Perhaps what matters most, if you’re planning to live and work here, is the welcome you’ll get in our communities.
Whether you opt for an island, a village or one of our towns, you’ll be made to feel like you belong.
From Campbeltown to Helensburgh, Oban to Dunoon, or Islay to Bute, this is a place where you matter. This is a place where you can make a difference.
Our 3000 km of coastline frames Scotland’s most stunning scenery taking in the islands of the Inner Hebrides, Kintyre Peninsula, Isle of Bute, main towns of Oban, Dunoon and Helensburgh and the Heart of Argyll.
Whether you like the untamed beauty of the Atlantic Ocean, the stillness of a Highland Loch, picturesque hills, glens or peatlands, we have it all.
There are so many ways to refresh, relax or recharge your batteries here, especially if you like the great outdoors. We’re not known as Scotland’s Adventure Coast for nothing!
Walking, cycling, kayaking, sailing, golfing and even surfing are all right on your doorstep. Our geography makes us a great place for sailing. From Bute to Oban and Campbeltown we welcome visitors by sea.
There’s a host of wildlife to be seen including red squirrel, red deer, seal, otter, dolphin, basking shark and beavers.
And if you like history, well, Argyll and Bute has a wealth of historic sites including prehistoric sites, standing stones, 60 castles, museums, heritage centres and numerous clan seats.
Pre-covid we had loads of community events and music festivals throughout the year, and look forward to them returning when safe.
There are cinemas in Campbeltown, Oban, Dunoon and Helensburgh and the Screen Machine tours some of our smaller communities.
Throughout the area we have leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools. You can find more information at Live Argyll.
You can find out more about things to do by visiting Wild About Argyll.
Other useful websites include:
#CloserThanYouThink
While we enjoy every day the outdoor activities that many can only experience on holiday, we also have the attractions of central belt city life on our doorstep.
We are closer than many people think to Scotland’s biggest city, Glasgow, with bus, train, road and ferry links to the area.
Going back now to the welcome we mentioned at the beginning. Across Argyll and our islands we have local communities you can join, as a valued member, who makes a difference and matters to the future of the area.
The awards communities have won together will give you some idea of how people come together. Argyll and Bute groups have been honoured for example in Scotland in Bloom awards, for their achievements in creating places that are good for health, wealth and happiness.
Then there are the community activities school pupils can get involved in too, for example beach cleans, or baking cakes at Christmas for older community residents.
Across the area, local community representatives come together as community councils to support and benefit the community.
Others find volunteering opportunities that help them make new friends or learn new skills while making contributing in many different ways to lives of the people around them.
Live Argyll and Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface are two sources of information about volunteering opportunities.
And sometimes it’s the one-off, ‘just because’ efforts that brighten others’ lives that really give insight into how much communities think of each other. Decorating wild-growing fir trees at Christmas to make people smile is just one example.
Grants and funding support are available from different sources for community projects, and residents.
Did you know for example that brides on Bute marrying in December can apply to a local fund for help? Or that common goods funds support community initiatives in Oban, Rothesay, Dunoon and Campbeltown?
You can find out more here about funding support, and help for community groups.
If you want to keep up to date with what’s happening in Argyll and Bute, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll be posting the latest information, community news and what’s happening to make the area grow and prosper.
We’re proud of what communities, businesses and young people achieve and we’re delighted to share the news with you.
