Paddleboarding spots in Argyll and Bute
109 launch spots across Argyll and Bute
Every mapped spot in Argyll and Bute
Zoom in to split a cluster; open a pin for the spotMap of every spot in Argyll and Bute
The interactive map opens on any device with JavaScript. The full list of launch spots is below.
Launch spots
Showing 24 of 109
SeaKilmelford put-in
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway lies near the head of Loch Melfort by Kilmelford village, close to Kilmelford Yacht Haven marina. Loch Melfort is a sheltered sea loch on the Argyll coast between Oban and Lochgilphead, on the route of the Argyll Sea Kayak Trail.
SeaOtter Ferry Pier
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandOtter Ferry Pier is a stone pier on Loch Fyne at Otter Ferry on the Cowal peninsula, tagged on OpenStreetMap as a slipway. Otter Ferry takes its name from a former ferry crossing of Loch Fyne to Kintyre that no longer runs; a second disused pier survives further along the shore at West Otter Ferry.
SeaLargiemore put-in
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis is a slipway on the B8000 shore road on Loch Fyne, on the Cowal peninsula about 1.5 kilometres north of Otter Ferry Pier. Loch Fyne is a tidal sea loch that runs roughly 65 kilometres inland from the Sound of Bute, making it the longest sea loch in Scotland, and it is designated a Nature Conservation Marine Protected Area.
SeaToward put-in (Port Lamont)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway sits about 65 metres from another harvested put-in, close to the hamlet of Port Lamont within Toward on the Cowal peninsula, facing the Firth of Clyde.
SeaKames put-in
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandKames is a shoreline village on the Cowal Peninsula, on the West Kyle of the Kyles of Bute immediately south of Tighnabruaich. The mapped slipway gives access to this narrow, sheltered channel between the mainland and the Isle of Bute, a stretch long used by yachts and paddle steamers.
LochInverbeg put-in
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandInverbeg is a hamlet on the western shore of Loch Lomond, on the A82 between Luss and Tarbet. A slipway here gives direct access to the loch. Loch Lomond's 2023 boating byelaws apply, so anyone launching a canoe, kayak or paddleboard is expected to register beforehand.
SeaImeraval put-in (Port Ellen)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway sits on Pier Road in the hamlet of Imeraval, on the shore of Port Imeraval on Islay's south coast, about a mile west of Port Ellen. The shoreline continues west into Kilnaughton Bay.
SeaBruichladdich Pier slipway
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway sits at Bruichladdich Pier, on the shore of Loch Indaal in the village of Bruichladdich on the Rinns of Islay. The Loch Indaal Way footpath runs along this stretch of shore toward Port Charlotte.
SeaGigha Ferry Slip
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis is the CalMac ferry slipway on Ardminish Bay, Isle of Gigha, the island terminal for the short crossing to Tayinloan on the Kintyre mainland. There is no terminal building, but the council provides toilets by the slip, and watersports equipment can be hired close by.
SeaGanavan Slip
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway at Ganavan Sands on the northern edge of Oban, opening onto Ganavan Bay towards the Firth of Lorn, beyond the sheltered horseshoe of Oban Bay itself.
SeaFerry Pier
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway pier at Lagg on Jura's east coast, launching onto the Sound of Jura opposite Knapdale on the mainland. Lagg was once the terminus for a drovers' ferry to Keillmore, using a slipway and pier built in 1810 to ship cattle across for mainland markets.
SeaFerry Cottage put-in (Clachan)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway sits on the West Loch Tarbert shore at Portachoillan, a small hamlet a few miles from Clachan village, named after the nearby Ferry Cottage property that marks a former ferry crossing point. West Loch Tarbert is a sea loch running south-west from Tarbert towards open water near the Sound of Gigha.
SeaFeolin Ferry slipway
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway at Feolin Ferry on Jura's southwest shore, launching onto the Sound of Islay opposite Port Askaig on Islay. The sound carries strong tidal currents, strong enough that a tidal-energy array was approved for the site in 2011, and is used daily by the Jura to Islay vehicle ferry.
SeaFalls of Lora
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandTidal rapids at the narrow mouth of Loch Etive, under Connel Bridge near North Connel. The rapids form as the sea level in the Firth of Lorn falls faster than the loch behind a rocky sill, most pronounced for a few days either side of spring tides, and the site is used by whitewater kayakers.
LochEredine put-in
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandEredine is a small settlement on the western shore of Loch Awe, Scotland's longest freshwater loch, in Argyll and Bute. A slipway gives access to the loch here; Eredine was formerly a scheduled stop for a steamer service that also called at Portsonachan, Taycreggan and Ford.
SeaNorth Pier slipway, Oban (south)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA concrete slipway on the Oban harbour front a few metres from another mapped slip near North Pier, on the sheltered water of Oban Bay.
SeaNorth Pier slipway, Oban
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA concrete slipway with a footway sloping down to the water at North Pier, in the middle of Oban's harbour front, launching onto the sheltered horseshoe of Oban Bay.
SeaGanavan Sands slipway
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA second slipway about 100 metres west of Ganavan Slip, on the same Ganavan Sands beach north of Oban.
SeaDunollie slipway, Oban
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway on Corran Esplanade in the Dunollie area of Oban, on the sheltered horseshoe of Oban Bay.
SeaCorran Esplanade slipway, Oban
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway on Corran Esplanade in Oban town centre, on the sheltered water of Oban Bay a short walk from the harbour and North Pier.
SeaRothesay slipway (Albert Place)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway is on Albert Place in central Rothesay, on the east coast of the Isle of Bute, fitted with a cable winch rated to 2.5 tonnes. It opens onto Rothesay Bay on the Firth of Clyde, which served as a wartime anchorage for the submarine depot ship HMS Cyclops.
SeaRhubodach ferry slipway
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway serves the short car-ferry crossing at Rhubodach, on the north tip of the Isle of Bute, across the Kyles of Bute to Colintraive on the Cowal mainland. Caledonian MacBrayne's crossing here is about 450 metres, among the shortest ferry routes still operating in Scotland.
SeaDunstaffnage Marina slipway
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandA slipway within Dunstaffnage Marina Boatyard on Dunstaffnage Bay, near the entrance to Loch Etive about three miles north of Oban. The marina has no tidal gate, so the site gives water access to the Firth of Lorn at all states of tide.
SeaCulwatty put-in (Helensburgh)
Argyll and Bute, ScotlandThis slipway lies on the Gare Loch shore between Rhu and Helensburgh, close to the loch's mouth at the Rhu Narrows where it opens into the Firth of Clyde.
Save your own spots
Keep the places you launch, check the wind and shelter before you go, and log every paddle. Add a spot to the directory too, and other paddlers will find it. Free to start.
Some launch spots in this directory are seeded from open data. © OpenStreetMap contributors · Open Database Licence (ODbL) · Machine-readable copy