Some of our Tours
Bespoke Tours
Taxi George Dunoon can tailor tours to suit your needs and this couple from Seattle wanted to view the breathtaking scenery.
With their requests in mind the tour comprised of:-
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Collect from Edinburgh and taken to Oban distillery, Loch Lomond and Rest n be Thankful viewpoint. They returned to Edinburgh having seen some of the delights this area has to offer.
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Feedback left after their tour said" George was a great tour guide and his knowledge of the places we visited was really informative. Thank you George and see you soon."
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Some of our Tours
Dunans Castle
Taxi George is the preferred Taxi service for this stunning venue.
Tours can be taken of this castle who also provide wedding services, functions of any kind and are a must for visitors in this area.
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In 1815 Thomas Telford designed and built the a-listed Dunans Bridge for the Fletchers of Dunans to celebrate the battle of Waterloo. In 1864 Dunans House was elaborated into what is now referred to as the castle byEdinburgh-based architect Andrew Kerr and is b-listed.
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Associated with the castle and bridge is a designed landscape affording views to and from each building and applying the Victorian principles of the ‘sublime’ and ‘picturesque’ (Garden History Society), this landscape includes superb view of the Tallest Tree in the UK.
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Dunans house lost its main roof to fire in 2001, and the ruin was purchased by the present owners in 2003.
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Dunans Woodland Garden is a wonderful place to spend an hour or two experiencing one of the most extraordinary designed landscapes in the UK.
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To visit you will need to join one of our guided tours, which can be booked by using this link http://events.scottishlaird.com/
About
Ardkinglas House
Ardkinglas House, a baronial mansion built in 1907 is the master piece of Sir Robert Lorimer. It is situated at Cairndow about 25 miles from Dunoon.
Guided tours take place on Friday afternoons in the season (booking essential) or by appointment at other times. The guided tour takes about 1¼ hours afterwards there is the opportunity to wander in the normally private house gardens.
A rainy day? Give us a phone and see if the house is available for a tour. A minimum of 7 people is required otherwise a minimum charge applies @ £7.00 per person.
Ardkinglas House is also available for weddings and other family functions.
If you would like a tour of the house and require transport Taxi George Dunoon offer a return service of £10.00 per head for 8. I will take you to the Estate, wait till you tour ends and then return to Dunoon.
Taxi George Dunoon can book the tour for you in advance for a fee of £2.50 per head in addition to the current tour rate.
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Toward Castle
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The present Castle Toward was built in 1820 for Kirkman Finlay (1773–1842), former Lord Provost of Glasgow, as his family's country house. Finlay purchased the Achavoulin estate and renamed it Toward in 1818. It is built in the castellated Gothic Revival style, and was designed by David Hamilton. Edward La Trobe Bateman was involved in garden design work here in the 1880s.
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It was from Castle Toward that the second son of Alexander Struthers Finlay – Alexander Kirkman Finlay – emigrated to the then colony of Victoria, Australia, and subsequently married the daughter of the then Governor of New South Wales, Hercules Robinson, 1st Baron Rosmead. The wedding of Nora Robinson and Alexander Kirkman Finlay at St James' Church, Sydney, in 1878 attracted enormous attention in the colony and was extensively reported in the press.
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Later owned and extended by Major Andrew Coats, of the Coats family of Paisley, Italian plasterwork was installed in the public rooms in 1920. The entire building was restored and enlarged over the course of the 1920s by the architect Francis William Deas, who also laid out most of the current landscaping. The grounds incorporate the ruins of the original Toward Castle, the Chinese ponds, wooded areas, access to the shore, and views over the Firth of Clyde.