Discover Campbeltown

Campbeltown offers travellers various ways to shape their stay: in and around the town centre, there are attractions and routes connected with heritage, whisky, cycling and walking. There are also tours at two distilleries, the Campbeltown Picture House and watersports on Campbeltown Loch. If you are looking for a hotel, it helps to think in advance about which of these themes will shape your trip.

Heritage and walks

During the summer months, the Campbeltown Heritage Trail Group offers free guided walks in the town centre. As these walks are seasonal, check the dates before your trip. A guided walk is one way to explore the town’s heritage; for a self-guided walk, the group provides leaflets with a town map.

The leaflets let you plan a walk independently. The two options differ in whether you join a Heritage Trail Group tour or find your own way with a town map and leaflet. This lets you plan your exploration around either the summer guided walks on offer or a self-guided route.

Whisky tours in Campbeltown

At Springbank Distillery, tours and tastings introduce the history and flavours of Springbank whisky. The focus is therefore on both the distillery’s history and the whisky itself. If you are interested in its origins and flavour, this visitor experience brings the two together.

Glen Scotia Distillery offers a one-hour tour of the working distillery. It concludes with a complimentary dram of Double Cask, a single malt whisky. The tour combines an insight into the distillery’s operations with a tasting at the end. As tour availability can change, check with the providers before your trip.

Cinema and museum

Built in 1913, the Campbeltown Picture House is one of Scotland’s first purpose-built cinemas. Its construction date and original function offer a tangible connection to Campbeltown’s architectural and cultural history.

The Campbeltown Museum is housed in a large room in a Category A listed building. The building also originally housed the public library. The two places therefore have different historical associations: the Picture House was purpose-built as a cinema, while the building’s former use as a public library is also part of the site’s history at the museum.

Water, cycling and getting here

Kintyre Seasports is an RYA-registered training centre offering courses and experiences on the water at Campbeltown Loch. This adds watersports to the opportunities for cycling and walking in and around Campbeltown. Alongside distilleries, architecture and walks, there is a range of outdoor activities to choose from.

The seasonal ferry service may be relevant for getting here: in summer, a passenger and vehicle ferry from Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast serves Campbeltown Harbour. The timetable may change. If you plan to take the ferry, check the current timetable before travelling.

Discover more destinations: Isle of Islay, Kames, Appin, Isle of Coll, Tighnabruaich, Isle of Bute, Kilchoan, Colintraive

For the broader travel overview: Argyll And Bute.