Inveraray sits on the western shore of Loch Fyne in Argyll and Bute, about 60 miles northwest of Glasgow via the A83. The entire town was built in the 1770s to a single plan when the Duke of Argyll decided his existing village was too close to his castle. What you see today is that Georgian vision almost unchanged.
The white-painted buildings line up along Front Street and Main Street with military precision. The church sits in the center, divided down the middle with one half for Gaelic services and one for English. It’s still in use.
Plan two to three hours if you’re passing through, a full day if you want to walk the loch shore or climb Dun na Cuaiche.
Inveraray Castle
The castle has been home to the Duke of Argyll and chief of Clan Campbell since the 15th century, though the current building dates from 1750. The interiors are grand but lived-in. You’ll see the State Dining Room, the Armoury Hall with its displays of swords and muskets arranged in sunburst patterns, and the Tapestry Drawing Room.
It’s open April through October, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Entry costs around $18 for adults. The grounds are worth walking even if you skip the interior. The gardens run down to the loch, and there’s a combined ticket with the jail for about $28.
Inveraray Jail
This is the best-preserved 19th-century courthouse and prison in Scotland, and it’s set up as a living history museum. Costumed guides play jailers and prisoners. You can sit in the original courtroom, see the cells where men, women, and children were held, and try the crank machine prisoners turned for hours as punishment.
It sounds gimmicky. It’s not. The building is the real thing, built in 1820, and the interpretation is based on actual court records and prisoner logs from Argyll.
Open daily year-round, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in summer, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March. Entry is around $17. Kids find it more interesting than most castles.
Where to Eat
The Loch Fyne Oyster Bar is six miles up the A83 toward Cairndow. It started in 1978 as a shed selling oysters from the loch and grew into a restaurant and deli. The oysters are still pulled from the water a few hundred yards away. Six cost about $16. The smoked salmon and seafood chowder are equally good. It’s open every day, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In town, the George Hotel on Main Street does solid pub food and has 15 rooms if you’re staying overnight. Samphire Seafood on Arkland Street serves the best fish and chips in Argyll, according to most locals. Haddock and chips run about $14. Closed Mondays.
Dun na Cuaiche
The stone watchtower on the hill above town was built in 1748. The walk up takes about 45 minutes from the castle gates, mostly through woodland on a clear path. The tower itself is a simple circular folly, but the view over Loch Fyne and the Arrochar Alps is worth the climb.
Wear proper shoes. The path gets muddy, especially October through March. There’s no entry fee and no gate hours. Go early or late to avoid midges in summer.
Practical Details
Parking is free along the waterfront and on side streets. The Front Street car park charges about $2 for two hours if those are full.
Most visitors stop on their way north to Oban or while driving a loop from Glasgow via Loch Lomond and back down the A83 through Argyll. It’s an easy day trip from Glasgow, about 90 minutes each way.
Inveraray gets tour buses in summer, especially July and August. Visit before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. to avoid them, or come in April, May, September, or October when the town is quieter and the castle and jail are still open.
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