Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
Mull of Kintyre Music Festival
(
01586-551053;
www.mokfest.com
)
, held in
Campbeltown in late August, is a popular event featuring traditional Scottish and Irish
music.
Opened in 2009, the nearby Machrihanish Dunes (
Click here
)
golf resort has won ac-
colades around the world for the quality of its two golf courses and associated hotels.
Ma-
chrihanish Bay
, accessible from a car park on the A83, 5 miles northwest of Camp-
beltown, has a 3-mile-long sandy beach that is popular with surfers and windsurfers.
Getting There & Away
AirLoganair/FlyBe
(
www.loganair.co.uk
)
operates two flights daily, Monday to Friday,
from Glasgow to Campbeltown (£51, 35 minutes).
BoatKintyre Express
(
01856-555895;
www.kintyreexpress.com
)
operates a small,
high-speed passenger ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland (£35
one way, two hours, three daily May to September, two weekly October to April). Tickets
must be booked in advance.
BusScottish Citylink
(
www.citylink.co.uk
)
buses run from Campbeltown to Glasgow
(£18.50, four hours, three daily) via Tarbert, Inveraray, Arrochar and Loch Lomond. It
also runs to Oban (£19, four hours, three daily), changing at Inveraray.
MULL OF KINTYRE
A narrow winding road, about 18 miles long, leads south from Campbeltown to the
Mull
of Kintyre
, passing some good
sandy beaches
near Southend. The name of this remote
headland was immortalised in Paul McCartney's famous song - the former Beatle owns a
farmhouse in the area. A
lighthouse
marks the spot closest to Northern Ireland, the coast-
line of which, only 12 miles away, is visible across the North Channel.
Isle of Islay
POP 3400
The most southerly island of the Inner Hebrides, Islay (
eye
-lah) is best known for its
single malt whiskies, which have a distinctive smoky flavour. There are eight working dis-
tilleries here, all of which welcome visitors and offer guided tours.
Islay's whisky industry contributes approximately £480 million a year to the govern-
ment in excise duty; that's about £140,000 for every man, woman and child on the island.
Little wonder that the islanders complain about lack of government investment in the area.
