Kintyre

Kintyre (Scottish Gaelic: Cinn Tìre pronounced|kʲiɲˈtʲiːɾʲə) is a peninsula in western Scotland, in the south-west of Argyll and Bute. The region stretches approximately 30 miles (48 km), from the Mull of Kintyre (immortalised in the song of the same name by Paul McCartney) in the south, to East Loch Tarbert in the north. The region immediately north of the peninsula is known as Knapdale.

Geographically, the Kintyre peninsula is long and narrow, at no point more than 11 miles (18 km) from west coast to east coast. The central spine of the peninsula is mostly hilly moorland. The coastal areas and hinterland, however, are rich and fertile. As such, Kintyre has long been a prized area for settlers, from the early Scots who migrated from Ulster to western Scotland and the Vikings or Norsemen who conquered and settled the area just before the start of the second millennium.

The principal town of the area is Campbeltown (about 9 km by road from the Mull), which has been a royal burgh since the mid-18th century. The area's economy has long relied on fishing and farming, although Campbeltown has a reputation as a producer of some of the world's finest single malt whisky including the multi-award winning 'Springbank'.

Kintyre Pursuivant of Arms in Ordinary, one of the officers of arms at the Court of the Lord Lyon is named after this peninsula.

Towns and villages in Kintyre

Bellochantuy, Campbeltown, Carradale, Clachan, Claonaig, Drumlemble, Glenbarr, Grogport, Kilchenzie, Machrihanish, Muasdale, Peninver, Saddell, Skipness, Southend, Stewarton, Tayinloan, Tarbert, and Whitehouse.

Transport

Information on all forms of public transport is available from [http://www.travelinescotland.com Traveline Scotland]

Bus & coach services

*Long distance coach services to and from Glasgow are operated by [http://www.westcoastmotors.co.uk West Coast Motors] and Scottish Citylink
*Bus services throughout the Kintyre peninsula are operated by [http://www.westcoastmotors.co.uk West Coast Motors] alone.

Flights

*Available between Glasgow International Airport and Campbeltown Airport

Ferry services

*Operated by Caledonian MacBrayne on the following routes:
**Claonaig - Lochranza (in Summer)
**Kennacraig - Islay
**Tarbert - Lochranza (in Winter)
**Tarbert - Portavadie
**Tayinloan - Gigha

*Operated by [http://www.kintyreexpress.com/ Kintyre Express] :
**Campbeltown - Troon (starting May 2006)

Railways

No railways remain in use but there was a light railway from Campbeltown to Machrihanish from 1876 until 1931, initially built to transport coal. (see Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway)

Places of historic interest

---

thumb|250px|right|Ruins of the old church at Kilchenzie with beehives below.
*Clachan Church - carved medieval grave slabs
*Kilchenzie church
*Kilchousland Chapel, near Peninver
*Kilcomkill, Southend - St Columba's Chapel, carved grave slabs, "St. Columba's footprints" nearby
*Killean - St. John's Church - "most important medieval parish church in Kintyre" [cite book
last = Newton
first = Norman S
authorlink =
coauthors =
title = Kintyre
publisher =
date = 1999
location =
pages =
url =
doi =
id = ] - carved grave slabs
*18th century Killean and Kilchenzie Church (united parish) at A'Chleit
*Saddell Abbey
*Saddell Castle
*Skipness Castle
*Tarbert Castle

Prehistoric sites

*Ballochroy standing stones
*Beacharr standing stone, near Tayinloan
*Corriechrevie cairn - intact
*Dun Skeig - Iron Age forts near Clachan
*Kildonan galleried dun
*A crag near the chapel of Keil and St. Columba's Well, between Dunaverty Bay and Carskey in Kintyre, has two footprints carved at a place where St. Columba is reputed to have first set foot in Dál Riata, Scotland. One is recent and the other genuinely old. Kingship rituals may have been connected with this petrosomatoglyph.

Associated Peerage Titles

*Duke of Kintyre (extinct)
*Marquess of Kintyre and Lorne (subsidiary title of the Duke of Argyll)

Trivia

The Mull of Kintyre test is an unofficial guideline of the British Board of Film Classification for the censorship of adult films and images. [citeweb
url = http://www.moviemail-online.co.uk/films/9831%3baddtobasket=7659%3banchor=7659#7659
author = Hoyles, John
work = Movie Mail
title = The Realm Of The Senses - Ai No Corrida
date = 2000-08-29
accessdate = 2007-04-09]

References

External links

* [http://www.kintyre.biz/index.php Kintyre.biz - Kintyre Tourist Information Web Site]
* [http://www.ibooknet.co.uk/archive/news_aug03.htm#Feature An Author of Kintyre, Kintyre's Literary Associations]
* [http://www.kintyre.org/west-kintyre-activities.html History and Archaeology in Kintyre]