With fairy-tale castles, magical islands, and a dreamy landscape, Argyll & the Isles is the perfect place to celebrate Valentine’s Day. From the island of Coll with its starry skies to Loch Lomond and its bonnie banks, Argyll & the Isles is packed with impossibly romantic places to take your Valentine. And there are so many things to experience together in Argyll. Escape the crowds, discover pristine beaches, walk-in ancient woodlands, sip on a peaty dram, feast on seafood, watch the sunset over the water and gaze in wonder at the Milky Way. Do something different this year and celebrate Valentine’s Day, Argyll style!
If you and your partner love the great outdoors, then Argyll is for you. Argyll has unique outdoor experiences to offer, many of them within an hour’s drive of Glasgow. Discover the Arrochar Alps, go mountain biking in Argyll Forest Park or cycle around Bute – the opportunities for sharing a Valentine adventure are endless. Or how about discovering one of Argyll’s beautiful beaches? Pack a picnic, build a fire and enjoy a windswept stroll. You’ll probably have the beach all to yourself!
Sweet Treats
Local Argyll producer, Northern Lights Cakery is helping you celebrate Valentine's Day in style. Creating delicious handmade treats in her wee kitchen overlooking the Kyles of Bute, owner and baker, Kate, offers luxury treat boxes available for postage throughout the UK.
NLC Valentines Day box, Credit: Northern Lights Cakery
These beautiful treat boxes are perfect for sharing, or a special gift. They include:
2 x Marbled Chocolate Cakesicles. Delicious chocolate sponge and buttercream filling, enrobed in marbled Callebaut chocolate with edible gold highlights, finished with a red ribbon
2 x Chocolate Heart Bombs: White chocolate geo hearts, containing an explosion of Green and Blacks hot chocolate, Callebaut dark chocolate chips, and a sprinkling of mini marshmallows. Place in a mug of hot milk and watch the magic happen.
1 x Sweetheart love letter cookie
1 x Happy Valentine’s Day gold embossed cookie.
Each box costs £28 including First Class postage to arrive in time for Valentine’s Day. Follow Northern Lights Cakery on Facebook and Instagram for details on how to order!
Under the Stars
The night sky has been long associated with romance and love. With very little light pollution, Argyll is one of the best places in Scotland to watch the night sky with your Valentine. Walk outside on a clear night anywhere in Argyll and the canopy of stars will take your breath away. Look out for a mind-boggling array of celestial objects. It’s not just the millions of stars plus our moon and planets that you’ll see, but satellites, shooting stars and – if you’re lucky – maybe even the Northern Lights. The island of Coll is an officially designated Dark sky area and is one of the best areas to catch the cosmos and the Kintyre peninsula is another superb place to take in the night skies. The Argyll Hotel at Bellochantuy on Kintyre is a good choice for romantic stargazers. The hotel’s outdoor viewing area offers uninterrupted panoramic views of the night sky out over the western Atlantic.
Dark Skies on Coll, Credit: Wild about Argyll
Fairytale Landscape
Argyll is steeped in history. Along its glorious coastline, you’ll find ruined castles and tower houses in wonderfully picturesque places. Step back in time this Valentine’s Day and visit these fascinating places. Oban & Lorn alone has six fabulous castles that are well worth a trip with your Valentine, including Castle Stalker, Dunstaffnage Castle, Dunollie Castle and Kilchurn Castle. Or how about exploring Kilmartin Glen? It's one of Scotland’s richest prehistoric landscapes and you'll find standing stones, stones circles, cairns and decorated rocks.
If you want to unwind with your partner amid beautiful scenery, then how about treating your Valentine to a spa experience in Argyll? Portavadie is pretty unbeatable. The views from the outdoor infinity pool across Loch Fyne are sublime. For an island spa escape head to the Isle of Eriska Hotel, a 300-acre paradise with luxurious spa facilities. There are some wonderfully romantic hotels to choose from too, including Loch Melfort Hotel, a stunning retreat with views to the Sound of Jura and the Inner Hebrides beyond.
Loch Melfort Hotel, Credit: Loch Melfort Hotel
Fine Dining
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to romantic dining in Argyll. You’ll find excellent eateries in stunning locations. Crinan Hotel is a wonderful place to dine and you can work up an appetite with a romantic pre-dinner stroll along the historic Crinan Canal. Inver on Loch Fyne is another top spot with glorious views to Lachlan Bay and the ruined Lachlan Castle. Argyll is renowned for its seafood, and what could be more romantic than sharing a bottle of wine and some of Scotland’s freshest seafood? why not try Lochfyne Oyster Bar in Clachan, Cairndow, where the oyster bar provides a range of seafood dishes, soups and meat options, along with an array of sweet treats to finish.
Scallops from Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, Credit: Wild about Argyll
Distillery Tasting
For something different, how about enjoying a whisky tasting experience together? Argyll has 14 world-class distilleries dotting its coastline. There’s nothing quite like sampling the product right there in the region’s historic distilleries and most offer guided tours ending with a large dram. Glen Scotia Distillery, Oban Distillery, Lagavulin Distillery and Caol Ila Distillery, are just a few of our whisky distilleries perfect for a day out of sampling whisky on their tours. If gin is your preferred tipple, check out the Argyll & the Isle gin distillers including Kintyre Gin, Isle of Bute Gin, Islay Gin, Wild Tyme Spirits and Whitetail Gin. If you are interested in more information surrounding distilleries in Argyll & the Isles check out our Beer & Spirit Trail.
Caol Ila Distillery, Credit: Wild about Argyll