17 Family Friendly Things To Do On The Kintyre 66
I’ve wanted to visit Kintyre for years, but for some reason I always seemed to be too busy. After spending time exploring the best family friendly things to do on the Kintyre 66, I wish I hadn’t left it so long! Somehow, this elongated peninsula in Argyll still flies under the radar, even though it’s absolutely packed with activities.
I found ancient history with standing stones, ruined forts and mysterious footprints. There were stunning castles where clans once battled it out beside the sea. Beautiful beaches with views to the mountains were just waiting to be walked. On top of all of that, there was plenty of delicious food and drink to keep my going.
No matter what it is that interests you, there’s plenty to keep you busy on a family friendly Kintyre 66 trip!
This trip was part of a campaign with Wild About Argyll but all words and opinions are mine alone.
What Is The Kintyre 66?
Stretching around the perimeter of the peninsula, the Kintyre 66 is a 66-mile driving route. There are six distinct sections to explore, all of them with their own highlights and opportunities. This isn’t something to try and speed round as quickly as possible, you’ll want to take your time.
I spent two days driving the Kintyre 66, but wish I’d had far longer. The route is purely a guide, spend 1 day in a specific area or take a week and really explore the whole peninsula. You’ll find that the shorter distance makes it far more flexible than the lengthy, crowded NC500 route!
There are a few different ways for you to get to the Kintyre 66. For full freedom to explore the route, most visitors to Kintyre will drive there. It takes around 2.5 hours from Glasgow or 3 hours from Edinburgh, driving along the shore of Loch Fyne to reach the start of the route.
For those looking to arrive with public transport, the 926 Bus reaches Campbeltown from Glasgow. Once there, you might want to hire a car or bike if you want to explore the Kintyre 66 outside of the town.
Take In Tarbert Castle
Start your Kintyre 66 roadtrip at the port village of Tarbert. You’ll find plenty of independent shops and cafes here, but the real draw is up the hill at Tarbert Castle. It was once an important royal fortress guarding a strategic crossing, not across the water but across the land.
The clue is in the name, Tarbert means a strip of land between two bodies of water, narrow enough to portage a boat across. It comes from Old Irish, literally “drag boat” and there’s at least a dozen similar placenames around Scotland. Crossing the mile long stretch Tarbert saved sailors a treacherous journey around the length of Kintyre.
At the end of the 11th century, the Norse King Magnus Barelegs signed a treaty with the King of Scots, signing over all the islands off Scotland’s west coast. Not happy with the traditional islands, Magnus wanted Kintyre as well. His ship sailed around the long peninsula until he came to Tarbert, where his men dragged it out of the water and across to the loch on the other side.
He declared that since he had sailed all the way around, then Kintyre must be an island. Even today, the peninsula has that island feel, although without the fear of missing a ferry! Take in the beautiful views across the harbour before beginning your journey south.
Walk The Sands Of Saddell Bay
While Kintyre has been a bit of a hidden gem for a long time, there’s one group of people who have always visited the area. Those are fans of Paul McCartney and the song Mull of Kintyre! That’s why one of the top things to do in Kintyre is take a walk on the sandy beach used in the music video!
Even for those who aren’t fans of the song, this is a great place for families to wander the golden sands. The impressive 16th century Saddell Castle watches over the bay, although it was covered in scaffolding during my visit. This replaced an earlier fortress that hosted iconic characters like Angus Og MacDonald, Robert the Bruce and the warlord Somerled!
If you spot a strange character standing quietly on the rocks at Saddell, don’t be scared! That’s just Grip, a statue created by Antony Gormley to commemorate the Landmark Trust’s 50th anniversary. Be very careful climbing about those rocks, they can be very slippery when wet.
Discover Saddell Abbey’s Secrets
Nearby, Saddell Abbey is almost 900 years old and it’s definitely looking its age! Once an impressive church complex founded by Somerled, it now stands as a ruin with most of the stone robbed for the castle. However, there’s a very good reason that this is one of the best family friendly things to do on the Kintyre 66!
In a modern shelter, rows of incredible, life sized West Highland Effigies stand at attention. These carved soldiers with swords and spears in hand date from the 14th to 16th centuries. It shows the warrior culture that existed right across Argyll and are the perfect thing to get kids imaginations running wild!
Clamber Into Kildonan Dun
While 900 years sounds like a long time, Kintyre’s history goes even further back than that! Park up at the Ballochgair Forestry car park, head across the road and you’ll find a wee gate leading to Kildonan Dun. This fort amongst the ferns is around 2000 years old!
It’s very similar to the Brochs you find further north and west and amazing that so much of the drystone walls remain. The views out across the Kilbrannan Sound to Arran are spectacular and there are two more Iron Age forts in sight along the coast. Clearly, this stretch of the Kintyre 66 was a fertile enough place to support such a large population!
Spend Time In Campbeltown
The main town to visit in Kintyre is Campbeltown, a hub for the area with lots to keep you busy. Visit Campbeltown Heritage Centre before following a trail around town with my personal highlight being the old Market Cross. When you visit, see if you can spot the Mermaid hiding at the top of the interwoven Celtic pattern!
One of the quieter corners of Campbeltown is the Linda McCartney Memorial Garden. It’s a peaceful oasis in the town, dedicated to a woman who did a lot of good charity work for the local area. Kintyre was where Paul and Linda retreated to as an escape from the frantic side of life.
For another great family friendly Kintyre activity, grab a film at the Campbeltown Picture House. It’s the oldest running cinema in Scotland and an important part of the local community. The perfect place to visit on a rainy day or if you’re in need of a break from running around.
If you’re worried about getting tired legs exploring, you can pick up some wheels at Kintyre E-Bike Hire! They’ve got sizes for all the family and are great for either exploring the town or heading further afield onto some of the forest tracks around the peninsula!
Walk To Kilchousland
In a corner of Campbeltown, where the old shipyard once stood, there’s a brand new path for visitors to follow. It leads directly to the 12th-century Kilchousland Chapel, dedicated to St Constantine. The views out across Campbeltown Loch to Davaar Island are fantastic and you’re unlikely to find many others there.
It’s so new that there’s no website or walking guide, but the path is well made and easy to follow. Just park here and it’s around 2 miles in each direction. This would be the perfect place to try out those bikes!
Tour Glen Scotia Distillery
Whisky lovers might recognise the name Campbeltown, it’s one of five whisky regions. There are few places more important to the history of Scottish whisky than the Wee Toon. Back in Victorian times, the town was known as Whiskyopolis due to the numerous distilleries shipping spirit across to Glasgow.
Once there were over 30 distilleries in Campbeltown, now there are only three. It’s a slice of true whisky history so of all the things to do in Kintyre, a trip to one of the remaining distilleries is a must. I was talked through the historic processes of Glen Scotia on a tour that allows children to accompany adults for free!
Founded in 1832 and led today by Iain McAlister, the team at Glen Scotia follow the same traditions passed down for almost 200 years. The result is a delicious, iconic Campbeltown whisky with a distinctly maritime flavour. There can’t be many better places to taste that than their historic dunnage warehouse!
Walk To Mull of Kintyre
It would be remiss not to mention the most famous attraction on the Kintyre 66. At the far south of the peninsula, you can what’s known as the Mull of Kintyre. Geographically, that means the furthest south part of the headland but most people know it for the iconic lighthouse.
It was built in 1788 as one of the first constructed by the Lighthouse commission and in one of the most difficult locations. Sailing near the Mull of Kintyre was a treacherous undertaking and in 1782, wild storms wrecked two ships on the rocks. The light was deemed necessary to save any further loss of life.
It’s worth noting that the walk down to the lighthouse isn’t an easy one for little legs. The distance is only 2.5miles there and back, but it’s a very steep track. Unfortunately, the road is only for use by those staying in the lighthouse cottages!
Follow In St Columba’s Footsteps
A much more accessible and very family friendly thing to do in Kintyre isn’t far away. Overlooking the coast at Southend, two footprints mark the spot where Columba first landed in Scotland. When the famous saint landed here, he realised he could still see his homeland of Ireland. He was forced to carry on travelling until eventually founding his new monastery at Iona!
Only one of these is ancient and may have been used for coronations of Gaelic Kings, just like the more famous footprint at Dunadd Fort. The other footprint was added by a local mason in the 1800s. Interestingly, he carved the wrong date into the rock at 564AD!
Climb Dunaverty Rock
Looming over Southend’s sandy beach stands Dunaverty Rock, a stronghold with a long, often dark history. For centuries, a MacDonald castle stood on the rock although very little of it remains now. Fortunately, this giant rock doesn’t need any structures on top to look impressive!
It was clearly a natural fortress, easily supplied from the sea and perfectly placed to reach mainland Scotland, the islands or even across to Ireland. Dunaverty Rock’s history is incredible bloody, but the darkest chapter came in 1647.
During the War of the Three Kingdoms, Dunaverty was attacked by a Covenanter army led by David Leslie. A few hundred Royalists, led by the MacDonalds were barricaded inside. With their water running low, the garrison of Dunaverty surrendered, being offered fair terms by the attackers.
Once outside the castle walls, those terms were ignored and the almost every single person who had surrendered was massacred! It might be a beautiful place to visit, but that’s maybe not a story to tell the kids…
Get To The Best Beaches In Kintyre!
If there’s one family friendly thing that the Kintyre 66 has in abundance, it’s beautiful beaches! You’re spoiled for choice no matter where you are around the peninsula, but here are a selection of the best:
- Dunaverty Bay
- Saddell Bay
- Carradale Bay
- Westport Beach
- Machrihanish Beach
Lookout At Machrihanish Bird Observatory
For a fascinating and educational family friendly thing to do in Kintyre, a visit to Machrihanish Bird Observatory is perfect. It’s a tiny little hut perched on the rocks offering an amazing wildlife experience. Protected from the weather, you can sit in here and spot a whole host of seabirds.
With sets of binoculars inside and pictures of the most common species on the walls, anybody can pick out gannets, gulls or cormorants. Even if you aren’t a budding ornithologist, the views from here are fantastic. There’s a small parking area right outside although if you walk from Machrihanish Bay, there’s a good chance you’ll see seals on the rocks!
Feed The Beachmore Alpacas
We have a lot of interesting wildlife in Scotland, but you might not expect to find Alpacas as you drive the Kintyre 66 route! A small herd of these happy animals can be found munching away in a field beside the main road. Get in touch with Beachmore Alpacas for the chance to walk and feed them!
Wonder At The Ballochroy Standing Stones
Every region in Scotland needs some standing stones and Kintyre is no exception! Tucked away up a farm track, the three Ballochroy Stones stand silently amongst the sheep. Unusually, they all stand parallel to each other in a row – not something I’ve seen before.
Like all Scottish standing stones, we don’t know exactly why they were erected around 4000 years ago. A leading theory is that these were astronomical clocks, marking the changing of the seasons. The stones do almost line up with the three Paps of Jura, so maybe they’re linked in some way!
Scale Skipness Castle
One of the main reasons I wanted to drive the Kintyre 66 was to visit Skipness Castle. It’s not just one of the best castles in Kintyre, but it’s one of the greatest in all of Argyll. Any keen castle hunters like me will know that’s high praise!
Built in the 1200s by Clan Macsween, it once guarded access to the Kilbrannan Sound. If you climb to the top of the internal stairs, then the views across that water to Arran are amazing! Unfortunately for the Macsweens, they fought against the King of Scots in 1263 and lost Skipness to the MacDonalds!
They transformed Skipness, building a huge curtain wall, full of arrow slits to see off unwanted guests. A couple hundred years later and the MacDonalds then lost the castle to the Campbells who made their own mark. The tower house we see today is mostly thanks to them.
It really is the perfect family friendly thing to do in Kintyre, with something for history buffs, scenery lovers or children who want to let their imagination run wild. I know that I’ll definitely be back before long!
Enrol In The Kintyre Gin School
A visit to Kintyre isn’t just about history, scenery and wildlife – there are other kinds of fun to have here! At Torrisdale Castle Estate, the Beinn an Tuirc gin distillery is a great addition to any itinerary. Enjoy a child friendly distillery tour or even enrol into the Gin School to make your own version!
Don’t worry if you’re looking for an alcohol-free activity! You can take a tour around Torrisdale Castle Estate to learn the history or discover some of the local wildlife. After all of that, there’s a fantastic wee cafe to catch your breath in!
Head Over To The Isle of Gigha
There’s one important thing to do on the Kintyre 66 that I’ve not managed to experience yet – a visit to Gigha. This wee island is just a short ferry ride away from the peninsula and is entirely community owned! Although I haven’t managed to visit myself, I’ll be fixing that at the first available opportunity. If you beat me there, make sure to leave a comment below!
Where To Eat On The Kintyre 66
There’s no shortage of great places to eat along the Kintyre 66. Here were some of my favourites for both lunch and dinner!
Ardshiel Hotel – Found in Campbeltown, the Ardshiel Hotel does great lunches as well as a full dinner menu.
Glenbarr Stores – On the west side of Kintyre, Glenbarr Stores do a brilliant lunch menu and their shop stocks plenty of local produce and crafts!
Muneroy Tearoom – There might well be nothing better on this earth than a brownie from Muneroy Tearoom…
Skipness Seafood Cabin – There’s not much better than enjoying fresh seafood with outstanding views.
Carradales Guesthouse – In Carradale, this beautiful guesthouse is open for non-residents to enjoy what tastes like Michelin star dining!
Where To Stay On The Kintyre 66
The beauty of driving the Kintyre 66 is that it’s only 66 miles long, meaning you can stay anywhere along the route and be in easy reach of everywhere else! On my trip, I stayed in two very different places, both with their own charms.
First up was Carradales Luxury Guesthouse and they aren’t joking about the luxury! It’s a beautifully decorated Victorian building, with comfortable en-suite bedrooms. Run by the nicest possible couple, I couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay. Make sure you have plenty of room for a delicious cooked dinner here!
My other accommodation was in one of the bothies at Torrisdale Castle Estate. They have a range of self-catering options to choose between, sleeping either two guests or six. It’s as peaceful a spot as you could imagine as the sun goes down, with great views to enjoy with a cup of morning coffee!
If all of these things to do on the Kintyre 66 have caught your interest, how about visiting on a Scotland’s Stories Tour?
Just click this link to make an enquiry and book your private driving tour today!
0 Comments