West Tarbert Things to Do

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The Parish Church in Tarbert totally dominates the small town. Set on a hilly location it can be seen from all points. Construction began in 1885 and the memorial stone was laid on Saturday 17th. October 1886. The Church was designed by Glasgow Architects J. McKissack and W.G. Rowan. The Church has an imposing square tower which has three floors two of them contain the clock and the bell. The tower rises to over one hundred feet. The 'Open Crown' and lantern are its best features. During its construction its estimated building cost was £500. The actual cost is unknown but all monies were donated by the Stonefield Family who owned a large Estate near Tarbert. The Church is accessed by a steep set of steps, given its hilly location you might like me be almost blown away while viewing the great tower!
Sunday Service is at 11.30 Open for visitors April to September from 10.00 to 17.50

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Tarbet Castle dates back to the thirteenth century, not much is left here but some history and a stange looking ruin. The Castle stood guard over the Anchorage below in the bay and controlled the land linking both Lochs. It became a Royal Castle when King Robert the Bruce had it fortified and extended. At the end of the fifteenth century more additions were added by King James lV work continued into the 16th. century. The Castle today is undergoing clearance of invasive ivy and better access for the public. The work began in 2006 and will be a long term process, all work is done here by the volunteer group 'Tarbert Conservation Initiative' Hopefully in the future Historic Scotland will take on the task of revealing some far off history, they are already involved but only with advise on future plans. My photo shows the Castle sitting on top of one of the houses in the town but I did find a connection to this - the ruin is on the small side because the people of the past built most of the town from the stones from this old ruin. If you look at the second picture you will probably realise why I didn't visit this ruin up close and personal.

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The West Loch cuts into the land providing Tarbert with a natural harbour. Its fortunes in fishing have declined over the centuries but it is still a working harbour with boats sailing down Loch Fyne and out into the open sea. Most fishing boats only sail at weekends, but some put to sea every day landing their 'catch' here in the early morning. This is when the harbour comes alive with seagulls chasing after the boats as they head into port. We did see some fishing boats - they were greatly outnumbered by the graceful yachts. Yes pleasure craft has overtaken fishing but I still like to watch as the boats go by.

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There are a number of Tarberts in Scotland, most are characterised by a narrow strip of land usually where two lochs nearly meet. The Gaelic name is 'Tairbeart' translated as 'draw boat' relating to a story of Magnus Barelegs the Viking King who sailed around the Kintyre Peninsular. He then got his army to drag the longboat across the one mile land strip with him sitting in it, so claiming it as his own. Tarbert is a small town, pretty much unchanged since Victorian times. The town has some nice Hotels/Restaurants where the welcome is always friendly. Tarbert has a good, if small, selection of shops for everyday essentials and makes a good base for travelling around this unspoilt area.