Benmore Botanic Garden

Benmore Botanic Garden lies on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It sits at the foot of Beinn Mhòr beside the River Eachaig, with Loch Eck to the north and the Holy Loch to the south. The garden stretches up the hillside through Argyll Forest Park, which belongs to Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. A line of giant sequoias planted in 1863 marks the entrance avenue. Footbridges cross the river and a waterfall tumbles down the glen. Walled gardens and ponds divide the lower grounds, while paths climb to viewpoints over the lochs. The garden’s history begins with Clan Campbell after 1400, when they took lands from Clan Lamont. In the 19th century wealthy owners shaped the estate: John Lamont built Benmore House, James Piers Patrick added the tower and Redwood Avenue, and James Duncan planted millions of trees and opened Puck’s Glen. Henry Younger and his son later improved the woods and gardens, and in 1924 gifted the estate to the nation. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh opened its first outstation here in 1929 to display plants collected in China by George Forrest. Today visitors walk beneath the towering sequoias and explore the restored fernery, a rare 1870s structure saved in 1992. The garden holds exotic shrubs and conifers introduced by the Youngers, and red squirrels dart among the trees. Puck’s Glen offers a ravine walk a kilometre long, while higher paths lead to viewpoints across the Holy Loch. Benmore Outdoor Centre in the former house runs school programmes, and the wider Argyll Forest Park provides further hillside trails.