Campbeltown travel guide

If the weather’s good, it’s worth taking a walk up to Beinn Ghulean, which overlooks the town and loch. Follow the signs for the A83 to Machrihanish until you reach Witchburn Road. After passing the creamery on your left, turn left into Tomaig Road and continue until you come to a wooden gate. Cross over the stile and follow the track through the fields, crossing two more stiles, before you reach the Forest Enterprise sign which marks the start of the walk. It’s about 4 miles there and back from the end of Tomaig Road.

One of the most popular day trips is to the uninhabited Davaar Island, connected to the peninsula by a tidal breakwater. Here you can see the cave painting of the Crucifixion, completed in secret by a local artist in 1877. The island can be visited at low tide from Kildalloig Point, a couple of miles east of town. Check tide times at the tourist office before setting out.

It’s only a short drive south from Campbeltown to the tip of the peninsula, the Mull of Kintyre. There’s nothing much to see in this bleak, storm-battered place, apart from the coast of Ireland, a mere 12 miles away and clearly visible on a good day. The road out to the lighthouse, built in 1788 and remodelled by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of Robert Louis, is both twisty and spectacular. Above the lighthouse is a small poignant cairn in memory to military personnel killed when their helicopter crashed in bad weather almost a decade ago on the remote hillside. It’s possible to walk from here up to Machrihanish (about 10 miles), past the ruined township of Balmavicar and the Largiebaan Bird Reserve. The views are great and there’s a chance of seeing golden eagles.

The southernmost village on Kintyre is Southend, a bleak, windswept place with a wide sandy beach. At the east end of the beach, jutting out on a rocky promontory, are the scant remains of Dunaverty Castle, once a MacDonald stronghold, where 300 Royalists were brutally massacred in 1647 by the Covenanting army of the Earl of Argyll, despite having already surrendered. To the west of Southend, below the cliffs, is the ruined 13th-century Keil Chapel, which is said to mark the spot where St Columba first set foot on Scottish soil, before heading north to Iona. Close by is a pair of footprints carved into the rock, known as Columba’s footprints.

The slow and winding single track B842 meanders up the east coast from Campbeltown to Skipness and Claonaig, departure point for the ferry to Arran . The scenery en route is gentle and pleasant, with nice views of Arran, and there are some worthwhile places to stop.

Ten miles up the coast are the idyllic ruins of Saddell Abbey, a Cistercian establishment founded by Somerled in 1160. The abbey fell into ruin in the early 16th century and much of the stone was used in the building of 18th-century Saddell Castle for the Bishop of Argyll. Though little remains, there are some impressive medieval grave slabs, depicting knights, monks, ships, animals and other images.

A few miles further north is the village of Carradale, the only place of any size on the east coast, nestling in the sandy sweep of beautiful Carradale Bay. There are several pleasant marked walks through the woods between the B842 and the shore. The shortest of these walks (with green waymarkers) starts from the Network Centre and is a mile long. There’s a 3-mile walk with red waymarkers which starts at the Port Na Storm car park and follows the forest road to the left. After 150 yards the route turns left again at the road junction. A mile further on, you turn right off the road and follow the track up to the summit of Cnoc-nan Gabhor, from where there are great views of Kintyre and across to Arran. A third walk (6 miles; blue waymarkers) also starts from the Port Na Storm car park. This time the route heads right at the junction 150 yards beyond the car park and then runs north along the shore, with a chance of seeing dolphins and basking shark. The path then swings west towards the road, then turns south with views of Carradale Glen.

Twelve miles north of Carradale the B842 ends at Claonaig, which is actually nothing more than a slipway for the ferry to Arran. From here the B8001 heads west to meet the A83 near the Kennacraig ferry pier. A dead-end road runs north for a few miles to the tiny village of Skipness, where you can visit the substantial ruins of the 13th-century Skipness Castle and nearby chapel.

The Cowal Peninsula reaches out into the Firth of Clyde, framed by Loch Fyne and Loch Long. This is the most visited part of Argyll due to its proximity to Glasgow, but, despite the summer hordes, many of whom come for the Cowal Highland Gathering in late August, much of it is undisturbed. Most people head straight for the rather drab main ferry port and traditional Clyde seaside resort of Dunoon. More adventurous souls enjoy the forests and mountains of Argyll Forest Park in the north or the peace of the southwest coastline....read more