Craig Lodge Family House of Prayer, Argyll, Scotland, PA33 1AR

Craig Lodge is a Christian retreat house, Argyll, home to a Catholic community of prayer and mission on the shores of Loch Awe in the West Highlands of Scotland. The community was inspired by Our Lady’s visitation to Medjugorje, and today Craig Lodge lives out a simple, rhythmic life of prayer and work, worship and service, creativity and rest. At the heart of the house is a chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, with a resident chaplain on hand throughout any stay, and guests are always warmly received.

Guests are welcomed to join in the daily rhythm of prayer — the Rosary, Holy Mass, Divine Office, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and Praise and Worship — alongside fully catered prayer stays and retreats. Families, parishes and prayer groups are all welcome to book the house for a private retreat, and Craig Lodge also runs its own Mission House, a nine-month programme of prayer, community and mission for young adults aged 18 to 30. Walking pilgrims on St Conan’s Pilgrim Way, the 60-mile route to Iona, are welcome to stay too, subject to availability.

Throughout the year Craig Lodge also hosts its own retreats and events, from Family Weeks for parents and children to the Stronghold Festival, a weekend of continuous worship held in the grounds each summer. For a day out beyond the house, the port town of Oban is around 30 minutes’ drive away, with ferries to the Hebrides, while the village of Dalmally itself has a shop, church and pub within easy walking distance for anyone without a car.

Craig Lodge sits amid some of the most dramatic scenery in the West Highlands, with Loch Awe — one of Scotland’s longest freshwater lochs — on the doorstep. A couple of miles along the A85 lies Kilchurn Castle, a striking 15th-century ruin on the loch shore and one of the most photographed castles in Scotland. In the nearby village of Lochawe, St Conan’s Kirk is well worth a visit too: an extraordinary early 20th-century church, built in a striking mix of architectural styles right on the water’s edge, and open to visitors daily.

Further along the A85, Ben Cruachan rises above the water — a Munro whose slopes conceal the Cruachan Power Station, a working hydroelectric station built deep inside the mountain. Its visitor centre welcomes guests to explore the tunnels and turbine hall, and the walk up to the dam itself makes for a rewarding half-day out from the house for anyone wanting some fresh air between the times of prayer.

For clergy and church workers especially, a stay at Craig Lodge offers something increasingly rare: a settled, unhurried rhythm of prayer, held by a community rather than carried alone. There is no pressure to fill the day — simply the invitation to rest, to pray, and to be renewed alongside others seeking the same. Whether you are coming for a few days of quiet, a family week, a parish weekend away, or a private retreat with your own prayer group, this Christian retreat house, Argyll, offers a genuinely restorative base among Scotland’s lochs and glens.

Perfect for:

• Clergy and church workers seeking a settled rhythm of prayer away from the pace of ministry
• Family weeks, personal retreats, or a private retreat with your parish or prayer group (sleeps 10+)
• Young adults exploring a longer season of prayer and mission through the Mission House programme
• Walkers on St Conan’s Pilgrim Way, or anyone seeking a quiet base among Argyll’s lochs and mountains
• Groups wanting a fully catered retreat, with daily Mass, Adoration and Praise and Worship on site