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Dunoon Dunoon is situated on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde beside the Holy Loch, across from Gourock. Dunoon pier is over one hundred years old and still receives a connecting ferry with Gourock. Until the late 1960s fleets of paddle steamers brought holidaymakers doon the watter from Glasgow to it and numerous other piers, and it is still visited by the sole surviving sea-going paddle steamer Waverley. Overlooking it is a large statue to Robert Burns' love Highland Mary, also known as Bonny Mary O' Argyll, which is located on Castle Hill, just below the remains of Dunoon Castle. Dunoon Grammar School is over three hundred and fifty years old and has many well known former pupils, including the Labour Party politicians, John Smith, George Robertson (later head of NATO) and Brian Wilson. The actor Sylvester McCoy was also a pupil. As the Cold War intensified the Holy Loch became internationally famous when in 1961 the U.S. Navy depot ship Proteus brought Polaris ballistic missiles, nuclear submarines and CND protesters to the Firth of Clyde at nearby Sandbank, and Dunoon provided shore facilities. In 1992 the U.S. base was withdrawn following the demise of the Soviet Union, leading to a change in the local economy and protest from taxi drivers. The annual Cowal Highland Games are a highlight and attract many hundreds of contestants from over the world and many thousands of spectators. Toward Castle, formerly owned by the Lamont family is not far from the town. The Arboretum at Younger Botanic Garden Benmore, part of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, is situated 7 miles north of the town just before the scenic Loch Eck. The garden, formerly a private garden for the Younger family, is now open to the public and has a gift shop and tearoom. External Links
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