Old Argyll House United Kingdom

Old Argyll House, a luxuriously equipped holiday home in Scotland for up to 18 guests, sits amid 2.5 acres of private gardens on Holy Loch in Trossachs National Park. The landscapes on the peninsula are stunning, starting with the property’s streams, waterfalls and tall trees planted by the Younger family who founded the nearby Benmore Botanic Gardens. This area is famed for its walks, and you can take several spectacular routes into the Forest Park straight from the house.
Nearby, you’ll find every outdoor activity you’d want, including fishing, riding, shooting, golf, sailing and cycling. We’ve provided fishing rods, bikes and golf club sets to get you started.
There’s also plenty to do on site, with lawn games like croquet, cricket, badminton and a trampoline. A midge machine keeps things pleasant as you play or barbecue. Inside, there’s a sauna, games room, snooker room and downstairs snug with TV, DVD and Sky.
Built in 1693, this classic Scottish holiday home has 8 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, so your large group will feel comfortable. Only 1.5 hours from Glasgow via the M8 and a ferry, the house is 10 minutes from Dunoon and 70 minutes from the Glasgow Airport. 
The house is situated on the shores of the Holy Loch, adjacent to the Argyll Forest Park, and is perfectly placed for exploring the Cowal peninsula, the West of Scotland generally, and the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. Two minutes from the Benmore Botanic Gardens, it is a 10 minute drive from Dunoon, 35 from Inverary, and 40 from Loch Lomond or the Island of Bute. The “long drive” to Glasgow is less than an hour and a half via the M8 and ferry from MacEnroes Point at Gourock. The property is just 70 minutes from Glasgow Airport.
The walking all around is absolutely fantastic, and from the house itself there are half a dozen spectacular routes that take visitors into some magical places in the Forest Park. Guests can do circular routes that take anything from an hour and a half to eight or nine hours. The owners have left maps and guides in the sitting room, and more details are available from the tourist office in Dunoon.
Cycling is a really great way to see the scenery in the area, and the topography is such that riders don’t need to do much back-breaking hill work. The owners have equipped the house with 6 kid’s bikes of different sizes and a couple for grown ups.
Generally, the property is fantastically positioned to see some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. The views are not bad from the house itself, but a drive up to Loch Fyne and down to Loch Lomond, or into the Kyles of Bute, or down the Maccrahanish/Mull of Kintyre peninsula, reveals vistas that are absolutely breathtaking. If the weather is no good, visitors are only 75 minutes from Glasgow by Ferry and M8, and less than 2 hours from Edinburgh if the traffic is okay. They are both great cities to visit.
Benmore Botanic Gardens is only three miles away towards Loch Eck, and are an absolutely amazing set of gardens planted and cared for originally by the Younger family, who previously owned the house. There are also awesome trees, including the tallest in Britain, and a great tea shop.
Strone’s pretty, 9 hole golf course is well-signposted, just over a mile away. Innellan is another nice 9 hole course about 15 minutes away. Cowal has 18 holes and is a bit closer, just above Dunoon. There is also a 9 hole course 25 minutes away at Tighnabruich with lovely views up the Kyles of Bute. Visitors are welcome any time there is not a match on all three courses. Guests are welcome to use the four sets of clubs in the house.
The River Eck is one of the most expensive trout stretches in the West of Scotland and mostly carved up by timeshare. Fortunately though, there is a mass of very good value options for both loch and river fishing locally, with daily and weekly permits available. The owners have supplied half a dozen rods and some basic kit, spinning and casting.
The property is really well served with good pubs. Whistlefield Inn and Coylet Inn, up the side of Loch Eck at 10 and 5 minutes respectively, are both highly recommended. The owners have included menus in the house information pack. The more easily walkable pubs are both fine as well, providing big portions of good, basic pub food. Dunoon has dozens of cafes, bars, takeaways and restaurants. The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar trades a bit on reputation price-wise but is a landmark destination in these parts and only about 35 minutes away.An option is to use the owners’ friends at the award-winning ‘An Lochan’ in Tighnabruich to cook a celebration meal so guests can make the most of the opportunity to relax in the gorgeous, paneled dining room. They can do anything from a kitchen supper for the Aga to a full-blown formal, four course dinner. 
At Excellence Luxury Villas we pride ourselves on going that little bit further for our guests. If there is anything you would like to arrange for your stay, please contact the Excellence Luxury Villas VIP Concierge Team who will be happy to help. We can usually help you arrange any of the following:
– Cook/catering
– Maid service/extra cleaning
– Local day-trips or tours
– Airport pick-up/drop-off
– Babysitting service
– Welcome hamper/pre-stocked fridge
This is by no means an exhaustive list, so please just contact Excellence Luxury Villas VIP Concierge Team to help you arrange any of those little extras that can really make the difference.