The Kintyre peninsula of Argyll and Bute is one of the many corrugations that comprise Scotland’s western coast. Campbeltown is situated beside the loch of the same name, in a bay protected by Davaar Island. The town’s waterfront holds several of its prime landmarks, including the Heritage Centre housed in the former Lorne Street Church, whose parti-color façade has earned it the local nickname of the Tartan Kirk. Close by is the distinctive 1913 Art Nouveau style “Wee Picture House,” Scotland’s oldest purpose-built cinema, which still shows films. Another waterfront landmark is the tall, intricately-carved, 14th Century Celtic Cross. Once an important shipbuilding site and boasting as many as 34 distilleries producing malt whiskies, Campbeltown builds no more ships, and its roster of distilleries has dwindled to just three. But the malt whiskies produced by Glen Scotia, Glengyle and Springbank are known as the Campbeltown Single Malts and recognized as one of only five such distinct regions in Scotland. Other highlights of a stroll through town include the spire atop the Town House city hall, the Library and Museum and the outsized steeple rising from the Lorne and Lowland Church. The scenic Kintyre Peninsula offers inspiring land- and seascape views in exchange for trips out of town.
