Campbeltown
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| Town and formerroyal burgh | |
 Campbeltown viewed from the slopes of Beinn Ghuilean | |
  Campbeltown Location withinArgyll and Bute | |
| Population | 4,500 (2022)[3] |
| OS grid reference | NR 71800 20300 |
| • Edinburgh | 101 mi (163 km) |
| • London | 352 mi (566 km) |
| Council area |
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| Lieutenancy area |
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| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Campbeltown |
| Postcode district | PA28 |
| Dialling code | 01586 |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
| 55°25′23″N5°36′29″W / 55.423°N 5.608°W /55.423; -5.608 | |
Campbeltown (/ˈkæmbəltən/ ⓘ;Scottish Gaelic:Ceann Loch Chille Chiarain orCeann Locha) is a town and formerroyal burgh inArgyll and Bute,Scotland. It lies byCampbeltown Loch on theKintyre Peninsula. Campbeltown became an important centre forScotch whisky, and a busyfishing port.
The 2018 population estimate was 4,600, indicating a reduction since the 2011 census.[4]
Originally known asKinlochkilkerran (an anglicization of the Gaelic, which means 'head of theloch by thekirk ofCiarán'), Campbeltown was renamed in the 17th century asCampbell's Town afterArchibald Campbell (Earl of Argyll) was granted the site in 1667.[5]Campbeltown Town Hall was completed in 1760.[6]
TheRoyal National Lifeboat Institution openedCampbeltown Lifeboat Station in 1861. The present building dates from 1996.[7]
In addition to the benefits of distilling, and whisky tourism, there were two major employers in 2018, Campbeltown Creamery and CS Wind UK, who provided "a substantial portion of the Campbeltown area’s high skilled jobs and are a vital part of the local economy," according to the Scottish government. A report in October 2019 had raised warning signs for the economy of Argyll & Bute; the report also suggested that up to 70 jobs at CS Wind UK could be lost but did not specify a time frame.[8]
Both companies confirmed the prediction of job redundancies, leading the Scottish government to hold an emergency summit in November 2019 to discuss steps that might be taken for improving the local economy. Participants included Argyll & Bute Council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, trades unions and local employers.[9][10] After the summit, a "working group" was formed in late November 2019.[11]
The number of dairy farms supplying Campbeltown Creamery reduced from 147 to 28 and the number of dairy cows fell from 6600 to 2500. Consequently, the Creamery became unviable. A plan by a small number of local dairy farmers to take over the running of the Creamery failed in early December 2019. The milk produced in Kintyre is now transported by road tankers to Lockerbie and Mull of Kintyre Cheddar is no longer available.[10]
By early December 2019, CS Wind UK had declared 22 jobs redundant. The Scottish government was working with the company to search for long-term solutions.[12] Preliminary discussions did not produce optimism about the future stability of the company. The Unite union indicated that while CS Wind had been profitable, it was not receiving an adequate number of orders to sustain full employment.[13] The plant was shut down in 2019 and production shifted to CS Wind's cheaper Vietnam plant inPhú Mỹ.[14]
Campbeltown is one of five areas in Scotland categorised as a distinctmalt whisky producingregion, and is home to theCampbeltown single malts. At one point it had over 30distilleries and proclaimed itself "thewhisky capital of the world". However, a focus on quantity rather than quality, and the combination ofProhibition and theGreat Depression in the United States, led to most distilleries going out of business. Today only three active distilleries remain in Campbeltown:Glen Scotia,Glengyle, andSpringbank.[15][16][17][18]
Campbeltown is a "protected locality" for Scotch Whisky distilling under the UK'sScotch Whisky Regulations 2009.[19]
Thefolk song titled "Campbeltown Loch, I wish you were whisky" is based on the town's history in this industry.[20]
As with the rest of Scotland, Campbeltown experiences amaritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest officialMet Office weather station for which online records are available is at Campbeltown Airport/RAF Machrihanish, about 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the town centre.
The lowest temperature to be reported in recent years was −12.9 °C (8.8 °F) during December 2010.[21]
| Climate data forCampbeltown Airport, 10 m (33 ft)ASL, 1991–2020 | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.0 (46.4) | 8.2 (46.8) | 9.5 (49.1) | 11.5 (52.7) | 14.2 (57.6) | 16.2 (61.2) | 17.6 (63.7) | 17.7 (63.9) | 16.2 (61.2) | 13.3 (55.9) | 10.4 (50.7) | 8.6 (47.5) | 12.6 (54.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.9 (37.2) | 2.7 (36.9) | 3.4 (38.1) | 4.7 (40.5) | 6.9 (44.4) | 9.6 (49.3) | 11.3 (52.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 10.1 (50.2) | 7.6 (45.7) | 5.1 (41.2) | 3.1 (37.6) | 6.6 (43.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 130.3 (5.13) | 104.4 (4.11) | 91.2 (3.59) | 71.1 (2.80) | 69.2 (2.72) | 71.4 (2.81) | 86.5 (3.41) | 99.0 (3.90) | 94.1 (3.70) | 136.2 (5.36) | 140.6 (5.54) | 135.4 (5.33) | 1,229.3 (48.40) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 0.1 mm) | 18.8 | 15.7 | 14.7 | 12.4 | 12.6 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 14.8 | 14.9 | 17.3 | 18.8 | 18.0 | 184.0 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 46.9 | 78.3 | 108.4 | 170.3 | 216.4 | 180.6 | 160.1 | 162.5 | 130.7 | 89.7 | 54.9 | 42.3 | 1,441.2 |
| Source:Met Office[22] | |||||||||||||
Campbeltown boasts a museum and aheritage centre. The museum has a varied collection of items from Campbeltown's past, andprehistoric items excavated from sites around Kintyre, such as axeheads, jewellery and combs. The 19th-century building, byJohn James Burnet, also houses the Registrars office and Customer Service Point for Argyll and Bute council and has plaques or exhibits related to famous Kintyre people: for example,William McTaggart andWilliam Mackinnon.[23] Near the museum is thecinema known as theWee Picture House, a small but distinctiveArt Nouveau building of theGlasgow School dating from 1913 and believed to be the oldest surviving purpose-built cinema in Scotland.[24] These buildings are on the waterfront, as is a 14th-centuryCeltic cross that also served as amercat cross.[25][26]
St Kieran (Ciarán of Clonmacnoise) lived in this area before the town existed.[27] A cave named after him can be visited at low tide, as can the cave on nearbyIsland Davaar where pilgrims and tourists go to see a 19th-centurycrucifixion painting.[28]
Campbeltown also hosts the annual Mull Of Kintyre Music Festival, which has seen acts ranging from up-and-coming local bands to well-established groups such asDeacon Blue,The Stranglers andIdlewild perform.[29]
The Kintyre Songwriters Festival, a fairly low key annual gathering aimed at promoting the wealth and variety of original music across the area, which started in 2009. The festival is held during the last weekend of May and is open to anyone interested in performing.[30]
On Friday 16 June 2006,First MinisterJack McConnell flew to Campbeltown to officially open Campbeltown's new 'Aqualibrium' Centre. Aqualibrium, designed byPage\Park Architects, replaced the old Campbeltown swimming pool, which was previously closed due to safety concerns; the centre houses Campbeltown's library (with the old building being the museum only), swimming pool, gym, conference centre and 'Mussel Ebb' Cafe.[31]
TheKintyre Camanachd are a localshinty team that belongs to theCamanachd Association.[32]
The local amateur football team, Campbeltown Pupils AFC, are members of theWest of Scotland Football League Division 4 which largely comprises clubs based in theGreater Glasgow andInverclyde areas, requiring the Campbeltown team to make a round trip of over 200 miles (320 km) for away fixtures most weekends.[33]
Argyll FM is a local radio station based in Campbeltown on 106.5, 107.1 and 107.7.[34]
In May 2012 Campbeltown andDunoon were jointly named in a report by theScottish Agricultural College as the rural places in Scotland most vulnerable to a downturn. The "vulnerability index" ranked 90 Scottish locations according to factors associated with economic and social change.[35][36]
Campbeltown is part of theArgyll, Bute and South Lochaber constituency for elections to theHouse of Commons of the United Kingdom.[37]
The West Highland Telegraph was extended to Campbeltown in 1865 when theUniversal Private Telegraph Company opened a telegraph office.[38]
The first telephone exchange was opened by theNational Telephone Company in the early 1900s. It was modernised in 1939 with the introduction of direct dialling[39] and went digital in 1991 following the upgrade of the Lochgilphead exchange.[40]
Electricity for domestic consumption arrived on 17 October 1935 when the Campbeltown and Mid Argyll Electric Power Company’s new power station in Glebe Street was inaugurated.[41] The power station was built in the former premises of the Co-operative Society’s laundry. Two 150 h.p. oil fired engines drove the generators built by Ruston and Honsby.[42] The street lighting in the town was converted from gas to electricity in 1936.[43]
Campbeltown Airport is near the town, and has a scheduled service to/fromGlasgow International Airport on weekdays and some summer Sundays.[44]
The town is the westernmost town in the island of Great Britain (if the port ofMallaig is not counted as a town). It has the population of a large village, but lays claim to its town status based on its port and its central close grid of streets. Its position near the end of a long peninsula makes for a time-consuming road journey, and to some extent the area relies on sea and air transport, like theInner Hebrides. However it is linked to the rest of Scotland by theA83 (toTarbet) andA82 (from Tarbet toGlasgow). Bus service is provided byWest Coast Motors, who also operate services to Glasgow forScottish Citylink.[45]
Ferries sail from Campbeltown toBallycastle inNorthern Ireland, operated by Kintyre Express. The service, which runs to Ballycastle every Friday to Monday during summer months and on Mondays and Fridays during the winter months, commenced in 2011.[46]
In 2006 a foot passenger ferry operated by Kintyre Express ran between Campbeltown andTroon every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a crossing time of one hour in calm weather. By 2007 this ferry no longer ran, although the vessel can be chartered privately.[46]
Starting 23 May 2013,Caledonian MacBrayne began operating a ferry service across theFirth of Clyde toArdrossan, calling atBrodick on Saturdays.[47]
Campbeltown was linked toMachrihanish by acanal (1794 – mid-1880s) that was superseded by theCampbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway, which closed in 1932. The railway, which was originally built to serve theMachrihanish Coalfield, ran fromCampbeltown railway station toMachrihanish railway station.[48]
| Preceding station | Ferry | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminus | Caledonian MacBrayne Kintyre Ferry (Suspended for the summer 2025 season)[49] | Ardrossan | ||
| Brodick | ||||
| Terminus | Kintyre Express Ferry | Ballycastle |
Campbeltown is one of the few communities in theScottish Highlands where theScots language predominated in recent centuries, rather than the previously widespreadScottish Gaelic, an enclave of Lowland Scots speech surrounded by Highland Scottish speech.[50]
Campbeltown istwinned withKümmersbruck,Bavaria, Germany.[80]
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