Tour Argyll

Argyll, the enduring heartland - with a coastline longer than that of France is one of the most beautiful counties in Scotland and also one of the most varied. From holiday towns on the Clyde to the stark grandeur of Ardnamurchan, from the great inland sea of Loch Awe to the flat plain of the Add, the Great Moss, its range of scenery is astonishing. The seat of the reputed Dark Age capital of the Kingdom of Scots, of romantic castles such as Stalker and Kilchurn, of great houses such as Inveraray, it is a landscape moulded by man from earliest times. This is the first photographic study to concentrate on a county which in many ways remains still a kingdom apart. Argyll.

From Neolithic monuments to the royal site of Dunadd, the region of Argyll has a rich and varied archaeological history. In this work, a team of specialists trace the history of the region through its monuments. Mesolithic Argyll, the Neolithic period, Bronze Age ritual monuments and the impact of the Scots are examined with descriptions of relevant monuments and recent finds. The book ends with a detailed look at early Christian activity and the arrival of the Norse in Argyll. The Archaeology of Argyll.

Argyll, Dalriada or Earra-ghaidheal, the Coastland or Boundary of the Gael, is one of the most beautiful and historically significant parts of Scotland. Before the local government reorganization of 1975, Argyll was also one of Scotland's biggest counties. Bounded by Inverness-shire to the north and stretching as far south as the Mull of Kintyre, it had a coastline measuring a staggering 2220 miles and took in 90 islands, including Mull, Iona Tiree, Lismore, Jura, Islay, Gigha and Colonsay. This work covers topics ranging from prehistory to stately homes, folklore and literature, that relate to Argyll. The Argyll Book.

For 5,000 years, southern Argyll has been home to people of culture, ideas, skills and power. The standing stones, cairns and cists of Mid Argyll signal an area of importance in ancient times. In the first millennium of the Christian era, the south of Argyll became the heart of Celtic Christianity and its missionaries influenced the whole of Scotland. It was also the cradle of a nation as the kings of Dalriada pushed east to create a united kingdom of Scotland. It is an area which is more geographically accessible than northern Argyll, but in the past that access was achieved more often by water than over land. Only the drovers pushed their black cattle through passes in the spines of rolling hills which mark each of its many peninsulas. Settlements arose where there was fertile land, access to a generous sea, a need for strategic protection - and sometimes all three. Villages of Southern Argyll.

Argyll's historical importance goes back well over 1,500 years. As the centre of the kingdom of Dalriada the area was of seminal importance in terms of Gaelic culture, and was also of extreme significance in the spread of Celtic Christianity. Geographically it is a region of wild coastline, open moorland and rugged mountains separated by deep lochs and fast flowing rivers, with little cultivable ground. There are considerable mineral resources and the forests have always been coveted by Lowlanders, but lines of communication are difficult and were, until recently, often dangerous. Even so, for 2,000 years and more people have struggled to make a living here and one of the questions this book address is how, and why. Villages of Northern Argyll.