Argyll Guide

Characterized by jagged peninsulas reaching toward the coasts of Northern Ireland, such as the finger-shaped Kintyre, and the abundance of wide, branched fjords like the Firth of Clyde, which almost touches the Argyll Forest Park reserve. One of the main centers is Oban, a convenient embarkation base for the islands and a lively town, with Victorian hotels along the harbor front and pleasant nightlife venues where, in summer, music plays late into the night. The only discordant note comes from McCaig’s Tower, on the hill overlooking the town, a sort of circular arena imitating the Colosseum that the visitor does not expect. Tarbert is instead the focal point of Kintyre; from its lively harbor, ferries depart for the islands of Jura and Islay. Meanwhile, Mull of Kintyre represents the peninsula’s tip, watched over by a large lighthouse built in 1788 and renovated by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of the writer Robert Louis.