Culture, heritage and arts as you Wander Argyll

Argyll and the Isles are renowned for spectacular scenery and coastline.

Now a new campaign is being launched to showcase its diverse array of culture, heritage and arts attractions along one of the many long-distance routes in the region.

Wander Argyll, an initiative from Argyll and the Isles’ Culture, Heritage and Arts Assembly (CHARTS) network, draws attention to the region’s thriving creative side and cultural scene.

The campaign centres around a Culture, Heritage and Art Route, which connects Dunoon to Portavadie, and Tarbert to Appin, coinciding with Sustrans national routes 75 and 78 and signposting to other fantastic routes and trails across the region.

A special Wander Argyll printed map has been created to encourage visitors to explore more than 100 local galleries, artists, shops, heritage sites, museums, events and art trails on the route. The map is also available online.

A Wander Argyll microsite has also been launched on Wild About Argyll to help visitors discover Argyll’s amazing array of culture, heritage and arts attractions. The site features profiles of local people and places at the heart of the cultural community, along with event listings and a tool to help visitors plan their wander. Argyll has it all – intimate artists’ studios, outstanding heritage, amazing buildings and wonderful landscape.

Janice Forsyth, BBC Radio’s Scotland’s arts and culture specialist, lent her support to the Wander Argyll campaign. She said: ‘Wander Argyll is a fantastic idea – literally putting culture, heritage and local artists on the map. As a frequent visitor to the region, I’ll certainly be making use of this. What a bonus for both tourists and artists!’

Louise McVey created this sculpture as part of Wander Argyll

David Price the chair of CHARTS said: ‘While many people visit Argyll for its scenery and outdoor adventures, the region boasts an amazing array of culture, heritage and arts that remains something of a secret to many. While visitors are here, we want to help them discover and experience the unique collection of skills and creativity we have here in Argyll, and in particular the artists and craft makers inspired by our scenery, coasts, rivers Islands, lochs and mountains.’

Councillor Robin Currie, policy lead for Communities, Housing, the Islands and Gaelic, said: ‘The Wander Argyll campaign is also designed to both attract new visitors to the region from throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, and importantly to support local people and places involved in the cultural community.’

Karen Scotland from Scotland’s Sculpture Park at Caol Ruadh, one of the cultural destinations highlighted on the map, said: ‘We’re absolutely delighted to be one of the featured destinations on the new Wander Argyll Culture, Heritage and Art Route. There are a huge amount of different cultural experiences and attractions to explore in Argyll and the Wander Argyll website and map will be an invaluable support to us and a great asset for visitors.’

The Wander Argyll campaign launches this week and runs through the peak tourism season until the end of September – for further information, visit www.wildaboutargyll.co.uk/wander-argyll/