MULL OF KINTYRE LIGHTHOUSE
The Mull of Kintyre is a beautiful peninsula on the West Coast of Scotland and you can admire stunning views as you get closer to the Kintyre lighthouse, which is one of the two oldest lighthouse of Scotland, the other being the Bell Rock Lighthouse, off the coast of Angus.
As mentioned by Mairiuna in a previous post about the Mull of Kintyre, ‘ (…) to reach this mythical point you’ll have to follow a narrow and dangerous single track road for miles, up to a signpost which reads “end of the public road”.’
And believe me, it’s truly one of the most tortuous road in Scotland!
Mull of Kintyre end of public road © 2015 Scotiana8
Beyond that signpost, on the other side of the gate, starts the walk down on a tarmac private road to reach the point where, was it not that you could see Ireland across, you’d say you’ve reached the end of the world.
I’ll never forget this moment of life in contemplation of the sheer beauty of the area and also for its steep climb back up.
Yikes!
To tell you the truth, at one point, I doubted I could get back by my own self to the parking lot….
It has been one of my toughest physical threat experience of all travels. Mind you, I’m no athlete. 🙂 Fortunately, one step at a time, breathing in, breathing out, with the help of my dear traveling friends, Mairiuna and Jean-Claude, finally reached the parking lot . . Ouf!
Just so you could get a ‘wee’ sense of it all, check out this video shared by James Croucher, Cheshire, United Kingdom on Trip Advisor, last August 2016.
The Mull of Kintyre in Scotland is an absolutely fascinating place, with stunning views and a steep climb to the old lighthouse. It is a truly one of a kind place.
The drive to the car park can be a bit of a challenge, considering that the road is quite thin and passing places are infrequent. But since not many people use the road this is generally not much of an issue. The car park, located at the top of the Mull, holds about 6 to 7 cars at most. I would not recommend the road to the car park with caravans or long/heavy loads (also note that there are not public toilets at this attraction). Once you get out of your car the first thing that you will notice is the wind. It is always extremely windy on the climb down and at the bottom, and I would seriously not recommend attempting the Mull when it is raining. It is likely to be very unrewarding in the rain as the views are very limited.
The climb up and down the Mull is a mile of extremely steep road. You do not need walking boots to attempt this as it is concrete road all the way down. I would not recommend the entire climb to disabled or unfit people and try not to take too much luggage as lots will make the climb even harder. When we visited it was very windy, and we had odd splashes of rain that quickly died away, and since we are of average fitness the climb was not too difficult.
Once you reach the bottom of the Mull, there is not a lot to do. We took a picnic down and ate it in the shelter of the locked up lighthouse down there (make sure you bring a picnic rug as there is very little seating), but there is not much else to do other than admire the views. The climb is definitely worth the views that cover the area and the rocks down on the bay below are absolutely stunning.
But the views! The views were incredible. In the distance we could see Northern Ireland as it was a fairly clear day. You can see all up and down the coast and eating a picnic whilst watching the views is absolutely a one-in-a-lifetime experience. Much of the bay is visible on a clear day, and even on the windiest of days the crashing if the sea below can be heard and it is absolutely incredible. Highly recommended but not to the unfit or disabled.
Visited August 2016 ~ James_Croucher, Cheshire, United Kingdom on Trip Advisor
I lived at the lighthouse for 3 and a half years in the 70s its a hell of a road, and I was silly enough to drive down it worse for wear after a night out in Southend. My wife learnt to drive on the road as well… things you do when you are young eh. Three years was enough, time to return to civilisation. ~ Bill Brown (6 years ago)
Its a bad road isnt it, especialy on foot! I walk down there every time that im home vivisting in Campbeltown its great. Thanks for the video. ~ Dougall McTav ish ( 6 years ago)
Have spent the last week going up and down this road – but a lot more slowly! Interesting when foggy and blowing a gale.~ Christopher Anton ( 5 years ago)
After I watched this long drive down to the lighthouse I think it was a good idea by myself not to walk down but to turn in he middle of the way…~ The Ukelele Safari. ( 5 years ago)
I’ve been twice and I walked it both times – the first time on my own and then I went again because I wanted to share it with my husband. I had to visit because we see the light flashing from our house on the south end of Islay. Thanks for the video. ~ Mallis Gulliver ( 1 year ago)
You can’t drive down this road any more…you can only walk it.~ Paul Cole ( 6 months ago)
Me and my young family set off to walk it. Alright going down – those views – but coming back? Seriously knackered. … The house seen at 04.50 is worth a ganders. Looking in there it seems someone just upped and left in the 70s. Very curious. (Should say this was a few years ago, may well have changed now). ~ Chris A ( 4 weeks ago)
STEPPING BACK INTO TIME…
A fantastic glimpse of Kintyre circa 1955. Includes one of the simplest and best descriptions of Kintyre;
“It is 40 miles long and every mile is beautiful” 🙂
The film takes a trip along the Kintyre Peninsula, Argyll, Scotland and includes footage at Machrihanish, Carradale, Campbeltown, The Argyll Colliery, The Harbour at Campbeltown, Campbeltown Creamery, Tarbert, Bellochantuy and the Mull of Kintyre to name a few.
Wonderful to see the beach at Machrihanish as I remember it, busy with families enjoying themselves.
Film by Iain Dunnachie, narration by Hugh McPhee.
The film was originally entered in the ‘On Scotland’ category at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival in 1956.
BEYOND LOCAL LANDMARK
The Mull of Kintyre has one of the most beautiful scenery of the world and as you may have caught glimpse of it above, it is a challenging countryside for walkers and hikers.
Nevertheless, I’ll be back soon.
Enjoy,
Janice
PS: The area seems to have had more then it’s share of aircraft crashes but that subject will be adress in another post. Stay tuned!
Leave a Reply