Beaches

The West Scotland coast is an inconsistent but surprising in that it is rocky, sometimes inaccessible but also provides amazing stretches of clean golden beaches, which are underused to almost desertion throughout the year.

Lets face it, if you are choosing a holiday for sun and sand then you would pick perhaps Cornwall, Devon, or possibly somewhere further afield in the Mediterranean. So its understandable that the beaches here are not used very often.

At the height of the summer months it can be very warm on the west coast, this depends of course on cloud cover and the wind direction but there are some excellent sheltered beaches and you will find adequate heat and the ability to bronze your body should you so wish.

There are some beaches shown on the right hand side on the map, these will be added to in due course. Please click to see some photos of each beach.

Skipness Bay

Heading through Skipness to Skipness Castle car park and then walking along to the Castle you will see Arran in the distance. If you continue to walk turning right behind the castle and walking down towards the sea and follow the track around to the left towards the chapel and cemetary, go through the gate and then on your right hand side a couple of hundred yards is Saddell Bay, a lovely little sandy beach and a real sun trap at times.

There are great views of Arran from the bay and of course Skipness Castle and the 13th Century chapel provide great interest.

Click here for the Skipness Photo Gallery.

Carradale Bay

Approximately half way down Kintyre on the east coast is Carradale. It has a fantastic bay, which can be busy during the peak summer, when I say busy I mean less than 100 people!

When signposted, turn left into Carradale and continue to the village, at the T junction turn right. If you have found the Carradale Hotel you have gone to far. The junction may be signposted Port Righ, or Dunvalanree.

Head along the road for about 100 yards until you come to a closed gate, this may be open at times to allow parking at the bay, if not you will need to turn around and find parking in the village area.

The walk from the gate to Carradale Bay is about 200 yards and worth it.

Click Here for the Carradale Bay Photo Gallery.

Saddell Bay

Further down the east coast of Kintyre, there is a small place called Saddell which has a small Abbey with an exhibition of old carved stones. Just along the road from the small car park as you head south is a turning on the left hand side which leads you down to the familiar Saddell Castle at the very bottom, which is private and inhabited most of the time.

Leave your vehicle at the very top of the entrance, and walk down towards the castle and turn left at the very bottom, this will bring you to Saddell Bay. Saddell Bay was used in the video for Mull Of Kintyre, the number 1 song by Paul McCartney and Wings all those years ago.

Click Here for the Saddell Bay Photo Gallery.

Southend

Southend, is close to the Mull Of Kintyre geographically, and you can get to Southend by driving southwards to the center of Campbeltown and then turning right at the t-junction when you reach the high street there.

Follow the signs from Campbeltown for Southend and Dunaverty. To access the best part of beach you will need to walk through Dunaverty golf course towards Dunaverty rock on the public walking track.

If you are a golfer, Dunaverty has a great 18 hole golf course that from the fourth hole overlooks the beach there so the whole family can do something at Southend. You can also see Columba's footprints and Columba's well further south along the right hand side of the road beyond Dunaverty Golf Club.

Click Here for the Southend Photo Gallery.

Machrihanish

Machrihanish, renowned for its world class championship golf course, which overlooks the stunning Machrihanish Bay is on the western side of the Mull of Kintyre. From Campbeltown follow the signs for Machrihanish.

Click Here for the Machrihanish Photo Gallery.

Southport

Southport, on the west coast of Kintyre north of Campbeltown, by about 8 miles is a popular destination in the area for windsurfing or surfing as it is the best place to catch some surf on windy days. There is good dedicated parking at this location and you cant really miss it as you travel southwards on the A83.

The stretch of coastline here is sandy, with some rocky outcrops within the water itself that people should be aware of, and the currents are strong here so it is not advisable to swim here.

A number of people regularly walk their dogs up and down the beach area, and it is a place not far from Campbeltown you can reach in a little over ten minutes.

Click Here for the Southport Photo Gallery.

Point Sands

By far the best main beach in Kintyre, and the location of Point Sands Holiday Park. It is located approximately 25 minutes drive south, a few miles north of Tayinloan (where you can travel to Gigha via the Calmac Ferry).

Travel until you see the Point Sands board , which is near the School at the left of the road. Turn right and be careful of small speed bumps as you access the holiday park and private land. Follow the road all the way to the bottom and park in the car park being considerate and using the passing places provided on the way.

There is a large camp site here, self catering caravans for hire and things for the children such as an adventure playground. There is also a small shop.

The beach here is very good and very clean and the water depth stays shallow for a considerable distance and is particularly good for swimming. You can see Gigha quite clearly from the beach.

Click Here for the Point Sands Photo Gallery.