Rubha nam Frangach: The Story Behind the Name
French Farland or Rubha nam Frangach in Gaelic, is situated a few miles from Inveraray. The cottage was built during the eighteenth century. During this time a small group of traders settled here to pack herring from Loch Fyne. Herring were then taken by boat to France and traded for brandy, silks, claret and lace. Hence the name French Farland.
During the Second World War, over 250,000 troops were stationed at 'Battlefield' which is now home to the caravan site. Here they prepared for the Normandy landings. The shoreline and surrounding the cottage was used for training exercises, and remnants of that wartime presence can still be found along the old track such as the old fragments of concrete foundations and overgrown brickwork gently reclaimed by nature. The photograph shows Sir Winston Chuchill with French Farland visible in the background, a striking reminder that this quiet shoreline once stood witness to moments of global significance.
Today, the atmosphere is very different. Where fleets of boats once crowded the loch and soldiers trained in their thousands, there is now space, stillness and open water. Otters slip between rocks at the water’s edge. Porpoises and seals are regularly spotted offshore. Oyster catchers, cormorants, red breasted mergansers and herons patrol the shallows, while buzzards and, on occasion, sea eagles circle high above the loch. In spring and summer, ospreys return to the loch . A powerful symbol of Scotland’s wild beauty restored.
French Farland is a place where layers of history meet enduring nature. A shoreline shaped by trade, by war, and now by the peace and tranquility. The only sound you're likely to hear is the call of the oyster catchers on the shore. The echoes of the past remain, but it is the light on the water, the call of birds overhead and the rhythm of the tide that define it today.
A Landscape Steeped in History
Inveraray Castle
Seat of the Dukes of Argyll and ancestral home of Clan Campbell, the castle blends baroque, gothic and palladian influences in its fairytale turrets and sweeping lawns. Completed in the 18th century, it replaced an earlier fortress and helped shape the elegant town of Inveraray itself. Inside, grand state rooms, armouries and tapestries tell the story of centuries of Highland power and political influence. Today, it remains both a family home and a remarkable window into Scotland’s aristocratic past.
Kilmartin Glen
Set within the heart of Kilmartin Glen, one of Scotland’s most important prehistoric landscapes, ancient standing stones, burial cairns and carved rock art mark a valley inhabited for over 5,000 years. Nearby lies Dunadd Fort, the hilltop stronghold believed to have been the seat of the early Gaelic Kingdom of Dál Riata. It was here that Scotland’s early kings were said to have been inaugurated, placing their foot in a carved footprint still visible in the rock. Surrounded by sweeping moorland and distant sea lochs, this landscape carries the quiet power of a place where myth and monarchy first intertwined.
Auchindrain Township
Auchindrain Township is Scotland’s last surviving example of a traditional Highland farming township, offering a rare glimpse into rural life as it once was. Tucked within a peaceful glen in Argyll, its thatched cottages and stone byres tell the story of families who lived and worked the land here for generations, from the medieval period through to the early 20th century. Unlike many historic sites, Auchindrain was never rebuilt or modernised and what remains is authentic and deeply atmospheric. Today, it stands as a powerful reminder of clan society, crofting traditions and the resilience of Highland communities.