Argyll and Bute is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020). The administrative centre for the council area is in Lochgilphead at Kilmory Castle, a 19th-century Gothic Revival building and estate. The current council leader is Councillor Jim Lynch. Argyll and Bute covers the second-largest administrative area of any Scottish council. The council area adjoins those of Highland, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.

History

The County of Bute and the County of Argyll were two of the historic counties of Scotland. They were both "shires" (context; the area controlled by a sheriff) in the Middle Ages. From 1890 until 1975 both counties had individual separate elected county councils. In 1975, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, Scotland's counties, burghs and landward districts were abolished and replaced with upper-tier regions and lower-tier districts. The Strathclyde region was created covering a large part of western Scotland. Strathclyde was divided into nineteen districts, one of which the 1973 Act called "Argyll", covering most of the former county of Argyll, but also including the Isle of Bute from the County of Bute. The shadow authority elected in 1974 requested a change of name to "Argyll and Bute", which was agreed by the government before the new district came into being on 16 May 1975. As created in 1975 the Argyll and Bute district covered the whole area of fourteen of Argyll's sixteen districts and part of a fifteenth, plus two from the County of Bute's five districts, which were all abolished at the same time: From the County of Argyll: From the County of Bute: The two County of Bute districts together corresponded to the whole Isle of Bute. The rest County of Bute, being the Isle of Arran and the Cumbraes, went to Cunninghame district. The Ardnamurchan district from Argyll went to the Lochaber district of Highland. The new district was made a single Argyll and Bute lieutenancy area. Local government was reformed again in 1996 under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, which abolished the regions and districts which had been created in 1975, replacing them with unitary council areas. Argyll and Bute became one of the new council areas, but had its territory enlarged to include the town of Helensburgh and surrounding rural areas which had been in the Dumbarton district prior to 1996, and had formed part of the county of Dunbartonshire prior to 1975. The Helensburgh area had voted in a referendum in 1994 to join Argyll and Bute rather than stay with Dumbarton.

Council

Transport

Railways

The main railway line in Argyll and Bute is the West Highland Line, which links Oban to Glasgow, passing through much of the eastern and northern parts of the area. From the south the line enters Argyll and Bute just to the west of Dumbarton, continuing north via Helensburgh Upper to the eastern shores of the Gare Loch and Loch Long. The line comes inland at Arrochar and Tarbet to meet the western shore of Loch Lomond. At the northern end of the loch the lines leaves Argyll and Bute to enter Stirling council area. The Oban branch of the West Highland Line re-enters the area just west of Tyndrum, and heads west to Oban: stations on this section of the line include Dalmally and Taynuilt railway station. The majority of services on the line are operated by ScotRail: as of 2019 the summer service has six trains a day to Oban, with four on Sundays. In addition to the ScotRail service is the nightly Caledonian Sleeper, although this does not run on the Oban branch. Helensburgh also has a much more frequent service into Glasgow and beyond via the North Clyde Line, which has its western terminus at the town's central railway station.

Roads

The main trunk roads in Argyll and Bute are:

Ferry services

Due to its heavily indented coastline and many islands, ferries form an important part of the council area's transport system. The main ferry operator in Argyll and Bute is Caledonian MacBrayne (CalMac), which operates services from the mainland to most of the inhabited islands. Several other routes are operated by commercial operators, usually on contract to the council, although the Western Ferries service across the Firth of Clyde is run on a commercial basis. There are also routes connecting some mainland locations in Argyll and Bute to other parts of the mainland: Argyll and Bute also has ferry services linking it to islands in neighbouring council areas: There is also a passenger-only ferry service linking Campbeltown and Port Ellen on Islay with Ballycastle in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, running seasonally from April to September, operated by West Coast Tours as the Kintyre Express.

Cultural references

The later scenes of the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love were filmed around the lochs and hills of Argyll and Bute. The area has also been indirectly immortalised in popular culture by the 1977 hit song "Mull of Kintyre" by Kintyre resident Paul McCartney's band of the time, Wings.

Communities

The area is divided into 56 community council areas, all of which have community councils as at 2023.

Settlements

Largest settlements by population:

Places of interest

• Ardbeg distillery • Ardencraig Gardens (Isle of Bute) • Arduaine Garden • Argyll Forest Park (Including Loch Eck) • Arrochar Alps (Including Beinn Ìme) • Auchindrain Township Open Air Museum • Avinagillan standing stone • Beinn Dorain • Ben Cruachan (Highest mountain in Argyll and Bute) • Ballochroy (Standing stones) • Ben Donich • Benmore Botanic Garden • Bridge over the Atlantic (Clachan Bridge) • Crarae Garden • Carnasserie Castle, Kilmartin • Carrick Castle • Castle Stalker • Castle Sween • Crinan Canal • Cruachan Power Station (Pumped storage) • Dunadd (Capital of the ancient kingdom of Dál Riata) • Dun Na Cuaiche, Tower (Inveraray) • Dunollie Castle • Dun Skeig (Iron Age forts) • Dunstaffnage Castle • Dunstaffnage Chapel • Easdale Island (Former slate quarry) • Falls of Lora, Loch Etive • Fincharn Castle • Fingal's Cave (Staffa) • Gare Loch and Faslane Naval Base • Glen Croe (Rest and be thankful) • Glen Scotia distillery (Campbelltown) • Gulf of Corryvreckan • Gylen Castle • Hill House, Helensburgh • Inveraray Castle (Clan Campbell main residence) • Inveraray Jail • Iona Abbey • Isle Of Bute Distillery • Jura distillery • Kilchurn Castle • Kilmartin Glen (Including Kilmartin Stones) • Kilmodan Carved Stones • Kyles of Bute • Lagavulin distillery • Laphroaig distillery • Loch Goil • Loch Lomond and Cowal Way • Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park • Melfort • McCaig's Tower, Oban • Mount Stuart House, Isle of Bute • Mull of Kintyre • Oban distillery • Old Castle Lachlan • Puck's Glen • Rannoch Moor • River Orchy • Rothesay Castle • Rothesay's Victorian Toilets • Saddell Abbey • Saddell Castle • Skipness Castle • Springbank Distillery, Campbelltown • St Blane's Chapel (Isle of Bute) • St Columba's Cathedral, Oban • St Conan's Kirk, Loch Awe • Tarbert Castle • West Highland Line • West Highland Way

Islands

• Am Fraoch Eilean, Sound of Jura • Bernera (Tidal island) • Bute, Firth of Clyde • Burnt Islands, located in the Kyles of Bute • Calve Island • Cara • Coll • Colonsay • Creag • Danna (Tidal island) • Davaar, Campbeltown Loch • Eilean dà Mhèinn, Loch Crinan • Eilean Dubh Mòr, Firth of Lorn • Eilean Loain • Eorsa west of Mull • Eriska • Erraid (Tidal island) west of Mull • Fraoch Eilean, Loch Awe • Garvellachs Islands including Garbh Eileach; Dùn Chonnuill and Eileach an Naoimh. • Gigalum • Gigha • Glunimore • Gometra • Gunna (lies between Coll and Tiree) • Holy Isle, off Arran • Inchconnachan, Loch Lomond • Inchgalbraith, Loch Lomond • Inch Kenneth off Mull • Inchlonaig, Loch Lomond • Inchmarnock, Sound of Bute • Inchmoan Loch Lomond • Inchtavannach, Loch Lomond • Innis Chonain, Loch Awe • Inishail (alternate Inchald), Loch Awe • Inveruglas Isle, Loch Lomond • Iona • Islay • Jura • Kerrera • MacCormaig Isles including Carraig an Daimh; Corr Eilean; Eilean Ghamhna; Liath Eilean; Eilean Mòr; Sgeir Bun an Locha; Sgeir Dhonncha and Dubh Sgeir. • Maiden • Lismore • Little Colonsay west of Mull • Mull • Oronsay (Tidal island) • Orsay west of Islay • Pladda, south of Arran • Ross Isles Loch Lomond • Sanda off Kintyre • Scarba • Sheep Island • Shuna, near Appin • Slate Islands including Easdale, Fladda, Seil, Luing, Lunga, Shuna, Torsa and Belnahua. • Skerryvore • Staffa • Tarbet Isle, Loch Lomond • Texa (South of Islay) • Tiree • Treshnish Islands including Lunga, Fladda • Ulva (West of Mull) • Wallace's Isle Loch Lomond