where the
A886 leaves it and heads south via
Glendaruel
Glendaruel (Gaelic: ''Gleann Dà Ruadhail'') is a glen in the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
The main settlement in Glendaruel is the Clachan of Glendaruel.
Features
The present Kilmodan Church was built in the Clachan of Glen ...
to
Colintraive
Colintraive ( gd, Caol an t-Snàimh) is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Once the site where cattle were swum across the narrows to the Isle of Bute, the MV ''Loch Dunvegan'' — a ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne — now provides ...
where the ferry connects it to the Isle of Bute and the
A8003 which links
Tighnabruaich to the A886. Other roads are secondary B roads, narrow roads or tracks.
At Colintraive the
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...
vehicle ferry takes five minutes to cross the strait to
Rhubodach on Bute. The ferry from
Portavadie to
Tarbert on
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
across Loch Fyne takes 25 minutes. A service operated by
Caledonian MacBrayne
Caledonian MacBrayne ( gd, Caledonian Mac a' Bhriuthainn), usually shortened to CalMac, is the major operator of passenger and vehicle ferries, and ferry services, between the mainland of Scotland and 22 of the major islands on Scotland's west ...
connects
Dunoon to
Gourock
Gourock ( ; gd, Guireag ) is a town in the Inverclyde council area and formerly a burgh of the County of Renfrew in the west of Scotland. It was a seaside resort on the East shore of the upper Firth of Clyde. Its main function today is as a ...
in
Inverclyde
Inverclyde ( sco, Inerclyde, gd, Inbhir Chluaidh, , "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 hist ...
where there is easy access the
ScotRail train service to
Glasgow Central railway station.
History
Evidence of early occupation of the area is in the form of
cairns or burial mounds. One example is a
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
cairn from between about 2000 BC and 800 BC is situated close to the summit of Creag Evanachan, above sea level overlooking Loch Fyne. It is a mound of stones about in diameter and up to high. Another is the cairn at Dunchraigaig which is in diameter and was first excavated in 1864. At the south end a
cist
A cist ( or ; also kist ;
from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Ea ...
contained the deposits of burnt bones from eight or ten bodies. A smaller cist in the centre contained a bowl, burnt bone, charcoal and
flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...
chips, and in the clay below them, the remains of a burial. A third even smaller cist also contained a food bowl, burnt bones and flint chips. A
whetstone, flint knife, fragments of pottery and a
greenstone axe were also found.
Argyle (Argyll)
When
the Irish invaded the region, it became part of their kingdom of
Dal Riata. The
Cenél Comgaill
Comgall mac Domangairt was king of Dál Riata in the early 6th century. He was the son of Domangart Réti and grandson of Fergus Mór. The ''Annals of Ulster'' report his death in 538, 542 and 545, the ''Annals of Tigernach'' in 537.
Comgall
N ...
, a kin group within Dal Riata, controlled the Cowal peninsula, which consequently took their name (evolving over time from ''Comgaill'' to ''Cowal''). Prior to this, little is known, except as revealed archaeologically, though the region may have been part of the
Pictish
Pictish is the extinct Brittonic language spoken by the Picts, the people of eastern and northern Scotland from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages. Virtually no direct attestations of Pictish remain, short of a limited number of geographica ...
kingdom of
Fortriu.
Following a subsequent invasion by
Norsemen
The Norsemen (or Norse people) were a North Germanic ethnolinguistic group of the Early Middle Ages, during which they spoke the Old Norse language. The language belongs to the North Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages and is the pr ...
, the
Hebridean islands of Dal Riata became the
Kingdom of the Isles
The Kingdom of the Isles consisted of the Isle of Man, the Hebrides and the islands of the Firth of Clyde from the 9th to the 13th centuries AD. The islands were known to the Norse as the , or "Southern Isles" as distinct from the or North ...
, which following Norwegian unification became part of Norway, as ''Suðreyjar'' (historically anglicised as ''Sodor''). The remaining parts of Dal Riata attracted the name ''
Argyle'' (later ''Argyll''), in reference to their ethnicity. In an unclear manner, the
kingdom of Alba
The Kingdom of Alba ( la, Scotia; sga, Alba) was the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II in 900 and of Alexander III in 1286. The latter's death led indirectly to an invasion of Scotland by Edward I of England in 1296 and the ...
was founded elsewhere by groups originating from Argyll, and expanded to include Argyll itself.
However, an 11th-century Norse military campaign led to the formal transfer of
Lorn,
Islay,
Kintyre
Kintyre ( gd, Cinn Tìre, ) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the southwest of Argyll and Bute. The peninsula stretches about , from the Mull of Kintyre in the south to East and West Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately nor ...
,
Knapdale,
Bute, and
Arran, to ''Suðreyjar''. This left Alba with no part of Argyll except Cowal, and the land between
Loch Awe and
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Soun ...
. After Alba united with
Moray, over the course of the century, it became Scotland. In 1326, a
sheriff was appointed for the Scottish parts of Argyll.
Although, following the
Treaty of Perth
The Treaty of Perth, signed 2 July 1266, ended military conflict between Magnus VI of Norway and Alexander III of Scotland over possession of the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. The text of the treaty.
The Hebrides and the Isle of Man had becom ...
, Suðreyjar's successor state, the
Lordship of the Isles, fell under the nominal authority of the Scottish king, it was not until 1475 that it was merged with Scotland (the occasion being the punishment of
its ruler for an anti-Scottish conspiracy). The sheriffdom of Argyll was expanded to include the adjacent mainland areas from the Lordship. Following local government reforms in the 19th century, the traditional provinces were formally abolished, in favour of counties aligned with sheriffdoms, so Cowal became merely a part of the county of Argyll.
Clans and castles
The history of the Cowal is tied into the clans who inhabited it. Seemingly, in the 11th century, an unidentified heiress of the Cenel Comgaill married
Anrothan, grandson of
the king of the
Cenél nEógain
Cenél is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Cenél Conaill, the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history
* Cenél nEógain (in English, Cenel Eogan) i ...
, from
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...
. Clan traditions argue that Anrothan's lands were passed down to a descendant named Aodha Alainn O'Neil, who had the following sons:
*Neil, who founded the
MacNeil of Argyll, who were
castellans of
Castle Sween
Castle Sween, also known as Caisteal Suibhne, and Caistéal Suibhne, is located on the eastern shore of Loch Sween, in Knapdale, south of the forestry village of Achnamara on the west coast of Argyll, Scotland. Castle Sween is thought to be o ...
in Knapdale, on behalf of the Lords of the Isles. The
MacNeil of Barra
Clan MacNeil, also known in Scotland as Clan Niall, is a Scottish Highlands, highland Scottish clan of Irish people, Irish origin. According to their early genealogies and some sources they're descended from Eógan mac Néill and Niall of the Ni ...
claim to be related to them, though how they came to be involved with
Barra
Barra (; gd, Barraigh or ; sco, Barra) is an island in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, and the second southernmost inhabited island there, after the adjacent island of Vatersay to which it is connected by a short causeway. The island is name ...
is unclear.
*Gillachrist, whose son was:
**Lachlan ''Mor'', who founded
Clan MacLachlan, who ruled from
Castle Lachlan
New Castle Lachlan, is an 18th-century baronial mansion or country house located at Strathlachlan, Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It was built in 1790 by Donald Maclachlan, 19th laird, to replace the 15th century Old Castle Lachlan, ...
, on the Loch Fyne coast
*Dunslebhe, whose sons were:
**Ewen, who founded
Clan Ewen of Otter, who ruled from
Castle MacEwen, in the
Kilfinan peninsula
**Fearchar, who founded
Clan MacKerracher, renamed Clan Lamont after 1235, after Lauman, the then chief. Clan Lamont ruled from
Toward Castle, in the
Toward
Toward; ( gd, Tollard) is a village near Dunoon, Scotland, at the southern tip of the Cowal peninsula.
During the Second World War, the Toward area was a training centre called HMS Brontosaurus also known as the No 2 Combined Training Centre (C ...
peninsula.
Excavations carried out at Castle MacEwen showed the site had several stages of development before it was the defended medieval homestead of the MacEwens; at first there was a palisaded enclosure, and then a promontory fort with a timber rampart.
The remote areas in the north east of Cowal, which were theoretically under the dominion of Clan Lamont, were used by Scottish kings for hunting; indeed, Cowal was the last part of Britain to have
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
. When King
John Balliol was threatened by his rival,
Robert de Bruys, Balliol's ally,
the king of England, established
Henry Percy at
Carrick Castle, in the region; likewise
Dunoon Castle further south. De Bruys expelled the English from Cowal, with the aid of the
Campbells (who were based nearby at Loch Awe), and eventually defeated Balliol.
De Bruy's son gave Carrick Castle to the Campbells, while, after spending some time as a direct Royal possession, Dunoon Castle was handed to them by
James III, who made the Campbells its Honorary Keepers.
During
the civil war between Royalists and Puritans, the Campbells had sided with
the Puritans, so following their defeat at the
Battle of Inverlochy, Clan Lamont took the opportunity to push back the borders of Campbell control. Predictably, in 1646, the Campbells took revenge, and overran Toward Castle; after being offered hospitability, the Campbells slaughtered the Lamont occupants in their beds. Despite the chief of the Lamonts surrendering, the Campbells hanged many members of Clan Lamont, in what became known as the Dunoon massacre.
By contrast, the next chief of the Campbells, the son of the former chief, was a
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
, so after the
restoration of Royalist rule, the Campbells were not ultimately dispossessed of their gains. However, after
James VII
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...
came to the Scottish throne,
the Campbells revolted, and the chief was executed, but his son, the new chief, took part in
the successful expulsion of James VII, so the Campbells once again ultimately retained their lands.
Military road
After the
Jacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts.
At Braemar, Aberdeenshire ...
when
James Francis Edward Stuart attempted to regain the throne, the lack of roads in the Highlands prevented the British army from advancing to quell areas of unrest.
General Wade
Field Marshal George Wade (1673 – 14 March 1748) was a British Army officer who served in the Nine Years' War, War of the Spanish Succession, Jacobite rising of 1715 and War of the Quadruple Alliance before leading the construction of barra ...
was tasked with implementing a programme to build military roads from north-central Scotland through the Highlands to the forts in the Great Glen. They were constructed by officers and soldiers. William Caulfeild succeeded Wade in 1740 and constructed the road from Dumbarton via Tarbet to Inveraray through the Cowal where it is known as the "Rest and Be Thankful".
Tourism
In Victorian times tourism began to take hold on the Clyde coast. Steam propulsion started in 1812 and by the end of the 19th century,
paddle steamers
A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...
ferried thousands of Glaswegians ''
doon the watter'' from
Broomielaw
Broomielaw is a major thoroughfare in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It runs adjacent to the River Clyde, on its north bank and forms the southern, waterside boundary of the city's International Financial Services District.
History
Named after ...
in the city centre to holiday resorts including Dunoon on the Cowal.
Sport and culture
The
Loch Lomond and Cowal Way stretches for over through Cowal, from
Portavadie on the southeastern shore of
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Soun ...
leading to
Inveruglas on
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...
, in the
Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park.
The
Cowal Highland Gathering, the annual
highland games, are held annually in Dunoon stadium on the last Friday/Saturday of August.
Castles on Cowal
See also
*
Cowal Community Hospital
*
National parks of Scotland
The national parks of Scotland ( gd, Pàirc Nàiseanta) are managed areas of outstanding landscape where some forms of development are restricted to preserve the landscape and natural environment. At present, Scotland has two national parks: Loc ...
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cowal
Peninsulas of Scotland
Firth of Clyde
Landforms of Argyll and Bute
Scottish coast
Scottish coast and countryside
Highlands and Islands of Scotland
Regions of Scotland