Kingarth brings together Romanesque church architecture and early monastic history with waymarked paths, circular walks and far-reaching views. If you are looking for a holiday rental in Kingarth, you can plan your stay around your interests: historic buildings, a longer circular walk or walking experiences in the landscape. The distances and route features can help you assess different outings.
Cultural History and Buildings
The surviving St Blane’s Church is a Romanesque building dating from the 12th century, with a nave and chancel. It served as Kingarth’s parish church until the early 18th century. The site also preserves the location of an early monastery. Surviving features include the parish church ruins, two burial grounds and a monastic enclosure, as well as possible cells, a well, a corn-drying kiln and a cross-base slab. It is the range of different features that gives the site its layered history.
The Kingarth Standing Stones are designated as a Scheduled Monument. Another historic building is the Kingarth Old Schoolhouse, a two-storey former schoolhouse dating from the early to mid-19th century. Its distinctive feature is a curved stair tower. The building originally housed Kingarth School: the classroom was on the ground floor, with the teacher’s accommodation above. In 1892, the building was no longer needed as a school and was later converted into accommodation.
Kingarth Hotel also recalls earlier travel: it was an inn on a coach route, with a history dating back to 1786. Together with the schoolhouse and church remains, it represents different chapters of local history, without requiring visitors to follow a single shared sightseeing route.
Walking Routes and Landscape
Parking for St Blane’s Church is available at the end of the road south of Kingarth. From there, a short waymarked path continues on foot. St Blane’s Chapel lies in a sheltered hollow on a south-facing slope, with views stretching to the Isle of Arran and Holy Isle.
The first stage of the West Island Way is a 5-mile (8-kilometre) circular walk leading to St Blane’s Chapel. Along the way, views open up across the Firth of Clyde to the Cumbraes and Arran. Foxes and deer may be seen on this stage throughout the year, but sightings are not guaranteed.
The core route C411 runs from Kerrylammont to Kingarth. It is rated easy, is 4.2 kilometres long and has an estimated walking time of around 1ÂĽ hours; the route follows a single-track road. This gives you a different set of features to consider compared with the 8-kilometre West Island Way circular walk. Conditions can change, so check the latest information before setting out.
Golf near Kingarth
Another option, alongside culture and walking routes, is Bute Golf Club near Stravannan Bay. Its 9-hole course offers a view of Arran’s “Sleeping Warrior”. The experiences described therefore range from historic buildings and landscape views to a round of golf.
Discover more destinations: Port Ellen, Garelochhead, Isle Of Mull, Dunoon, Inversnaid, Tarbert, Crinan, Isle of Coll.
Return to the main travel overview: Argyll And Bute.
