Activities
Walking
Walking in and around Strachur is plentiful, with The Cowal Way, Glenbranter
Forrest and Puck’s Glen to name but a
few. 
More local to home we have Strachur House and Flower Gardens. A wee walk along the shore in front of the
hotel, where every stone’s a skimmer, can be shared with Oystercatchers, Herons and Cormorants, and glancing
out to sea you may notice Porpoises and Seals. See here for details.
Fishing
Fantastic
fishing can be enjoyed in Argyll. Whether its for Mackeral from the pier
in front of the hotel (sea rods can be borrowed from the hotel) or for the
more ambitious, Dunoon
and District Angling Club are the ideal
contact to help organise your day fishing.
Golf
Several golf clubs in the area make this a good alternative from the more recognised golfing areas of Scotland. See here for details.
Sailing, from chartering a boat to learning the ropes.
See here for details.
Other Recreation
The Cowal Peninsula is regarded as an up and coming area for Cycling and Mountain Biking; around Strachur there are many options. See here for more details.
Gardens
The Cowal Peninsula has a wealth of Gardens to explore. Ardkinglas Woodland Garden boasts the ‘Mightiest Conifer in Europe’. Benmore Botanic Gardens, a satellite of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, boast a world-famous collection of magnificent conifers, rhododendrons and exotic shrubs and trees. Its 150 acres include the spectacular Avenue of Giant Redwoods.
Strachur House and Flower Gardens
The flower garden behind Strachur House is entered by a small wooden gate to the left hand side when facing the house. It comprises four large lawns planted with two hundred year old Irish yew and bordered by six herbaceous beds. The central avenue is of pollarded limes, with narrow beds of (1) mostly Alpine treasures and (2) old fashioned roses, with nepata “Six Hill Giant “ edging. Two transverse paths cross it and are planted with (1) yellow English roses and aquilegias and (2) agapanthus and Japanese anemones.
These walks meet in a central, sunken, walled square called “The Bear Pit”, which has a slate table and bench which Sir Fitzroy Maclean used for writing. Its central bed has a border of alpine strawberries: tulips and forget-me-nots in spring and floribunda roses in summer. The scarlet dahlia “bishop of Llandaff”, salvia patens "Cambridge Blue" dwarf lilac, choisia ternata, Russian sage, hydrangea petriolaris and cistus grow on either side of its wall.
Enclosing the central lawns are four borders on the right and two on the left with paths alongside. One of these has been planted with only white flowers. Two autumn transvers borders with a background of purple prunus and eucryphias and shrub species roses end the flower garden and divide it from the small kitchen and “cutting” garden which lies beyond. From the terrace immediately behind the house a right hand path leads to a large bed planted meconopsis, hostas, day lilies and tree peonies which is a wonderful sight in early June.
This continues along the “Burn Walk” which has been developed over the last forty years by Lady Veronica Maclean, with the help of her late husband, Sir Fitzroy, in an area originally dwarfed by large trees, into a delightful peaceful walk with plantings of rhododendrons on either side of the narrow burn, dwarf azaleas, primulas and masses of spring bulbs. These are framed by many woodland shrubs, eucryphias, viburnum tinus, royal fern and mature Japanese maples.
This walk ends in a small rock garden (best in spring) and the path leading back to the main garden, or, alternatively, through the gate into Strachur Park.
Included in this fine collection of Rhododendrons are:
- Series Barbatum Hybrids
- Dwarf Glendolk Hybrids
- R. Impedifum
- R. Obiculare Other interesting plants include
- Embothryum Coccineum (Chilean Flame Flower)
- Abies Homolepsis
- Tsuga Canadensis
- Acer Saccarinum (Silver Maple)
- Actinidia Kolomikta