About our area
South Cowal is a beautiful place. Our houses are stretched out along a shoreline, hemmed in by high forested hills.
South Cowal reaches from Bulwood, just south of Dunoon all the way around the Cowal peninsula to the tiny clachan of Inverchaolain taking in the villages of Toward and Innellan along the way. Best views of the area are to be had from a boat on the beautiful Firth of Clyde or from the forestry tracks on the hills above.
Within the South Cowal area many kinds of sport can be enjoyed. These include golf (Innellan Golf Club) sailing and kayaking (Toward Sailing Club) bowling (indoor and out), tennis, badminton and pony trekking. Groups enjoying art and yoga meet regularly in the well-used Innellan Village Hall which also hosts the Masons and SWRI. No-one needs to be bored here and a friendly welcome is given to anyone wishing to participate in any of the activities available. Toward Memorial Hall has recently been refurbished and is a venue for bowling, badminton and children’s parties.
There are two primary schools and two churches to meet the needs of the population. Good meals and activities such as pool, darts and dominoes can be enjoyed in the Osborne Hotel and Villagers Royal conveniently situated in the centre of Innellan.
The area has a fantastic store and post office, which is in the process of transferring into public ownership, under the direction of South Cowal Community Enterprises. You can find out more about The Lido (as the shop is known) here.
Forest walks provide opportunities to enjoy the terrific views over the Firth of Clyde and to take in the wild life of the area which include pine martens and red squirrels. Otters, seals and dolphins can be seen on the water and an interesting selection of bird life is plentiful on the shore and surrounding hills.
Historians can view the ruins of two castles – Knockamillie and Toward – and the estates of Castle Toward and Knockdhu House. A very thorough archive project about the village of Innellan has recently been completed. It runs to four fascinating volumes details of which can be found on the website for Innellan Village Hall.
Each year South Cowal holds a Community Festival which showcases the activities of the area. This is promoted by South Cowal Community Council and runs for ten days usually.
A regular bus service serves the area and easy access to more urban areas such as Glasgow is by road via the Rest and Be Thankful or by one of two ferry links to Dunoon.
