We're running a fun summer quiz on our Facebook page over the next few weeks but, not wanting people who don't have social media to miss out, we've added the questions and answers here on our website too.
Here are the questions:
1. Where in Argyll and Bute will you find ‘Britain’s most beautiful shortcut?
2. Argyll and Bute is home to one of the largest permanent whirlpools on earth. Where is it?
3. What is the link between Ben Arthur mountain and shoe repairs?
4. Three well-known celebrities visited Oban Airport to film a stunt for their new television series. What programme were they filming?
5. What is the link between the Isle of Staffa and an Irish giant?
6. This valley in Argyll and Bute is named after a Shakespearean fairy and is a haven for red squirrels. Where is it?
7. Legend has it that a mermaid was spotted on two separate occasions off the coast of an Argyll and Bute town in 1811, but what town was it, and what’s the story behind it?
8. Which Argyll and Bute loch is deep enough to cover the Blackpool Tower?
9. Argyll and Bute has built a reputation for offering some of the best filming locations in the UK to the film and TV industry. But, which Hollywood blockbuster was filmed in Arrochar and saw a prehistoric dinosaur roaming around near Loch Long?
10. Which Argyll and Bute town boasts both a castle and Victorian toilets as tourist attractions?
11. Paul McCartney and his family have a strong connection with Kintyre, and Paul and Linda has many happy holidays with their children at their farm just outside Campbeltown. Paul McCartney and Wings teamed up with Campbeltown Pipe Band in 1978 to shoot the music video for “Mull of Kintyre” but where did they film it?
Scroll down for the answers....
1. Where in Argyll and Bute will you find ‘Britain’s most beautiful shortcut’?
The answer is of course the Crinan Canal, which stretches across nine miles and links Ardrishaigwith the picturesque village of Crinan.
2.
Argyll and Bute is home to one of the largest permanent whirlpools on earth. Where is it?
The answer is the Corryvreckan Whirlpool, which sits between the islands of Jura and Scarba. Tour operators run regular boat trips to the area.
3.
What is the link between Ben Arthur mountain and shoe repairs?
Ben Arthur is commonly known as ‘the Cobbler’ due to the rock formation on the summit resembling a cobbler leaning over at work. The mountain is part of the Arrochar Alps and is a well-loved hike.
4.
Three well-known celebrities visited Oban Airport to film a stunt for their new television series. What programme were they filming?
The answer is Top Gear. Freddie Flintoff, Chris Harris and Paddy McGuiness used the runway at Oban Airport in March last year in a battle to prove which vehicle was the ultimate off-roader.
5.
What is the link between the Isle of Staffa and an Irish giant?
Legend has it that Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a giant from Northern Ireland, and Scottish giant Bennandoner, were constantly bickering from afar. Fionn decided to build a bridge across the sea and challenge Bennandoner to a fight, but when he got closer he realised the giant was bigger than he imagined. Fionn ran back to Ireland but Bennandoner followed him home.
With the help of his wife, Fionn disguised himself as a baby and when Bennandoner saw the giant baby, he realised if the baby was that big, there was no way he could conquer its father, so he ran back to Scotland, destroying the causeway in his wake. The bridge across the sea was gone, but it is said that the remnants are the rock formations that can be seen at Fingal’s cave in Staffa and the Giant’s Causeway.
6. This valley in Argyll and Bute is named after a Shakespearean fairy and is a haven for red squirrels. Where is it?
The answer is of course Puck’s Glen near Dunoon. Find out more about this magical place at Puck's Glen - Forestry and Land Scotland
7. Legend has it that a mermaid was spotted on two separate occasions off the coast of an Argyll and Bute town in 1811, but what town was it, and what’s the story behind it?
Two separate sightings of a mermaid were reported within a week of each other in November 1811 near Campbeltown. An 8-year-old girl saw the first sighting. She was helping her father herd cattle near a farm known at the time as Ballinatunie when she saw the creature sliding off a rock and into the sea. A young farmer reported the second sighting at Corstorphine near Kildalloig. He said the creature lying on a rock near. Both submitted sworn accounts to the Sherriff Substitute in Campbeltown at the time. Mermaid Monday: The Mermaid's Tail in Argyll - Beachcombing's Bizarre History Blog (strangehistory.net)
8. Which Argyll and Bute loch is deep enough to cover the Blackpool Tower?
The answer is Loch Lomond. At 190 metres, it is the third deepest loch in Scotland and is deep enough to cover the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Blackpool Tower, two Big Ben’s, or the London Eye! #LetsDoNetZero - Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park -Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (lochlomond-trossachs.org)
9. Argyll and Bute has built a reputation for offering some of the best filming locations in the UK to the film and TV industry. But, which Hollywood blockbuster was filmed in Arrochar and saw a prehistoric dinosaur roaming around near Loch Long?
The answer is of course Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Part of the movie was shot at Glen Mallan Jetty on Loch Long. Find out what other top productions have been filmed in Argyll and Bute at Filming in Scotland | Argyll and Bute | Film in Argyll and Bute
10.
Which Argyll and Bute town boasts both a castle and Victorian toilets as tourist attractions?
The answer is the beautiful town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute.
11.
Paul McCartney and his family have a strong connection with Kintyre, and Paul and Linda has many happy holidays with their children at their farm just outside Campbeltown. Paul McCartney and Wings teamed up with Campbeltown Pipe Band in 1978 to shoot the music video for “Mull of Kintyre” but where did they film it?
The answer is stunning Saddell Bay on Kintyre’s east coast.