Lochgilphead

Lochgilphead (lɒxˈɡɪlphɛd; Ceann Loch Gilb kjhan̪ɣ l̪ɣɔx ˈkjilip) is a town and former burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, with a population of around 2,300 people. It is the administrative centre of Argyll and Bute Council. The village lies at the end of Loch Gilp (a branch of Loch Fyne) and lies on the banks of the Crinan Canal. Lochgilphead sits on the A83, with Ardrishaig 2 miles (3 km) to the south and Inveraray to the north-east; Oban lies north on the A816. The council is based at Kilmory Castle, around which is located a woodland park and an Iron Age fort. Forestry and Land Scotland also have an office there. As a planned settlement, Lochgilphead was created in 1790, shortly after the completion of a road from Inveraray to Campbeltown. After the completion of the Crinan Canal in 1801, the town became more important as a link across the Kintyre peninsula. When a road was completed in 1830, Lochgilphead was linked to Oban. In 1831 a pier was built, promoting maritime transit between Lochgilphead and Glasgow, and other ports along the Irish Sea. In 1975 Lochgilphead was chosen as the administrative headquarters of the Argyll and Bute District Council as part of local government reorganisation, due to its central location. There are a large number of Neolithic remains, including cup and ring marks in the nearby Kilmartin Glen, and Dunadd Hillfort (capital of the Kingdom of Dál Riata) is also close. Lochgilphead's facilities include a swimming pool, sports centre, fishing tackle shop, Virgin MoneyBank and Bank of Scotland, TSB (which closed permanently on 17 February 2021), Co-op Food supermarket, an ethical food store with deli, two petrol stations, one homewear shop and one hardware shop, a Renault dealership, a community hospital run by the local GPs (with an A&E department and a psychiatric hospital), a nine-hole golf course, bowling club, a hydrotherapy pool, a regional landfill site at Dunchologan, and Lochgilphead High School.