Despite having lived in Scotland for all my adult life, (and as much of my middle-age as I have so for used up), I have never been further south down the Kintyre Peninsula than Lochgilphead before. Old friends moved there a year or so back, and I suspect that if they hadn't, I still would not have seen this remote - and unique corner of the country. Unsurprisingly, the landscape is much like Scotland's other great southwesterly protrusion, towards Stranraer. I know the Glasgow/Ayrshire/Stranraer road very well, having driven it countless times towards the ferries, Ireland, family and holidays. The Mull of Kntyre, has a feel all of its own however.
Meeting up with old friends, and making new ones at The Kintyre Christian Fellowship on Friday, and at Springbank Evangelical Church on Sunday was good. I had driven four hours, across Scotland, through the mountains, and down the length of the narrow finger of Kintyre, and found warm, friendly encouraging people. Some were long-time residents of the area, and some historic 'Campbeltonians' (a zealously guarded status, I'm told), while others had clustered there at the end of the world, from all over the Scotland, and the UK from as far away as Cornwall.
Steve the pastor of the church at Springbank (which sits in the shadow of the more famous distillery of the same name), told me that the town's population is dropping at the moment after the losses of the airbase, and a clothing factory. Tourism and distilling, remain important industries, alongside the public sector and the fishing port - but that for many people the search for work takes people away from Campbeltown. Others move away, but move back to the place as soon as circumstances allow.
The car ferry may no longer run to Northern Ireland, but a speedy foot passenger service still takes tourists and cyclists, over to Ballycastle and Isla (presumably in search of Lagavulin or Bushmills respectively). At least this looked to be well used on the day I was there. I thought this might be an option, to combine a family trip to NI, with a day out with friends in Campbeltown; but at £90 per person, they have sadly priced themselves well out of any market that I am in! Oddly, they are not even trying to compete with the budge airlines on price, which I can't imagine makes a viable long-term business model. it was good to see the churches in the town, though small, in good spirits, doing good work in their town as well.
The local hill, which provides great views over Campbeltown and Campeltown Loch, is called Bheinn Ghuilean. Its a small hill, even by Scottish standards, rising to a slender 352 metres above sea level. There is a track which leaves the coast road by a large house called Glenramskill, and climbs up by the Glenramskill Burn past the ruins of an old barn called High Glenramkill, from which a direct line can be taken to the lower of the two summits at the trig point. Despite the flat, featureless summit, and the encroaching low-cloud, this provided an excellent viewpoint. A discussion then ensued about the concrete trig point. How did they build it up there? It surely can't have been lugged up there intact, it weighs tons! How many men and ponies then would it have it have taken to lug cement, stones, water and a timber mold to pour the thing on the summit? Can anyone tell me what the answer to this is?
It may have been only early June, yet the midgies were out in force on Beinn Ghuilean, despite the breeze. The oppressive saturation humidity and warmth demanded that we lose layers of clothing, while the incessant biting of the midgies made us put on protective layers - so we steamed in our warm layers, each coat becoming like a personalised single-occupancy sauna.
Saying goodbye to my friends on Sunday afternoon, lead me into the teeth of an horrific downpour which got so intense around Crianlarich that I couldn't drive. I could hardly see anything, the windscreen wipers needed to go twice as fast to shift the water; and in places I couldn't steer, because my little car just aquaplaned all over the road, at slow speed. Thankfully after a half-hour break, by Glen Ogle the rain reduced to drizzle which gave way to sunshine by Loch Earn and a lovely run home. Thanks to my friends and hosts in Campeltown for a lovely weekend.
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