Campbeltown

Getting there

By road After all the twists and turns of the main road A83 to reach Tarbert on Loch Fyne, the last section to Campbeltown is a 37-mile straight run along the west coast. Most motorists and buses follow this route. A scenic route is the B-road along the east coast. This branches off just south of Kennacraig ferry terminal, runs over the moors to Claonaig (for Skipness Castle, and summer ferries to Lochranza on Arran) then south via Carradale, Saddell and Peninver to Campbeltown.

By bus Scottish Citylink Bus 926 runs 4 or 5 times daily from Glasgow Buchanan Street to Campbeltown, taking 4 hours. The route is via Dumbarton, Tarbet on Loch Lomond, Inveraray, Lochgilphead, Tarbert on Loch Fyne, Kennacraig, Tayinloan and Muasdale. One bus a day runs via Glasgow Airport. Booking is recommended, as this is a busy route connecting with several ferries. On school days there are a couple of extra runs by West Coast Bus 449 from Lochgilphead via Tarbert and A83 to Campbeltown. The bus terminus is 200 yards north of the ferry pier.

By plane 1 Campbeltown Airport (CAL IATA), PA28 6NU (4 miles west of town). Two Loganair flights M-F and one on Sunday from Glasgow GLA take 45 min. The terminal is tiny, check-in here an hour before flight will be plenty. Car hire (pre-booking essential) is available from Kintyre Hire or Campbeltown Motor Company - see "Get around" for these and taxis. There's no bus service to the airport. (updated May 2023)

By boat The Calmac ferry from Ardrossan was axed in 2025. Kintyre Express is a foot-passenger ferry to Ballycastle in Northern Ireland, sailing April, May and Sep F-M, June-Aug daily. It leaves Campbeltown at 7:30AM, taking 90 min and returning at 4:30PM, so a day trip is possible. There's no car ferry between Kintyre and Ireland. With a vehicle you have to wind all the way back through Tarbert, Inveraray, Loch Lomond and Glasgow to sail from Cairnryan near Stranraer. 2 Campbeltown ferry terminal is at the head of the loch, 20

Getting around

Bus: West Coast Motors run local buses around Campbeltown M-Sat; nothing on Sunday or late evening. Bus 100 / 440 loops around town every half hour, as far south as the hospital and Ralston Rd, and as far north as Calton Ave. Bus 200 / 442 runs every couple of hours west along B843 to Machrihanish. It doesn't serve the airport further north. Bus 300 / 445 runs 4 or 5 times up the east coast from Campbeltown via Peninver, Saddell and Torrisdale to Carradale. Bus 400 / 444 runs 5 or 6 times to Southend, from where it's a 5-mile walk (8-km) to the Mull of Kintyre. Car hire: Kintyre Hire +44 1586 554480 or [email protected]; Campbeltown Motor Company +44 1586 552 030 or [email protected]. Taxis (all serving the airport) are Fona Taxis +44 1586 554001 or free phone +44 800 666 666; Roy’s Taxis +44 1586 554 625; Tavi’s Taxis +44 1586 551122 and Kintyre Connect Minibus +44 7825 091 502 or +44 7984 634 824.

See

Campbeltown Museum, St John St PA28 6BY (by harbour). M–F 9AM-noon. Museum of local history in a fine late Victorian building designed by John James Burnet. The Linda McCartney (1941-1998) memorial garden is at the rear. Paul McCartney's song Mull of Kintyre featured the Campbeltown Pipe Band. Donation. (updated May 2023) 1 Heritage Centre, 3 Big Kiln St PA28 6JF, ☏ +44 1586 552775. May-Sep: Tu-F 11AM-4PM. A small museum of local history in the former Gaelic Free Church. They also have family archives. Free. (updated May 2023) 2 Davaar Island is a tidal island in the bay east of town, reached by the Dhorlin shingle causeway at low tide. There's a Stevenson lighthouse, and several caves: a painting of the crucifixion appeared in one in 1887, causing consternation among locals who took it as a sign from God. But "a prophet is without honour in his own country" (Mark 6: 4) and when they learned it was by a local man, Archibald MacKinnon, they ran him out of town. The painting is occasionally vandalised but has been restored. You can see it without a torch, though it's a bit gloomy and damp in there. 3 Mull of Kintyre is the scenic headland at the tip of the peninsula, with cliffs, a lighthouse, and the coast of Northern Ireland only 12 miles away, not much further than is Campbeltown. The mist-wraithed cliffs and ridges have claimed several ships and aircraft; a memorial near the car park commemorates the Chinook helicopter crash of 1994. St Columba (521-597) first landed in Scotland at Southend 5 miles east, but it was too close to his enemies in Ulster and he continued north to Iona. Sanda is the uninhabited islet seen 3 miles south of the Mull. 4 Kilchousland Chapel is the ruin of a 12th century church eroding into the sea. It was abandoned in 1617 but the graveyard continued in use. 5 Kildonan Dun is a sturdy D-shaped hillfort from maybe 1st or 2nd century BC. It was occupied on and off to 1300 AD, then used as a stock pen. 6 Sadell Abbey is the ruin of a Cistercia

Do

1 Campbeltown Picture House, 26 Hall St PA28 6BU (100 yards north of ferry pier), ☏ +44 1586 552101, [email protected]. Scotland's oldest active cinema, built 1913 in Art Nouveau style. Screen 1 the original has 193 seats, Screen 2 is modern with 52 seats. Adult £8.50. (updated May 2023) Visit a distillery. This town used to have 30 distilleries. It now has three producing single malt Scotch whisky, and further north there's a gin distillery. All can be toured. 2 Springbank, 85 Longrow PA28 6EX, ☏ +44 1586 552009. M-Sa 10AM-6PM. Founded in 1828, it produces Springbank (double-distilled, medium peaty), Longrow (double-distilled, very peaty) and Hazelburn (triple-distilled, non peaty) Scotch whiskies. Tours are available four times M-Sa Apr-Oct, fewer Nov-Mar. Tour £12. (updated May 2023) Glengyle distillery next door re-opened in 2004, producing Kilkerran single malt. It's also run by Springbank, see above for tours. Glen Scotia distillery on Dalaruan St, founded 1832, is open M-Sa, contact them for tours. Beinn An Tuirc is a gin distillery opened in 2016. It's next to Torrisdale Castle, 10 miles (16 km) north of Campbeltown, see "Sleep". The shop is open M-Sa 11AM-4PM, Su noon-3PM, contact them for tours. Live Argyll Aqualibrium is the leisure centre, on Kinloch Rd just north of the harbour. It has a gym, swimming pool, fitness classes and sauna. Golf: Machrihanish GC is set among the dunes on the west coast beyond the airport. Dunaverty GC is on the south tip of the Mull. Southend Highland Games are held in that village on Sa 18 July 2026. Kintyre Agricultural Show is probably next held on 7 Aug 2026, tbc. MOKfest is the Mull of Kintyre music festival, with a mixture of traditional, classical and modern styles. The next is 19-23 Aug 2026.

Buy

Tesco Metro is just north of the bus station. It's open M-Sa 7AM-10PM and Su 10AM-6PM.

Eat

Number Forty Two, 42 Main St PA28 6AD (one block back from harbour), ☏ +44 1586 554642. Daily 10AM-11PM. Great place for seafood. (updated May 2023) Bangladesh Tandoori, 24 Bolgam St PA28 6HZ (corner of