Pet Friendly Holidays Argyll and Bute

Completely renovated in 2021, this beautiful detached, single-storey holiday cottage enjoys an idyllic location, with Loch Etive to the front and the River Awe directly behind. Extremely well furnished and equipped the property has direct access onto the beach. It boasts stunning views across the sea loch to the mountains beyond from some of the rooms, and lovely views over the garden from the others. There is a well-equipped kitchen and a dining area seating eight guests. The house enjoys significant privacy with its only neighbours being seals, otters and yachts. Point Park is one of the very few properties to truly have a sea frontage, located just 5 metres from Loch Etive’s shore with direct beach access. In all rooms the bed can be made into double beds in all bedrooms if required.
The lovely little town of Taynuilt has a friendly community and offers a village grocery store, a post office, butchers, tea room, hairdressers, doctor’s surgery and a restaurant serving good food. There is also a train station, the line through Taynuilt runs from Glasgow to Oban so you can have a day in the city or head to the islands. Taynuilt’s golf course is just a few minutes’ walk from the cottage and offers 9 holes.
The bustling Victorian town of Oban known as the ‘Gateway to the Highlands’ is just 20 minutes away by carand offers shops, bars, seafood restaurants, a cinema and leisure centre. Whisky lovers can visit the Oban Distillery to learn how it’s all made. Regular boat trips leave the busy harbour bound for the Inner Hebridean Islands, including Mull, Iona and the Treshnish Isles with their comical puffins.
Enjoy leisurely forest walks, horseriding, fishing, sailing, diving and golf, or for the more adventurous, Glen Nevis, one of the Highland’s most famous glens and the location of scenes from Harry Potter and Braveheart, is only a short drive and offers stunning scenery and bracing walks. Explore famous castles, historical sites and mature gardens. Visit Bonawe Iron Works, Cruachan Hollow Mountain or the Inveraray Jail. The abundant wildlife includes porpoises, dolphins, basking sharks, otters, deer and a wealth of seabirds. Glencoe and Fort William are easily accessible by car and offer popular climbing, skiing and mountain biking. All in all this is an ideal base for enjoying the pleasures of the great outdoors or just savouring the spectacular scenery of the Western Highlands. Shop and pub 1 mile.

This stunning detached house with landscaped gardens, sits at the water’s edge and boasts fantastic views over Holy Loch and the Firth of Clyde to the hills beyond. The living room has floor-to-ceiling windows and panoramic views, and a wood burner to keep you warm on chilly nights. The spacious en-suite master bedroom boasts a private balcony, perfect for enjoying the far reaching views. This is the perfect tranquil location to relax in and escape from the trials of everyday life, and to explore the spectacular scenery and history of the area.
The deep glens and narrow sea lochs are typical of the west coast, and there you can find a huge selection of Scottish wildlife: red deer, roe deer, buzzards and golden eagles to name but a few. The area is also full of history, where standing stones, burial cairns and rock carvings abound.
The town of Dunoon is within easy reach and has a good selection of shops, pubs and restaurants. Take a steamer cruise and explore the hills and lochs of the Cowal Peninsula. There is an abundance of outdoor activities on offer with sailing, sea fishing, windsurfing, fast speed RIB boat tours, quad bikes, clay shooting and much more. Nearby, the magnificent woodland gardens at Benmore Botanic Gardens are well worth a visit. Located within the Loch Lomond National Park, the area is ideal for walkers and cyclists of all abilities and boasts a magnificent diversity of scenery with dramatic peaks, waterfalls, hidden caves and mysterious, forest covered slopes. Shop 300 yards, pub and restaurant 400 yards.

Overlooking the Crinan Canal, described as the ’most beautiful shortcut in Britain’, Printmakers Cottage has been converted from an old barn, attached to Braeface House at the Bellanoch Basin section of the canal. A Grade II listed stone building, it is believed to have been built to house the engineers involved in the construction of the canal which began in 1794. The cottage boasts amazing views over the canal to the estuary of the River Add, which is a protected area, and further to Loch Crinan and Duntrune Castle and gardens.

This lovely property has all the modern facilities you need, and also provides great accommodation for those who may have limited mobility. There is a double bedroom with fantastic views and a wet room on the ground floor. The main living area is double height with a gallery to the study area and exposed beams. The upper floor contains a double bedroom and a bunk bedroom, plus a further bathroom as well as a chill out /study area. The cottage has been sympathetically furnished by the owner, who is an artist, and her daughter, who both have a history in interior design and furniture restoration. Shop 5 miles, pub and restaurant 1½ miles.

Holly Tree Cottage is tucked away in charming, historic Tain in the Scottish Highlands. Granted its first royal charter in 1066, Tain is the oldest royal burgh in the Scotland and you will find many interesting buildings throughout that you’ll enjoy wandering around and inspecting, especially since many host nice bars, cafés and restaurants. Holly Tree Cottage is a 19th-century, detached cottage set on a quiet street with the centre an easy walk away. The cottage itself is spacious and the owners have tastefully finished it to a very good standard. The kitchen/dining room is a lovely space where you will spend a lot of time, with its enormous wood burner taking centre stage. This room spills out to the garden, which is perfect for children and dogs to let off some steam. The garage is accessible from the garden and contains the washing machine and tumble dryer, as well as enough space to store kayaks, surfboards, golf clubs, bicycles and motorbikes. Back in the cottage there’s a great living room with another wood burner, a family bathroom and also a small double bedroom. Up on the first floor are two bedrooms, a double and twin, and a reading snug on the landing.
Tain has much to offer, including the Glenmorangie Distillery and the fantastic Old Tom Morris Golf Links. There is no beach in Tain, but the coastline, dunes and some tidal stretches of sand are great to explore on foot and footpaths through the golf course afford amazing views across the Dornoch Firth. Nearby Dornoch, Portmahomack and Shandwick all have spectacular stretches of golden sandy beaches to enjoy, and each place is worth a visit, too. Popular Dornoch has some great places to eat and drink in as well stunning historical buildings and Royal Dornoch Golf Links.
Tain also has the NC500 touring route skirting round it, so you can explore some of the best places in the whole of the UK. Head north via Golspie, Brora and Helmsdale to reach John O’Groats, Duncansby, the ferry to Orkney, Dunnet Head and many amazing beaches along the far north coast. The interior roads are also spectacular and worth exploring via Bonar Bridge and Lairg as well as Altnaharra. You can get across to Assynt and the west coast for a day surprisingly easily. Fly fishing is available on nearby salmon and trout rivers, as well as lochs on estates. Rest assured that a week’s stay won’t be long enough; you’ll love the accommodation and the surrounding area, and will want more time here. Beach 9 miles.

Situated within the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Benmore Drimfern is a fantastic bungalow with an open plan living space as well as a second living room with panoramic views. It makes an ideal base from which to explore this stunningly beautiful area with Benmore Botanic Gardens on the doorstep as is the fantastic Pucks Glen with amazing walks and waterfalls. The surrounding area is known as Argyll’s Secret Coast with its sparkling sea lochs, romantic ruins, ancient forests and stunning scenery. This coastal route takes you through some of the most stunning parts of Argyll’s Secret Coast; a magical undiscovered corner of Cowal. A number of public gardens are located in the area, such as Ardkinglas, Crarae and Benmore Botanic Gardens with its avenue of giant redwood trees. There are three golf courses available locally and many opportunities for a spot of fishing.
The town of Dunoon is nearby and offers a good centre for shopping, leisure facilities and a small cinema. The Argyll Forest, part of the simply gorgeous Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, is on the doorstep and has numerous forest tracks, marked walks, cycle ways and wonderful waterfalls to explore. For those a bit more adventurous, the ferry at Colintraive to Rhubodach takes only three minutes to cross the sea loch and arrive on the Isle of Bute, a famous tourist destination over the years with many attractions such as Mount Stuart House and Gardens as well as the Victorian seaside resort of Rothesay. From this luxurious home, guests can explore many small villages such as Tighnabruaich and Kames with a spectacular viewing point en-route which looks out over the Kyles of Bute. Loch Fyne with its famous restaurant and oyster bar is not far away as is Inveraray; both great for a day trip.
Benmore Drimfern (UK38742) and Benmore Formentor Cottage (UK38743) can be booked together to accommodate up to 12 guests.

Situated in in the small village of Kilchattan Bay on the Isle of Bute, Dykenamar sits only a stone’s throw from the water’s edge with a glorious sweeping sandy beach where children and dogs can run freely. A small stone pier near the house is suitable for launching small boats and jet skis into the beautiful clear sea. It has a post office/café and a country inn (1 mile away) with good food.

There are three golf courses on the island, cycle tracks, horse riding, kayaking and lots of wildlife to see. For those interested in fishing, the inland lochs are popular with anglers for coarse and game fishing, while those with a passion for sea angling are spoilt for choice.

A few miles away is the island’s main town of Rothesay, a traditional Victorian seaside resort which has managed to maintain its grand architecture. It still has its ancient castle, built to fend off the Vikings, and a museum. From Rothesay harbour, trips can be taken around the islands on the Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer ship in the world.

There is plenty to do on the Isle of Bute, from adventure experiences to watching wildlife to visiting historical sites. There are many popular walks around the island, including the West Island Way. There are three golf courses on the island along with a putting green in Rothesay. There are sandy beaches galore where, if lucky, you can spy ospreys, terns, basking sharks, humpback whales, dolphins, and seals. The Isle of Bute has been an important island historically, with marks left on the island that can be visited, from standing stones to the location of a Viking parliament and more recently Rothesay Castle.

The island attracts many annual festivals including the Jazz Festival in May, T in the Port in June, ButeFest in July, the Bute Highland Games in August and the Baird Festival of Flight in September to mark the first ’All Scottish, heavier than air, powered flight in 1910’, just a few years after the Wright brothers first flight in France. At the north end of the Isle of Bute is a wee car ferry that provides easy access to the Cowal Peninsula and another way onto the mainland for those wishing to explore the Highlands of Scotland.