Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 101

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The course layout, including the tee and green positions, is dictated solely by the lay
of the land.

Seabird observatory
Uisead Point • April-Oct daily • Free • T 07919 660292, W machrihanishbirdobservatory.org.uk
Fifteen minutes' walk west of Machrihanish, at Uisaed Point, is a tiny seabird observatory ,
which is best visited in the migration periods, when it provides a welcome shelter for
ornithologists trying to spot a rare bird blown off-course. Over two hundred species have
been recorded here, including some very rare birds, like Sabine's Gull and Balearic
Shearwater. There's a very good chance of seeing lots of ocean-going wildlife too, such as
otters, grey seals and basking sharks.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING MACHRIHANISH AND AROUND

Machrihanish Holiday Park Machrihanish Village
T 01586 810366, W campkintyre.co.uk. Superbly located
next to the fairways and with direct sea views, this large,
fully equipped family-run campsite has a terrific mix of
caravan and tent space, as well as heat ed w ooden wigwams
and full y fitted bell l ten ts. March-Oct. £14 /pitch; wigwams
£32.50 ; bell tents £50
Old Clubhouse Pub Machrihanish Village T 01586
810000. Overlooking the first tee, the erstwhile clubhouse
is now the very agreeable village pub, frequented by
golfers and locals alike, which means it's not nearly as
pretentious as it might be. Good bar food and decent ales.

Daily 11am-11pm.
The Putechan Bellochantuy T 01586 421323,
W theputechan.co.uk. Located in a roadside hamlet some
nine miles from Campbeltown on the A83, this former
hunting lodge is now a tip-top restaurant with a cool
interior of charcoal-grey painted walls and carpets, and
gorgeous, bespoke wooden tables. The food is similarly
impressive, from the likes of smoked haddock Mornay, to
monkfish wrapped in Parma ham (£17.95). You're best off
making a reservation, and when you do, request a window
table as the sea views are fantastic. Daily noon-10pm.

Campbeltown
CAMPBELTOWN is best feature is its setting, in a deep bay sheltered by Davaar Island
and the surrounding hills. With a population of around five thousand, it is also
one of the largest towns in Argyll and, if you're staying in the southern half of
Kintyre, you may need to come here to stock up on supplies. Originally known
as Kinlochkilkerran ( Ceann Loch Cill Chiaran ), the town was renamed in the
seventeenth century by the Earl of Argyll - a Campbell - when it became one of
the main points for immigration from the Lowlands. As is evident from the
architecture, Campbeltown's heyday was the Victorian era, when shipbuilding was
going strong, coal was shipped by canal from Drumlemble, there was a light-railway
connection with Machrihanish, the fishing fleet was vast and Campbeltown Loch
was said to be made of whisky. Nineteenth-century visitors to Campbeltown
frequently found the place engulfed in a thick fog of pungent peat smoke from the
town's 34 distilleries - today, only a handful are left to maintain this regional
subgroup of single malt whiskies.
If you're here in the middle of August, be prepared for the Mull of Kintyre Music & Arts
Festival ( W mokfest.com), which pulls in a few old rock bands, plus some good
traditional Irish and Scottish performers.

Springbank distillery
55 Longrow; sign up at Cadenhead's whisky shop at 30-32 Union St • Mon-Sat 10am & 2pm • £6.50 • T 01586 551710,
W springbankwhisky.com
If you're at all interested in whisky, pop into Cadenhead's whisky shop, where you can
sign up for a guided tour of the nearby Springbank distillery , a deeply traditional,
family-owned business that does absolutely everything - from malting to bottling - on
its own premises, and produces three different single malts.