Perched high on the rocks, at the very tip of the Mull of Kintyre, the views over to Northern Ireland and Islay and Jura on a clear day are amazing. On cloudy days you can certainly see where Paul McCartney got the inspiration for his ‘mists rolling in from the sea’ lyric though! You really do feel like you’re at the end of the world.
The lighthouse at the Mull of Kintyre was established in 1788, one of the first to be erected by the Lighthouse Commission, and took nearly 2 years to build. Its isolated, inaccessible location meant that all the materials had to be landed by boat over 6 miles away and then carried on horseback to the build site. Quite an achievement!
Before making the drive along the twisty single track road, please be aware that the lighthouse isn’t open to the public and you can’t actually see it from the wee car park at the end of the road. To reach the lighthouse, you need to walk about 1 mile down a very steep track so a reasonable level of fitness is recommended. (Going down isn’t too bad, but coming up again is another matter!)
