Argyll and Bute
From Wikitravel
Contents
Argyll and Bute is a county in Scotland. In this guide it is presented without the islands belonging to Inner Hebrides.
[edit] Towns and villages
[edit] Towns
[edit] Villages
[edit] Other destinations
[edit] Understand
Argyll and Bute have only been amalgamated into one region in relatively recent history. All through the Middle Ages and into the post Act of Union period the Duke of ARgyll ruled all of Argyll but was not, at all times, master of Bute.
The Duchy of Argyll although not directly geographically contgeous to the modern council area was a major political force in Medieval Scotland. One of the most famous, and amongst certain clans, infamous clans of western Scotland, the Campbells had their seat in ARgyll.
Many works of fiction including Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped have featured the wild and rugged coastline of Argyll as a setting.
Bute, though less well known than Argyll and lying some way to the south has its own place in the regions past, primarily as the target of raids and clan rivalries.
[edit] Talk
Argyll and Bute is one of the major centres of Gaelic and Gaelic culture. this said, the sole universal language is English. In towns like Oban you may find Gaelic speakers as well as recent immigrants form eastern Europe. In effect though, everyone speaks English and communication should not be a problem. One points of caution though, the road signs are all in Gaelic and English and often have Gaelic first. If you can, make sure to read the full sign to find the English place name.
[edit] Get in
[edit] By train
By far the easiest way to get into Argyll and from there to Bute is by train. there is a twice daily service from Glasgow's Queen's STreet station to Oban calling at almost every small town on the route. At a point midway through the journey the train divides with two coaches going to Fort WIlliam and two to Oban. The journey from Glasgow to Fort WIlliam was recently nominated by a British trian joureny enthusiasts gorup as the msot beatiful trian ride in Britian. If you can then take the train during the day in order to enjoy some spectacular views of the Scottish countryside. The journey takes aproximately 3 hours from Glasgow to Oban. There is a trolly on the trian, but as with all food on trains, it is over-prices and of at best average quality though ther has been a noticable improvement of late.
[edit] By road
It is possible to get into Argyll by road from all directions save the west. The roeads from the south are generally good but can be a bit winding and the surface quality is not always pristine. In northern and central Argyll the largest roads are A roads (two lanes each way in theory but often one lane each way in the north).
[edit] By ferry
It is possible to get into Argyll and Bute by ferry too. there are regular Caledonian McBrayne ferries from, primarily Oban to most of the western Isles and fromt he far south of Argyll it is possible to get ferries to Northern Ireland.
[edit] Get around
[edit][add listing] See
[edit] Itineraries
[edit][add listing] Do
[edit][add listing] Eat
[edit][add listing] Drink
[edit] Stay safe
Argyll in general is very safe. As with all rural parts of Britain crime is remarkably low. There are occasional incidents of theft in the major towns but these are very rare. It is not uncommon for people to leave their doors unlocked almost all the time. Although all normal precautions for travelers are advised there is little for tourists to worry about in terms of crime in Argyll and Bute.
Environmental hazards
In winter many roads in Argyll can, or at the least in the last two years have, been covered by snow. If you are not accustomed to driving on snow then extreme caution is advised during the snow. Even when there is no snow there can often be ice in winter and although less obviously dangerous Ice is a more common danger.
[edit] Get out
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