Ardentinny
Encyclopedia
Loch Long
Loch Long is a body of water in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The sea loch extends from the Firth of Clyde at its southwestern end. It measures approximately 20 miles in length, with a width of between one and two miles...
, fourteen miles from Dunoon
Dunoon
Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...
in Argyll
Argyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
on the Cowal peninsula. Nearby is 'Cruach a Chaise' (Cheese Hill) while on the opposite side of Loch Long is the village of Coulport
Coulport
Coulport is a village on the east side of Loch Long, Argyll and Bute, Scotland.It is 5 miles north-north-west of Cove on the Rosneath peninsula. It marks the end of the B833 shore road, although the village can also be reached by a high-quality but unclassified access road directly from...
, home of HMNB Clyde
HMNB Clyde
Her Majesty's Naval Base Clyde is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy...
, the base for Britain's Trident Nuclear Defence Force
Vanguard class submarine
The Vanguard class are the Royal Navy's current nuclear ballistic missile submarines , each armed with up to 16 Trident II Submarine-launched ballistic missiles...
.
The name Ardentinny means 'the hill of fire' deriving either from the ancient rite of lighting fires to the God of Bel on May 1 or more likely for warning fires to aid mariners. The ferry between Ardentinny and Coulport was summoned by a fire and was used by the Dukes of Argyll
Duke of Argyll
Duke of Argyll is a title, created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1701 and in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1892. The Earls, Marquesses, and Dukes of Argyll were for several centuries among the most powerful, if not the most powerful, noble family in Scotland...
travelling between Dunoon, Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
and Rosneath
Rosneath
Rosneath is a village in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the western shore of the Gare Loch near to the tip of the Rosneath peninsula which projects south to the Firth of Clyde between the Gare Loch and Loch Long to the west, and about 2 miles from the village of Kilcreggan which is sited...
Castle and in later years by drovers from Argyll travelling to the markets in Central Scotland.
The village has one hotel catering for the general public, the other hotel caters mainly for bus parties. The Ardentinny Outdoor Centre is run by Actual Reality, which has two centres in Cowal.
The local economy is reliant on tourism and agriculture with major employers being the hotel, outdoor centre and the caravan park. There is one working fishing boat based in Ardentinny trawling for prawns. Residents also work in Dunoon and across the Clyde. The village is served by the bus service to and from Dunoon.
More and more holiday houses are offered to tourists as Ardentinny is now in the new National Park.
The Ardentinny Hotel was closed for some years but is being refurbished and is close to reopening.