The West Coast of Scotland is an area which conforms perfectly to Scotland’s romantic image of a magical seaboard of isolated villages and small ports, and the harbour town of Campbeltown, the unofficial capital of Kintyre, certainly fits this image. Campbeltown is a holiday town and boating centre, and as one of the sunniest places on Scotland’s western coast, it has traded on its tourist charms for a century. The town is a sturdy and typical Highland burgh, and is the home of Scotch whisky, though of the 34 distilleries that helped spur the song about Campbeltown loch and whisky, it now has a very limited production.

To the west of Campbeltown lies Machrihanish, a holiday village with miles and miles of sandy beaches, and the home to one of Scotland’s finest golf courses. To the east of the loch is Davaar Island, famous for the rock cave bearing an El Greco like Crucifixion painting by Alistair Mackinnon from 1887. To the south of Campbeltown, at Southend, is St Columba’s Chapel, with the footprints of the saint who brought Christianity to northern Scotland, etched into the rock. It’s from here he stood and gazed at Ireland. And eight miles further south on the peninsula is the rock extremity of the Mull of Kintyre.

The Kintyre Peninsula has inspiring landscapes, fascinating wildlife, challenging golf courses, miles and miles of sheltered sandy beaches, splendid woodland gardens, fishing and sailing to entice visitors back again and again.