Kintyre is a unique peninsula with everything from hidden sandy beaches, perfect walking countryside, hot summer months and clear waters for swimming, activities and sports centres to museums and distilleries.

Aquilibrium

Just along from Campbeltown harbour is the Aquilibrium, Campbeltown's indoor swimming pool and fitness center. The Aquilibrium offers modern health and fitness facilities with an impressive range of equipment and health classes focusing on different areas of fitness, and age groups too.

The courses are run by level 2 and 3 fitness instructors including cardio workouts and over 60's classes and memberships from £20.70 per month for an adult its good value for money.

For more information please visit the Argyll & Bute Council Information page here >>>

Campbeltown Cross

A 14th Century medievel stone carved cross is situated at the center of the roundabout marking the centre of Campbeltown. It is quite a prominant and noticeable symbol and is quite detailed.

Campbeltown Heritage Centre

The Campbeltown Heritage Centre (open from April to September) contains artifacts, and old items of significance to the town, including an old fishing skiff.

Campbeltown Museum & Library

Campbeltown Museum and Library offers a quiet place to spend some time, reflecting on the history of the town, aswell as having a huge amount of archived material such as newspapers and books about an all manner of subjects from Campbeltown and Kintyre's past.

Linda McCartney Memorial Garden

At the rear of the Museam and Library building is the memorial garden, in tribute to Linda McCartney, the late wife of Sir Paul McCartney, who as far as we know still owns land and property near Campbeltown where the couple used to live with their family.

Davaar Island

At low tide, you can walk along a mile of pebble 'pathway' from Campbeltown to Davaar Island where there is a locally famous painting of the Crucifixion painted by Archibald MacKinnon in 1887. The cave that contains the painting is on the south side of the island. Althugh he painting was subject to an attack of vandalism in recent years by an overpainting, the original work has been restored and can be seen probably better than before.

Please consult the Campbeltown Tourist Information Centre before you attempt to cross to the island, as tides vary and there is nowhere to stay on the tiny island, so you do not want to be on there for too long. The approximate time you have between low tide and returning tide is 6 hours, once again please make sure that you consult the Campbeltown tourist Information Centre for the accurate times.

Scottish Owl Centre

Open April to October, and only five minutes walk from the centre of Campbeltown, the Scottish Owl Centre is a super place to see a range of these wonderful, and rarely seen birds. Flying displays are daily. You can also see the world's largest owl - the Eurasian Owl.

Springbank Whisky

The family owned Springbank Distillery is fairly unique in that it malts and bottles whisky at the same location, it is normal for this to be done separately. Springbank produces a fine malt, and offers guided tours of its premises and processes subject to numbers and advanced booking. Springbank gives generously to local charities and is an essential part of the local economy and industry. Visit their web site for more information.

Wee Picture House

The Art Deco building opposite the harbour is the location of the only cinema in Campbeltown. The old style seating and compact nature of the cinema is of great character and would be of great interest to connoiseurs of the film and cinema industry.

The building was built in 1913 and is still used today, with all the latest blockbuster films shown throughout the week, although you might have to wait a few weeks for the most recent releases, if you want to catch a film and are a nostaligic cinema goer then the Wee Picture House can pass away a few hours.

Columbas Footprints

A few miles south of Campbeltown, at a place called Southend, just past Dunaverty Golf Course is a section of stunning coastline with superb views across a great expanse, plus a short wall of cliffs overlooking a small walled cemetary, a place of serenity and quietness. Further along to the north are the ruins of a 13th Century chapel, almost appearing connected to a house. I am unsure of access to this and the grouns, but it would appear to be private property (although it is easily seen from the road and certainly easy to photograph).

Nearby the cemetary, just to its immediate south are Columbas Footprints, although only one is of natural and historic origin. The footprint in the stone marks the landing point of St Columba in Scotland, on his religious journey through Scotland on his trip to Iona, one of Scotland's small north-westerley islands.

Dunaverty Rock

Walking through part of the Dunaverty Golf Course on a public footpath you can access both a fantastic section of sandy beach but also the eerie historic Dunaverty Rock.

Dunaverty Rock, a large piece of grass topped rock that protrudes from the coastline in an unusual shape, is the site of a local bloody massacre where it is understood that 300 people were massacred by forces commanded by the Earo Of Argyll in 1647 despite having already surrendered to the Earl's army at that time.

Alike many of Scotlands historic battle sites, or sites of significant bloodshed you can feel something at these sites and easy to acknowledge that something happened even if you were blissfully unaware of such an event taking place.

Mull Of Kintyre Lighthouse

Passing through Campbeltown and towards Southend follow the signs for the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse before you reach Dunaverty on the right hand side of the road only a few miles south of the Wee Toon. The journey to the Lighthouse is an adventure to say the least, but be warned once you head on to the single track roads, you will reach a gate and then have round 5 miles to drive along a worn single track road close to acute hillsides with steep drops, so if your not a confident driver then you may want to leave this bit out. Passing places are few between, and once you have travelled by car as far as the car park, you still have a healthy mile or two to walk to get to the Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse itself.

The hills above the Mull of Kintyre Lighthouse is also the site of the famous but also tragic Chinook helicopter crash where some of britains top military personnel were killed. You can see the area which would have been on fire at that time, and surprisingly I could smell the essence of burning. It also feels cold, desolate and slightly barren.

The lighthouse can be seen from the area where the monument marks the crash site and has superb views across the water to the northern shore of Ireland, and across the stunning landscape at the very Mull of Kintyre.

Sanda Island

The remains of St Ninian's chapel is one thing that might attract you to the Island of Sanda, off of the south Kintyre coast, but there are also ancient crosses, a holy well and an array of birds that you are unlikely to see in most other locations such as the wonderfully colourful Puffin. There is a bird observatory on the island.

The island has its own pub, named after the Byron Darnton, a large ocean going vessel that was wrecked on Sanda back in 1946. Accommodation is available on the island, both self catering cottages and also bed and breakfast.

For a unique break, away from the stresses of modern and urban life and a different life experience, Sanda might just be the ticket.

For more information please visit the web site for Sanda Island at www.sanda-island.co.uk.

Dunaverty Golf Club

Dunaverty is another popular links course, not quite as high quality as Machrihanish, but is more than a match for any municipal course in the country and will give alot of other high quality courses a run for your green fees.

Whilst Machrihanish Golf Course overlooks Machrihanish Bay on the western side, Dunaverty overlooks the south-easterly shore, with a stunning golden beach to the south of the course as you walk along the front nine (mid holes) and the course follows the undulations of the terrain with a superb high tee shot with great views across the course and a great place to pause and take in the great panorama.

Membership is cost effective too and worth every penny, one of two course that you should play here in Kintyre, you would be a fool not to!

Machrihanish Golf Club

If you havn't heard of Machrihanish Golf Club then you are not a real golfer. Machrihanish is one of, if not the best Links Golf Course in britain. Its quiet location away from the rest of the world, and the stunning climate and vista from the tees combined with the condition of the natural course is of huge appeal. The 18 hole championship course is largely of natural composition following the undulations of the natural terrain. Some of the world's greatest courses, in fact the majority of all golf courses worlwide are man made, or man constructed, where as Machrihanish is largely shaped by the land and the location to great effect. What can beat a relaxing game of links golf as the sun sets on the horizon, before a local whisky and a short walk to some fine seaview accommodation?

Membership is affordable too, with friendly members, and a good club atmosphere, there is also a Ladies club, and a shorter 9 hole Pans course popular with the ladies and juniors.

For more information please visit the Machrihanish Golf Club web site at www.machgolf.com.