Dunoon is the main town on the Cowal Peninsula in the Argyll and Bute region. The town is serviced by a regular ferry from Gourock or can be accessed by road on the west shore of the Upper Firth of Clyde. It has a resident population of some 13,500 people and is located approximately 34 miles west of Glasgow (via the M8 and ferry). The town and surrounding area were a popular holiday destination “Doon the Watter” from Glasgow and a garrison town to the US Navy, whose submarine base was in the Holy Loch until 1992. It continues to offer a wide range of outdoor pursuits, ranging from hillwalking to sailing on the Clyde Estuary. Sandbank is a village also located on the Cowal Peninsula, some 2.5 miles north of Dunoon and stands on the coastal A815 or the inland A885 adjacent to the southern shore of the Holy Loch.
