Email Fintry enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
Other places to stay in and around Dunoon
Fintry is a modern, bright holiday home on the Clyde and west coast of
Scotland, sited between the sea and mountains with uninterrupted views
of the Holy Loch and the Cowal Hills beyond.
Kilmun is a village built along the shores of the Holy Loch. The mountains rise straight from the back gardens of the houses, many built in the Victorian era. It lies within Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, confirming the importance of the landscape, habitat and wild life.
The hills, mountains, lochs and sea lochs provide peace and seclusion. For the more adventurous there is space for a wide range of activities including bird watching, walking, climbing, cycling, golf, water sports, fishing and stalking.
Fintry Accommodation
The sea views from the picture windows of the living room are superb and can be enjoyed without leaving the comfort of the couch. If you do need more entertainment there is a radio/CD player, Satellite TV with video and DVD player. We also have Broadband Wi Fi available for Wi Fi enabled computers.
Dining Room
With the same views as the living room, the dining room seats up to eight
and has a high chair for guests traveling with a baby. There is a well
stocked book shelf for anyone who wants more traditional entertainment
and a complementary bottle of wine to accompany your first dinner at Fintry.
Kitchen
The fully fitted kitchen is equipped with all the usual features including
a fridge/freezer, micro wave cooker, dish washer and electric double oven.
For guests that want to cook there is a wide range of utensils and crockery.
Utility Room
The clothes washing and drying facilities are situated in the utility
room, which is kept warm by the central heating boiler. This is an essential
facility for anyone who enjoys the outdoors and wants to ensure their
equipment is clean and dry for the next adventure.
Master bedroom
This is situated on the garden level with its own shower room. It has
an extra long pine double bed that can be divided into two single beds.
There is a wardrobe, chest of drawers, vanity table and chair and table
lamps.
There is a double bedroom and two single bedrooms. These are on the main floor and two have built in wardrobes while the third single room has a chest of drawers for storage.
Heating and utilities
Fintry is kept warm by a gas fired central heating system that is controlled
by a thermostat in the hall and each room by individual thermostatic valves
on the radiators. The system also provides hot water and there is a back
up electric immersion heater. For the romantic there is a log fire in
the living room supplied with logs and coal.
Garden and Parking
The garden is situated behind a mature beech hedge and stone wall. The
front lawn was a tennis court and provides a superb location for alfresco
meals using the teak style garden furniture and is a secure play area
for children. There is private parking for three cars on the parking area
adjacent to the front door.
The tariff includes heating, lighting, linen and towels and for guests with a baby a cot and a high chair are provided. There is a telephone with payments using an honour system. Prices are in pounds sterling.
No-Smoking policy
Guests must not smoke in Fintry.
Dogs and Cats
Pets are not allowed in Fintry.
Change-over
We ask guests to arrive on or after 16:00 hours on the day of arrival
when we will meet and show you the facilities. On the day of departure
please leave Fintry by 10:00 hours. Changeover day is normally Saturday,
but depending on how busy we are we can accommodate alternative arrangements.
History
Fintry was built by the Nichol Family in 1984/85 to replace a holiday
chalet that stood on the site. To keep the lines of the original roof
it is low pitched and clad in copper, a unique feature in the area. Kilmun
is a quiet village with the church next door to Fintry chalet and the
local pub a short walk along the shore opposite the village pier.
The driveway to Fintry is also the road giving access to Kilmun Hill, forest roads, trails and the abundant wild life that can often be seen without crossing the threshold.
Out and About
Adjacent to Fintry is Kilmun Church with its origins
in the eleventh century. It is the historic centre of the village, with
the church yard, Mausoleum for the Dukes of Argyll and Kilmun House the
former seat of the local laird. The area is steeped in history dating
back to the Iron Age, but it is well served with modern
facilities.
Nearby Dunoon has been supporting the tourist industry for over one hundred and fifty years and provides shops, supermarkets, restaurants and entertainment.
The hills and mountains of Cowal display the seasons in all their splendour, with the fresh green of spring, giving way to summers with long evenings and beautiful sunsets. The Autumn hues are unmissable while the winter can bring snow to the mountain tops.
Fintry is a superb base for pottering around the hills of Cowal, the famous Kyles of Bute, Tighnabruaich and the secluded beaches of Ardlamont. Travelling further west is Inverary on Loch Fyne, with its French style castle where the Duke of Argyll lives, or to Oban on the West Coast and the gateway to Mull, Iona and the Inner Hebrides.
After an exciting day exploring come back to the comfort of a home and all the amenities needed for a family of six or three couples. The enclosed garden is child friendly as well as providing parking for up to three cars.
Things to do in Cowal, Argyll
Cowal is the Lake District without the crowds. It has a National Park,
freshwater lochs, mountains and sea lochs that bring the excitement of
the sea to the heart of the mountains. This has created a unique playground
for all to enjoy a fantastic range of outdoor activities.
There are excellent golf courses, gorge walks, hill walks, rock climbs, canoeing, sailing, mountain bike riding, RIB rides and horse riding. Yet the museums, art galleries and shops of central Scotland are only a short ferry ride away.
Wildlife
Bird watchers will find an almost endless list of birds of prey hen harrier,
goshawk, sparrowhawk, buzzard, kestrel, merlin, peregrine falcon, rough
legged buzzard and honey buzzard means there’s an excellent chance
of witnessing some of these beautiful hunting birds in action.
The Holy Loch is one of innumerable sea lochs forming part of the coast line that stretches for hundreds of miles with sea cliffs and sandy beaches and hidden bays. There are thousands of islands and islets on the West Coast of Scotland.
They are home to puffins and vast numbers of seabirds many of which can be seen from the balcony at Fintry holiday chalet. All three members of the diver or loon family breed here showing their fabulous summer breeding plumage. It all makes this a perfect choice for a birdwatching holiday.
Spectacular sunsets and an ocean that seems to go on forever is home to seals, otters, basking sharks and numerous species of whales and dolphins. The area is just as interesting in the autumn and winter with mountain hares, ptarmigan and stoats in their beautiful white winter plumage.
Golden eagles, sea eagles, and literally thousands of wild geese are resident during the winter months as are millions of smaller birds migrating to winter here from the harsher weather in the arctic, such as the snow bunting, waxwing, brambling, redwing and fieldfare.
The estuaries and shorelines also attract huge numbers of waders and fowl wild. For more details about the natural environment visit the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
Sports
The Holy Loch provides a superb environment for water sports. The Holy
Loch Marina in Sandbank provides a base for marine leisure activities
. In addition to the usual Marina facilities it supports companies operating
RIB trips to watch the wild life in the more remote sea lochs and tuition
in all types of boating with Pro adventure Scotland.
For the fisherman there is abundant sea angling or challenging trout and salmon fishing on the Massan and other rivers in season.
Another popular sport is stalking for Roe and Red deer in the hills of Cowal where the forests have provided cover and protection to substantial herds of deer creating an annual stalking season that attracts many continental stalkers and hunters.
It takes just a step out over the Fintry threshold to get away from it all. With an interesting gorge walk on the doorstep bring your wellies and waterproofs, or go on a leisurely stroll through Kilmun Arboretum. It has a collection of exotic trees from around the world.
This connects to Pucks Glen, an interesting Victorian creation with an outstanding variety of mosses and ferns. Not to be missed is the Benmore Botanic Garden with its collection of rhodedendrons and the avenue of massive Redwoods.
DIRECTIONS
Fintry is in Kilmun, a village in Argyll. It is adjacent to Kilmun Church
and overlooks the Holy Loch and is six miles from Dunoon.
By Train and Bus from Glasgow:
Then take a train from Glasgow Central Station to Gourock. Catch the Cal
Mac ferry for Dunoon. At Dunoon pier the buses run hourly for Kilmun,
Blairmore and Ardentinny. Ask the Driver to drop you off at Kilmun Church.
Train timetables are available from First Scotrail and the bus timetable
from SPT.
By Car:
However, to make the most of the area in a limited time, a car is probably
essential. When traveling to Fintry there are several options. The first
and longest ferry journey is to take the car ferry from Gourock to Dunoon.
This also provides a passenger service that connects with the train and buses from Glasgow to Gourock. Details of the timetable can be obtained from Caledonian McBrayne. Alternatively Western Ferries provide a more frequent car and passenger service on a shorter route from McInroys Point, Gourock to Hunters Quay, Dunoon.
When you disembark from either ferry follow the A815 to Strachur. Five miles from Dunoon is the Cot House Inn and Filling Station. At the junction with the A880 to Kilmun turn right and follow the road for one mile to Kilmun.
When you reach the 30mph limit and Kilmun Church watch for the lane on the left going up the hill. Turn into the lane and Fintry chalet is the first gate on the right.
The drive via Loch Lomond is an alternative way of taking in some of the landscape on your way to Fintry. Take the A82 from Glasgow to Tarbet on Loch Lomond and then follow the A83 to Cairndow. Turn left on to the A815.
This route passes Strachur on Loch Fyne and then turns inland to run along the shores of the beautiful Loch Eck. Just before you reach the Cot House turn left onto the A880 for Kilmun and follow the directions above.
By Air:
There are frequent flights to Glasgow Airport International operated by
BA, BMI, Easyjet, Globespan, Air Canada, Continental and more. It takes
about 40 minutes to drive from the airport to the ferries.
The alternative route past Loch Lomond is reached by taking the slip road from the M8 and crossing the Clyde by the Erskine Bridge (Toll) and following the directions to Loch Lomond.
Email Fintry enquiries & reservations: bookscotland@madbookings.com
