About
The following is taken from the Community website.
Colintraive
Best known as a ferry crossing point to the Island of Bute with its main town of Rothesay.
The waters are called ‘The Kyles of Bute’ and from a vantage point it is a most picturesque scene.
‘The Kyles’ are popular for yachting and on a fine day the waters are filled with white sails.
The narrows at ‘the Kyles’ require careful navigation at low tide by the cruise paddle steamer ‘Waverley’ which often visits the pier at nearby Tighnabruaich.
View across Glen
Glendaruel
The old name of the Glen is Glenduisk, meaning “The Glen of Blackwater”.
About 1110 a battle was fought between Mekan, King of Norway and son of Magnus Barefoot, and the Gaels, in which the invaders were defeated and the slaughtered were thrown into the River Ruail or “Ruel”, Glen-da-Ruail (Glen of red blood). The clachan, Glenderwell or Glendaruel was anglicised to the name we know as Glendaruel.
A prominent landmark in Glendaruel was Dunans Castle and bridge. The last major addition to the building was made in 1863 when a new wing was added. Prior to this, the present bridge over the River Ruel was built by one of the family to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon by the British Army at Waterloo. This bridge, with the Castle beyond, was a favourite subject for artists and photographers, who visited the district. The castle was burned down in January 2001.
An excavation carried out by Cowal Archaeological Society, at Achategan, on the slope of the hill across the road from the Clachan, revealed a series of occupations of the site going back as far as the Neolithic period, about 5000 years ago. St. Modan, a follower of St. Columba, established a monastery in the Glen, and high on the hill is still to be seen St. Modan’s Well.
To the rear of Glendaruel Caravan Park can be found gates which are replicas of the gates of the city of Lucknow. A former resident of the house, long since destroyed by fire, Sir Colin Campbell, led the relief of Lucknow.
