Introduction
This is the third of seven posts covering our Island-Hopping Whisky Trail trip in August/September 2021.
| 2 | Isle of Arran |
| 3 | Kintyre Peninsula |
| 4 | Isle of Islay |
Kintyre is the long, relatively narrow peninsula lying to the west of Arran, beginning at the village of Tarbert on Loch Fyne. The principal settlement is Campbeltown (population 4,600). For a mainland town lying further south than the Central Belt, Campbeltown is astonishingly remote: the drive from Glasgow covers 138 miles and takes more than 3hrs. (Compare with Glasgow-Carlisle: just under 100 miles, taking 1hr40mins.)
Arrival
We travelled to Kintyre on the small Lochranza – Claonaig ferry. In the ‘Year of the Staycation’, demand was too great for the sailing that we were aiming for, and we had to wait around while MV Catriona made the crossing without us and returned. Once on the peninsula, we headed down the narrow east-coast road towards Campbeltown.
Accommodation
Our stop in Campbeltown was another 1-night stay and we hit the jackpot by having chosen the truly wonderful Gowanlea B&B. Booking the Arran Suite got us two separate bedrooms, our own large bathroom and our own spacious lounge, all located in an attractive heritage building. Fabulous hospitality was provided by friendly hosts John and David, which included generous provision of snacks and little treats. Breakfast was excellent, although I chose to restrict my intake following the previous day’s fry-up!
Springbank Distillery
After settling into Glengowan, we had a tour booked at Springbank Distillery, one of three remaining in the town that was once recognised as the whisky capital of the world, with over 30 distilleries. Springbank produces three different single malts, covering both peated and unpeated varieties. Springbank is the only distillery in Scotland to carry out every step of the production process on-site, including bottling. We both enjoyed the highly informative tour, covering the five classic stages of malting, mashing, fermentation, distillation and maturation – and of course the (off-site) tasting that followed!
Campbeltown
Following the excellent distillery tour, we took the opportunity to have a look around the rest of Campbeltown town centre.
Mull of Kintyre
The name ‘Mull of Kintyre’ refers to the southwestern tip of the peninsula, from where the Antrim coast and Rathlin Island – both in Northern Ireland – are clearly visible in decent weather. Mull of Kintyre, of course, was also the name of a hugely successful Paul McCartney / Wings song in 1977. The next day, after checking out of the B&B, we drove the narrow, twisty road until it fizzled out on the cliff top. We then completed the descent to the lighthouse on foot – a substantial vertical drop in elevation.
In a reversal of the usual phrase, it then became a case of what goes down must come back up. That climb was the second most demanding physical task I’ve ever tackled. (I once walked down to the base of the Grand Canyon and back out in a single day, but that was a long time ago!)
Tarbert
‘Tarbert’, together with variations thereof, turns up quite frequently on the map of Scotland. The name means ‘carry across’ and refers to narrow strips of land separating two bodies of water, where boats once needed to be lifted out of the water and carried from one side to the other. In this case, a three-mile isthmus connects West Loch Tarbert and East Loch Tarbert, the latter being an inlet of Loch Fyne. It also marks the point where Kintyre meets the rest of Argyll.
We arrived at Kennacraig a bit too early for our ferry to Islay and took the opportunity to visit the fishing village of Tarbert on what had become a gloriously sunny afternoon.
