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Dunoon
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Dunoon (Dłn Omhain in Gaelic) is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde beside Holy Loch and opposite Gourock.
Waterfront
Dunoon Pier originated in 1835. The current structure, however, was rebuilt in 1895 and still receives a connecting ferry with Gourock, run by Caledonian MacBrayne. Until the late 1960s fleets of paddle steamers brought holidaymakers doon the watter from Glasgow to it and numerous other piers on the Clyde, and it is still visited by the sole surviving sea-going paddle steamer PS Waverley.
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Encyclopedia
Dunoon (Dłn Omhain in Gaelic) is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde beside Holy Loch and opposite Gourock.
Waterfront
Dunoon Pier originated in 1835. The current structure, however, was rebuilt in 1895 and still receives a connecting ferry with Gourock, run by Caledonian MacBrayne. Until the late 1960s fleets of paddle steamers brought holidaymakers doon the watter from Glasgow to it and numerous other piers on the Clyde, and it is still visited by the sole surviving sea-going paddle steamer PS Waverley. Overlooking it is a large statue to Robert Burns' love Highland Mary, also known as Bonny Mary O' Argyll, which is located on Castle Hill, just below the remains of the 12th century Dunoon Castle. Very little remains of the castle, which would originally have belonged to the Lamont family but became a royal castle with the Earls of Argyll (Campbells) as hereditary keepers, paying a nominal rent of a single red rose to the sovereign, presently Queen Elizabeth. In earlier times, Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at the castle circa 1563 and granted several charters during her visit. The castle was destroyed during the rebellion in 1685.
In the spring of 2005, Dunoon seafront received a new breakwater, located just to the south of the main pier. As well as protecting the Victorian pier, a new linkspan was installed alongside the breakwater to allow the berthing and loading of ro-ro ferries instead of the side loading ferries presently serving the main pier. A tendering competition to serve the new linkspan between two interested parties, namely Caledonian MacBrayne and local operator Western Ferries failed when both parties withdrew from the tendering process. As of summer 2008 the new linkspan remains unused and the breakwater itself is used only by local fishermen and the occasional berthing of the Waverley.
Transport
Dunoon is accessible by land and sea routes. The town lies near the southern end of the A815 road. At its northernmost point, near Cairndow, this road joins the A83 and provides access to the town by road from Loch Lomond and Glasgow.
There are two ferry operators who provide a fast and frequent service from Gourock to Dunoon. Local company, Western Ferries, plies the McInroy's Point-to-Hunters Quay route, and Government-owned Caledonian MacBrayne sails from Gourock Pier to Dunoon Pier. At Gourock Pier, a First ScotRail train service provides access to the national rail network via the Inverclyde Line.
Public transport within Dunoon and the surrounding area is provided under Government subsidy by bus and coach operator West Coast Motors.
The West Coast Motors 486 service provides a regular return journey from Dunoon town centre to Inveraray, where it connects with a Scottish Citylink service onward to Campbeltown and Oban.
Tourist attractions
The Queen's Hall is the town's major multi-function hall complex. Situated at the head of the pier and built in 1958, the building houses four function suites and a large main hall. The main hall houses a full working stage with professional sound and lighting equipment and in recent years it has attracted popular bands such as Blur, The Saw Doctors, David Gray and Red Hot Chilli Pipers, among others.
Castle Toward, built in 1820 and formerly owned by the Lamont clan, is south of the town. It is now used as an outdoor education centre.
The arboretum at Benmore Botanic Garden, part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, is situated north of the town just before Loch Eck. The garden, formerly a private garden for the Younger family, is now open to the public. Its feature some of the tallest trees in Britain, including an avenue of Giant Redwoods, some of which are over high.
Holy Loch
As the Cold War intensified Holy Loch became internationally famous when in 1961 the U.S. Navy submarine tender brought Polaris ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and CND protesters to the Firth of Clyde at nearby Sandbank, and Dunoon provided shore facilities. Holy Loch was, for 30 years, the home port of US Navy SUBRON-14 (Submarine Squadron-14). In 1992, the Holy Loch base was deemed unnecessary following the demise of the Soviet Union and subsequently withdrawn. The last submarine tender to be based there, the USS Simon Lake, left Holy Loch in June 1992 leading to a major downturn in the local economy and prompting howls of protest from local taxi drivers and publicans. However, the town is becoming vibrant again with many new homes having been built and the population is expanding once more.
The US Navy base was the subject of the 1988 film Down Where The Buffalo Go starring Harvey Keitel. Many of the scenes were shot around Dunoon and the navy base itself.
Aside from the US Navy presence, Holy Loch was also the location of the famous boat yard Alexander Robertsons, builders of the America's Cup challenger Sceptre, a 37-foot, 17-tonne yacht designed by David Boyd.
Sport
The town's sporting arena is Dunoon Stadium, which is located in the north of the town, near Dunoon Grammar School. When it hosted football matches, it had the largest capacity of any amateur ground in Scotland. Its main use nowadays is as the focal point of the Cowal Highland Gathering.
The UK national championships in swamp football were held in Dunoon in 2006 and 2007. For 2008 they were held in nearby Strachur.
Cowal Highland Gathering
The Cowal Highland Gathering attracts hundreds of contestants and many thousands of spectators from all over the world. The largest Highland games in the world, it is held annually over the final weekend in August.
Media
Dunoon's local newspaper, published weekly on Fridays, is the Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard.
Notable people
Possibly Dunoon's most famous resident was Sir Harry Lauder (1870-1950), whose mansion, Laudervale, stood just south of Dunoon on Bullwood Road. After a fire, which burnt over half of it, it stood ruinous until c. 1980 when it and the stable blocks were demolished. Much of the grounds were subsequently sold for housing development. The development there today preserves the Laudervale name.
Eric Campbell, the silent film comedian famous as Charlie Chaplin's hulking nemesis in several short films, was born in the town, and a plaque to his memory can be seen in the gardens at Castle Hill.
Virginia Bottomley (Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) was born in Dunoon, as were former Manchester United player and QPR manager Stewart Houston, Sylvester McCoy, and Tom Wisniewski of the Christian punk band MxPx.
American actress Julianne Moore has connections to Dunoon, as her mother is originally from the town. Moore still has family in the area.
Neil MacFarlane, a professional footballer who reached the 2008 Scottish Cup Final with Queen of the South, was born in the town.
Grant Morrison, writer of Superman and Batman comic books, has moved from hometown Glasgow to a renovated mansion just outside of Dunoon, and spends part of the year in the town, and part in Los Angeles.
Dunoon Grammar School
Dunoon Grammar School was founded in 1641. It has many notable former pupils, including the Labour Party politicians John Smith, George Robertson (later head of NATO), Brian Wilson and the Reverend Donald Caskie (also known as the Tartan Pimpernel).
External links
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- - The largest Highland games in the world.
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