Set beside a gently flowing river, The Mill is a recently restored former working mill that now offers a characterful and contemporary retreat across four levels. Blending heritage features with thoughtful modern design, it’s a unique setting for relaxed gatherings and special stays.
At its heart lies an 80-square-metre open-plan reception space where natural textures and striking volumes take centre stage. The kitchen flows seamlessly into a vaulted dining hall and a welcoming lounge crowned by a stone fireplace, its mantel fashioned from the original saw bench. Light pours through a dramatic glass archway that connects the indoors to the tranquil courtyard, while slate flooring underfoot and underfloor heating powered by a ground source heat pump ensure year-round comfort.
With rooms spread across the house, The Mill comfortably accommodates 14 adults, with space for up to 18 guests in total if needed. Each bedroom is distinct in layout and charm; while more compact than those in neighbouring estate homes, all feature goose-down duvets, fine linens, and luxuriously comfortable mattresses.
The estate’s natural beauty is enhanced by a river that winds through the grounds. Guests have access to a shared tennis court, which can be booked for private use. Although two other properties are located on the estate, each is entirely independent, ensuring a sense of privacy. Whether gathering fireside or exploring the riverside setting, The Mill invites guests to embrace something both historic and wholly original.
Features:
Argyll Mill
Ground Floor
- Open-plan main reception area- Contemporary kitchen with granite work surfaces throughout- Kitchen table seating 8 (expandable to 12)- Breakfast bar for up to 6- Utility room with washing machine and dryer- TV/play room- Direct access to garden and sandstone terrace facing the river- WC
First Floor
- South-facing sitting room- French doors leading to terrace with garden furniture- Direct access to private rear garden, river, and woods- Family bedroom with a double bunk bed and three additional bunks- Five double rooms, two with raised platform beds- Bedroom with 3 single beds or a king plus one single- Small bedroom with two adult sized bunk beds- Small bedroom with one adult and one child sized bed- Three stunning bathrooms (2 include jacuzzi baths)- Sauna
Exterior
- Situated within 20 acres of private woodland
- Landscaped gardens with lawns and terraces
- Tallest known Grecian fir in Scotland
- Waterfall walk
- Access to separate games cottage (shared with Argyll Barn) with snooker, darts and table tennis
Additional Facilities
- Twin stainless steel kitchen sinks
- Two dishwashers
- Two electric ovens- American-style fridge freezer and additional large fridge and freezer- 42" flat screen LCD TV
- Full Sky Plus package- 6 main bedrooms are equipped with wash-hand basins- 4 rooms have raised platform beds with under-bed storage
Location:
Although just an hour and a half from Glasgow, the house sits in some of the loveliest scenery in Scotland. The Kyles of Bute are renowned with both walkers and sailors as among the most stunning bits of coast in Scotland. Whatever the weather in Argyll, usually remarkably mild, this is great country for site seeing, with every corner revealing a new variation on the theme of mountain, loch, valley, sky, woodland, sea, rock, and beach. The Cowal peninsula is a fabulous base for an active holiday with marvellous wildlife, numerous gardens, other tourist attractions to visit, and a variety of sporting activities.
The house has grounds of 23 acres, and sits about a mile above the head of Loch Riddon, enjoying complete privacy and lovely views down the glen to the river Ruel. The Island of Bute itself is as little as 15 minutes away from the house – accessed via a ferry from Colintraive – and was a “must visit” destination long before Stella McCartney got married there or former racing driver Johnnie Dumfries moved into Mount Stuart House as the new Marquess of Bute.
Inverary with its famous Jail and Castle, seat of Clan Campbell for the last few hundred years, is only 45 minutes away, as is Loch Lomond. Dunoon is another tourist destination in its own right, and it is just under half an hour away. You can get to Glen Coe in an hour and a half; to Stirling, Oban or Fort William in under two. Loch Ness and Edinburgh are easy enough day trips – reachable in less than 2 and a half hours.
As well as general site-seeing and trips to the Island of Bute, Inverary and further afield, there are a host of other activities you can undertake around Glenaruel. It’s fabulous walking country and you will be provided with twelve mountain bikes for those who want to explore on two wheels rather than four. There are some really excellent routes direct from the house, involving all sorts of terrain and levels of strain!
There’s a lovely 9 hole pay and play course ten minutes away above Tighnabruaich. There are five bags of golf clubs for the house and they probably won’t be too fussed about the usual rules regarding golf shoes provided you don’t arrive in jeans and carve the course up. The same applies to the almost equally spectacular nine hole course at Blairmore & Strone, half an hour away. Cowal Golf Club at Dunoon and Inellan are the 18 hole courses in the area that welcome visitors.
For fishing, there are too many options to go into here, but you can spend anything from £9 per day to over £1,000 for river fishing in the area. You can fish for trout in the nearby stream for nothing or in the Lochen at the head of the river. Mackerel on a line in a boat on the Kyles is a right of passage for hundreds of West of Scotland kids every year. They swim in shoals all around these waters and there’s no permit payable.
It’s a fabulous part of the world for water-sports of all sorts. Horse-riding, climbing, canoeing, caving, archery, quad biking, paint-balling, and clay pigeon shooting are also all available either on site or in the area.
There is a wee shop selling all the basics at the camp-site in the Glendaruel valley, about a mile’s walk away, beside the historic Kilmodan standing stones. You get a slightly bigger choice in the Spar at Tighnabruich five miles away. Dunoon is 16 miles away and is a thriving market / harbour town with award-winning bakeries, cafes and butchers, as well as a big Co-Op and a big Somerfield supermarket.
Scotland is not really well served by pubs in general; this area is definitely an exception. The Glendaruel Hotel is a lovely wee pub, a two mile drive away, and serves good pub grub. The Colintraive Hotel and Tighnabruich Hotel are each a tad busier and a tad more ambitious in terms of menu. Chatters in Dunoon is highly recommended, and the Whistlefield and Coylet Inns on Loch Eck are also worth a visit. Less than half an hour away from the house is a wonderful restaurant on Loch Fyne, overlooking the old Castle Lachlan. The Benmore Gardens tea room is not half bad, either, and the Otterferry Inn and Loch Fyne Oyster Bar have good reputations (on which, it might be said, they trade slightly). All in all, though, there are few areas of Scotland where you can enjoy such a variety of excellent, reasonably priced menus.
Terms & Conditions:
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£50 per person (£100 per person for Stag do's and Hen do's). This is paid prior to arrival and will be refunded in full after departure subject to damage inspection.
4 p.m. or earlier by arrangement.
10.30 a.m. or later by arrangement.
Included in the rental price.
All linen and bath towels are included in the rental price.
Pets allowed.
Please note that use of the hot tub comes at an additional charge of £100 for a weekend booking, and £150 for a week long booking.
Friday
Included. Please leave the property in the state that you found it.
No smoking in the property.
7 nights approximately Christmas and New Year and mid-July to mid-August (short stays over Summer are on request). 2 nights during all other periods.
Pets - allowed
Smoking - not allowed
