Dunoon (/duˈnuːn/; Scottish Gaelic: Dùn Omhain [t̪un ˈo.ɪɲ]) is the main town on the Cowal Peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland.

The town was a popular destination when travel by steamships was common around the Firth of Clyde; Glaswegians described this as going doon the watter.

In 1992, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, they closed their Holy Loch base in Sandbank, and neighbouring Dunoon suffered an economic downturn.

Since the base's closure, the town and surrounding area are again turning to tourism, marketing to outdoor enthusiasts and wildlife lovers, as well as promoting festivals and competitions.

[7] Dunoon Castle was built on a small, partly artificial, conical hill beside the Firth of Clyde in the 12th century, of which low walls remain.

[8] It eventually became a royal castle with the Earls of Argyll (Campbells) as hereditary keepers, paying a nominal rent of a single red rose to the sovereign.

Before Dunoon Burgh Hall was built, beginning in 1873, the land was an open field, owned by James MacArthur Moir, leading to an area known as the Gallowhill.

[14] During the World Wars, as the main part of the Firth of Clyde defences, the Cloch Point-to-Dunoon anti-submarine boom was anchored to the shore in Dunoon below Castle Hill.

[15][16] A Palmerston Fort and camp at Ardhallow Battery in the south of the town provided one of the coastal defence gun emplacements that covered the anti-submarine boom and Firth of Clyde waters.

[17] Holy Loch was, for thirty years, the home port of U.S. Navy Submarine Squadron 14 and Dunoon, therefore, became a garrison town.

The last submarine tender to be based there, the USS Simon Lake, left Holy Loch in March 1992, leading to a major and continuing downturn in the local economy.

Prior to June 2011, the pier was in daily use by Caledonian MacBrayne, who ran a regular foot passenger and car-ferry service to Gourock.

[35] The Category B listed building re-opened in June 2017, and is a fully accessible venue for exhibitions, performances and gatherings.

[40] The Highland Mary statue was erected in 1896; it is prominently sited on Castle Hill, overlooking the breakwater in Dunoon.

The main hall has a stage with professional sound and lighting equipment, and attracted popular acts such as Pink Floyd,[50] Blur, the Saw Doctors, David Gray, Morrissey, the Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Primal Scream and comedians Kevin Bridges, Bill Bailey and Roy Chubby Brown.

[52] Riverside Swim and Health Centre, including an indoor pool (25m long) and associated facilities, located on Alexandra Parade.

[61] In 2013, the first Dunoon Film Festival was held over three days and opened with first public screening of Your Cheatin' Heart, a series made by the BBC that had last been shown on television in 1990.

[65] Public transport within Dunoon and the surrounding area is provided under government subsidy by bus and coach operator West Coast Motors.

West Coast Motors' route 486 provides a regular return journey from Dunoon town centre to Inveraray, where it connects with a Scottish Citylink service 926 and 976 onward to Campbeltown, Oban, Glasgow and points in-between.

[67] Modern Dunoon owes its existence to steam power; as late as 1822 there were only three or four slated houses, the rest of the residences being traditional Highland cottages.

[71] From 1812 to the late 1960s, thousands of holiday-makers travelled doon the watter from Glasgow and industrial Lanarkshire to Dunoon and to numerous other town piers on the Firth of Clyde.

In 1868, the following summer excursions by water could be had from Dunoon (going and returning the same day):[72] Only one Clyde steamer, the Waverley, satisfies demand for this business today.

The University of the Highlands and Islands' Argyll College has a campus in Dunoon, located in the West Bay, near the breakwater and Castle Hill.

Motorcycle dirt track racing (or speedway) was staged at the stadium on 18 June 1932 as part of the annual Dunoon and Cowal Agricultural Show.

Every year in June, the town hosts the Argyll Rally, a motorsport event that takes place on closed public roads around the local area.

Puck's Glen is a popular short walk set in the hills close to Benmore Botanic Garden.

It comprises 60 hectares (150 acres) and features some of the tallest trees in Britain, including the avenue of Giant Redwoods (Sequoia), some of which are over 37 metres (120 ft) high.

A tumbling burn, criss-crossed by bridges, is enclosed by rocky walls heavily hung with mosses and overshadowed by dense trees.

[91] Morag's Fairy Glen is a short gorge walk, with trails alongside the Berry Burn, located on the hill behind the West Bay area of Dunoon.

Much of the Cowal peninsula is covered with forest, particularly in the northern stretches and to the west and south with small patches in the south-east and east.