Arduaine Garden is a place of peace on a wild shore, a plantsman's paradise perched on the windswept Argyll coast of the Sound of Jura, in the Western Highlands of Scotland. The name Arduaine is a Gaelic one - An Aird Uaine - meaning the green point or promontory, and has come to be generally pronounced as Ar-doo-a-nie, although Gaelic scholars regularly disagree! Arduaine's originator pronounced it simply Ar-duan. The garden has been owned and lovingly maintained by The National Trust for Scotland since 1992.

Arduaine benefits from its proximity to the sea as the prevailing winds help to keep the atmosphere moist, and the influence of the North Atlantic Drift moderates both winter cold and summer heat. Many of our plants would not be entirely hardy or happy further inland, but with an average rainfall of 75 inches (1900 mm), together with the shelter of the enclosing trees and shrubs, Arduaine can support a collection of interesting and beautiful plants gathered from the four corners of the temperate world, were it to be square.


Set in an area of outstanding natural beauty and historical interest, Arduaine Garden is a delightful place to visit at any time and by anyone, whether they be casual passer-by, garden lover or dedicated plantsman. Prime time for the spring display is usually April and May. Don't delay - we're open every day!

Entrance to the garden is via our reception building which is staffed from April to September inclusive, 9.30am to 4.30pm. At all other times we ask visitors to place their entry cash in the Honesty Box, as our dedicated and hard-working staff are understandably upset to find visitors enjoying their efforts without payment. The building has information boards around the walls and when staffed, the desk has a small range of articles for sale, including a full colour guidebook - written by the Head Gardener - postcards, raffle tickets and seeds from the garden. Guidebooks are priced at £3.50 - and worth every penny! - and are also available by post - please include 50p for post and packing, make cheques payable to The National Trust for Scotland, and send your order to Guidebooks, Arduaine Garden, Arduaine, Oban, Argyll PA34 4XQ.

Toilets are located close to reception and include one which is fully accessible.

Garden trails are signposted with two separate marked routes. The green route, which takes around 30 minutes, explores the Lower Garden with its many ponds and borders and the blue route takes in the Woodland Garden and Cliff Path, with a detour to the high coastal viewpoint. We recommend at least 45 minutes. The blue route can be followed after the green to make one continuous walk of around 75 minutes, but of course, we hope that you'll be side tracked and tempted to stay much longer!

Accessibility is something we take very seriously as we want everybody to enjoy their visit. The reception building and toilets both have ramps but we won't pretend that the garden is like a town park and we feel that its naturalistic informality is one of its great attractions. The two-way marked routes are reasonably accessible although they do vary in width from 3-6ft and the odd tree root or stone may need to be negotiated. Gradients on these routes are fairly gentle and any sections with steps have alternative paths without them, but smaller paths off the main routes may be steeper, soft-surfaced or otherwise more adventurous. Please ask for advice at reception if you're not sure. We are certainly willing to do what we can to make your visit more enjoyable and constructive comments are always welcome.