Things you didn't know about... Argyll

Kenneth McAlpine, the first king of a unified Scotland, was crowned here at Dunadd Fort in Kilmartin Glen in 843.

Argyll has a longer coastline than France

Argyll and Bute Council territory boasts 3700 miles of coastline. Of its hundreds of islands, only 26 are inhabited.

Argyll is home to the world's largest highland games

The Cowal Highland Gathering at Dunoon is held on the last weekend of August. At its finale, the pipes and drums of over 150 bands march through the town.

Argyll is a world-class film set

Argyll's mountain resort of Glencoe starred in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and in Bollywood films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Argyll boasts the world's champion porridge-maker

Maria Soep, owner of the Roineabhal Country House guesthouse in Kilchrenan, says the secret to her success lies in the traditional organically-grown pinhead oatmeal that she uses, which the judges of the annual Golden Spurtle prize commended for its "nutty texture".

Deborah Kerr was born in Argyll

The Hollywood actress, most famed for her shoreside clinch with Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity, was born in Helensburgh.

Surf's up in Argyll!

The island of Tiree boasts some of the best surfing conditions in Europe, earning it the nickname "Hawaii of the North".

Argyll has glorious gardens

Due to its Gulf Stream position, Argyll's climate provides the perfect conditions for exotic flowers to flourish in its world-famous gardens, including rare magnolias, azaleas and rhododendrons.

Only 12 miles from Ireland

Northern Ireland's Antrim coast is only 12 miles from the southern end of Argyll's Kintre peninsula, and is visible on a clear day.

Argyll is the home of diamond geezers

The checkboard pattern that's now the trademark of Burlington socks and Pringle knitwear is thought to derive from Argyll's Campbell Clan tartan.

Argyll is a leading centre of renewable energy

The Isle of Islay, otherwise famed for its whisky and rare birds, has been selected by the European Commission as one of five European islands (the other four are in France and Italy) to become self-sufficient in renewable energy. It has the world's only commercially operational wave power station.

The UK mainland's most westerly point is here

The Argyll peninsula of Ardnamurchan marks the spot with a 36 m-high granite lighthouse.