Kintyre Way

Argyll and Bute

More island than mainland, the unexplored Kintyre Peninsula of Argyll and Bute boasts hidden coves, deserted beaches along the wild atlantic coast, tiny fishing communities, and gentle hills.

Launched in late summer 2006 and stretching from Tarbert at the North end of the peninsula to Southend in the South, the waymarked Kintyre Way criss-crosses the peninsula. Information is available on the route's website and this has route details and maps to download and contacts plus accommodation and transport. There is a free leaflet/route map. A guidebook came out in late 2007.

The entire walk is 103 miles including all alternative options and approximately 89 miles as a direct route, with 4 to 7 days worth of walking. Additional spurs link to Bellochuntuy and Peninver. Most of the trail is on forestry land with the road making up the connections, plus two interesting beach sections.

The bulbous end of Kintyre features some of the most spectacular scenery on the peninsula and includes the famous Mull of Kintyre, just off the route but accessible, the nearest Britain gets to Ireland, just 12 miles away. The east coast is gentler than the west, sheltered from Atlantic winds and in parts strikingly beautiful with stunning views across to Arran. The west coast of the Kintyre peninsula ranks among the most exposed stretches of coastline and has a mixture of rocky shoreline and deserted sandy beaches pounded by Atlantic breakers

Local bus services run back to the start from the finish, first to Campbeltown and then a bus to Glasgow leaves Campbeltown, passing through Tarbert, three times a day.

The route is shown on OS Explorer mapping and Landranger maps as below, but note that pre-2008 editions of Explorer map 356 (Kintyre South) show some incorrect routing between Campbeltown and Machrihanish and between Ballygroggan and Southend. If using Explorer 356, please ensure it is February 2008 or later edition (A1/). Please note Amazon do not yet sell this edition (as at October 2008).

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Details:

Path Type:	Scotland's Great Trails
Waymark:	Blue posts with the Kintyre Way logo
Attributes:	Scotland's Great Trails Challenging Coastal Forest/Woodland Moorland
Start:	NR863686 - Tarbert harbour, Argyll and Bute
Finish:	NR638207 - Machrihanish, Argyll and Bute
Open Date:	2006
Web Sites:	Undiscovered Scotland - Specific Walks Walk Highlands - Scotland's Long Distance Walking Routes Scotland's Great Trails Kintyre Way photo highlights (Youtube)

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook

Kintyre Way  (Rucksack Readers  - 2015 )

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