Kintyre - in a few words

[william]

I am new to the area - but love it.
But I believe others could if we all marketed it better.
What is Kintyre?
Is it isolation?
Is it mist rolling in from the sea?
Is it desolation?
Can somebody who cares tell me?

How do you describe Kintyre IN A FEW WORDS?

William

[Mary G]

HI William

Welcome to Kintyre - and to the forum!

My guess is that most people here care passionately about the place ... hence the forum is as active as it is.

I am new to the area - but love it.
But I believe others could if we all marketed it better.
...
How do you describe Kintyre IN A FEW WORDS?

What makes you think that the area needs better marketing? And how do you think a 'FEW WORDS' description will help?

Since you are seeking others' inputs here, it will be helpful to understand a bit more about your perspective and expectations.

Cheers
Mary

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Beautiful and serene in my view.However if it is marketed the magic may disappear.Cherish what you have and say nowt.

[petewick]

I don't think words can say what is so special about
Kintyre, I know that sounds biased from an expat,
I think if you just look out your window or go for a walk
any where in Kintyre, then "you just know".

[yosser]

What makes you think that the area needs better marketing?

Because not everyone who lives here is retired or working for the council. The rest of us still need to make a living and with the loss of yet another big employer, Vestas, that isn't going to get any easier.

Whether it is tourists or some other industry or employer that is being targetted, sensitive and realistic marketing of the area is a must.

Gissa job.

[numberplease]

I can`t put it into words, suffice it to say that Kintyre is the only place I`ve been on holiday where I`ve not been itching to get out every day, just content to sit and drink in the view from our caravan on the Muasdale park. But when we have gone out, the place has constantly amazed me, and I`d love, at the end of my days, to be buried in a little cemetery by the sea near Bellochantuy, if that wouldn`t offend anyone up there.

[UP THE ROAD]

What makes you think that the area needs better marketing?

Because not everyone who lives here is retired or working for the council. The rest of us still need to make a living and with the loss of yet another big employer, Vestas, that isn't going to get any easier.

Whether it is tourists or some other industry or employer that is being targetted, sensitive and realistic marketing of the area is a must.

Gissa job.

Totally agree--- I have been thinking the same. Kintyre is a beautiful place but needs something to draw more tourists to Campbeltown- maybe the Duke of Argyll ( The Chief of the Campbells) should get together with the local Councillors to draw up a plan of action - seems most of the bus loads of tourists think everything is in Inverary. I have on my travels in Scotland seen the Western Isles being advertised and everyone I meet knows where it is or has been there, but when I say I come from Campbeltown they ask where is it? No Ferry, No Waverley, No Jaegar, no Call Centre, depleted Fishing Fleet and maybe no Vestas soon

[EMDEE]

There are many people who have “found” Kintyre. Quite a number of them are members of this forum. I sense that some of the attraction is that the place is relatively unspoilt and it is not a “tourism honeypot”.

When we have gone to Kintyre on holiday we take a caravan for a week or whatever. Whether it is Southend or elsewhere, we meet others who are not as local as ourselves, and many of them would not go anywhere else. Some of them have been going to Kintyre for decades because they believe that they have found something that they could not find anywhere else.

When we ask if the place needs better marketing, we need to consider whether any resultant increase in tourism would spoil the very thing that these loyal visitors find attractive. It is the quiet isolation of Kintyre that is the attraction to these people. I am giving my own opinion here based on my own experience, and would be grateful if forum members who have “found” Kintyre could confirm whether this is their view of the place.

Do we want to see Campbeltown become another Oban? I think not! The two towns have a completely different history. Oban has for a long time been dependent on tourism, whereas Campbeltown has a completely different background, being an important agricultural, fishing and distilling centre when Oban was just a small fishing village. I am convinced that the tourism route should not be the principal way forward for Kintyre and would create a situation where all the eggs would be in one basket. The tourism industry is a very fickle market, (apart from our loyal regular visitors above), and is subject to all sorts of global forces. The remoteness can be an advantage in some ways, but a problem in others.

We don’t want Kintyre to be a victim of the Tragedy of the Commons, do we?

For those who are maybe wondering where I am coming from here, I am a native of Campbeltown, and have been living in Oban since 1984. I do, however retain my links with the Toon, as I have strong family links, and perform there regularly in my musical capacity. I never turn down an opportunity to play in Kintyre, and anyone who wants to follow this up can PM me. (if you are organising a ceilidh or concert etc.) ( I might even play the Hen's March o'er the Midden)

It is not possible do put Kintyre in a few words.

[AP]

Retirement Village.....Aye it's a lovely place to visit if u come from a City but if you live here there is nothing.No jobs,no shopping ,no amusements, no bowling alley, nothing for the kids to do in the Holidays or for the teens to do at night.We lost the Waverley because every shop was closed on a Wednesday afternoon,nobody wants trade but they moan all the time about not having any. This Town is dead.

[Govangirl]

AP, I did comment on another thread about the overwhelming number of young people on the streets on the Saturday night but when I looked into it, I couldn't see where they could have gone. You're right, there was nothing for them and that's a real shame.

[EMDEE]

This Town is dead.

So what do you suggest should be done? Bury it?

You may say that your comment is realistic, but it is also very negative, and has an air of resignation.

My post was specifically about tourism and giving the town more marketing . I do know that everything is not hunky-dory. The employment situation is the main reason I am living elsewhere.

[AP]

This Town is dead.

So what do you suggest should be done? Bury it?

.

That's the problem it's been buried for a long time.

The Town is run by old people who don't seem to care about the place.If you look back at the old post cards on here nothing has changed. Someone tried to open an amusement arcade but was stopped because of the noise it would cause to the people living above it.The same street has a pub on the corner,what about the noise from that? The Town was offered a bowling alley by the Americans they refused.It's madness

What is there here for tourists apart from pubs and places to eat.How do u market a place like this.

Fishing..But u can't eat the fish cause the loch is polluted.

Swimming pool..If it's not closed again for repairs and bring ur wet suit cause it's freezing.

Before anyone says there's no money in the Town look at all the flowers and palm trees that cost a fortune and are replaced every few months.And the money the pubs rake in every week.
The community centre used to have lots of activities for teens but as far as i know they stopped that a long time ago.A proper crazy golf,bring back the trampolines.A family restaurant with a kids play area.An adventure park there's loads of empty land round the Town that can be used.Loch Lomond has kayaking,canoes,water peddle bikes something like that would be good.
My comment may have an air of resignation about it, but right now some people in the town feels the same way. Its a nice place to visit granted, but if you're living here then you have a different perspective on things.

[UP THE ROAD]

Well said AP:

I visited Campbeltown in July and yes it is beautiful but even the shops were disappointing to say the least.
My partner is from Uist and we visit there regularly and YES they actively encourage tourists over the summer season and make them very welcome-- it is amazing that they come from all over the world but never know where Campbeltown is.
They however are not too happy when Camper Vans and Caravans arrive stocked with everything and do not contribute to the economy-- there was discussions that this type of traveller should pay a fee to visit the Scottish Islands which I think is only fair- the island of Mull definitely wanted this to happen but do not know the outcome. The beaches in Uist are as lovely as the wee toon's and the people work around the tourists not try to put them off visiting and in the summer months there are plenty of things for them to do.The water is not polluted there so hopefully this will be sorted in the wee toon, as we used to go and get cockles, mussels and whelks years ago to eat - but was advised over the last few years never to eat or fish locally as anything off the beach and in the loch is not fit for human consumption--TRAGEDY- for goodness sake what are the Councillors in Campbeltown doing about this as this problem has been ongoing for years and the Water Board are getting off with stalling all the time- noticed that in a recent Campbeltown Courier piece. Young people and folk who have not retired should be allowed more involvement in what is going on down there - not a few elite folk who run it - and I still think that the Duke of Argyll should get involved and visit more- if he ever has and get his face on the news to promote the beauty of the area and get involved with the local people to discuss the way forward.AP - and I am sure other members of the Community are desperate for changes but unless you can actively get the Councillors to be pro-active then more and more young folk will have to go up the road for jobs and lots of them myself included will not return to live there. It is okay to have a zillion pubs in such a small place but for goodness sake there are vast areas of land and sea there than would be smashing for outdoor activities.
So yes Kintyre in a few words:

Where are You What you Doing

[EMDEE]

Plenty food for thought there!

I think this deserves to be a new thread, as there are obviously strong feelings about a lot of issues, and good ideas , but it has now wandered off the spirit of the original post by William.

[bakbjerg]

..When we ask if the place needs better marketing, we need to consider whether any resultant increase in tourism would spoil the very thing that these loyal visitors find attractive. It is the quiet isolation of Kintyre that is the attraction to these people. I am giving my own opinion here based on my own experience, and would be grateful if forum members who have “found” Kintyre could confirm whether this is their view of the place.

Do we want to see Campbeltown become another Oban? I think not! The two towns have a completely different history. Oban has for a long time been dependent on tourism, whereas Campbeltown has a completely different background, being an important agricultural, fishing and distilling centre when Oban was just a small fishing village. I am convinced that the tourism route should not be the principal way forward for Kintyre and would create a situation where all the eggs would be in one basket. The tourism industry is a very fickle market, (apart from our loyal regular visitors above), and is subject to all sorts of global forces. The remoteness can be an advantage in some ways, but a problem in others.

We don’t want Kintyre to be a victim of the Tragedy of the Commons, do we? ...

Yeahh, it's a central skisma you point out here EMDEE. When a great part of the areas charm is the remoteness, how far can you go in marketing this, without loosing what you had

I moved my family here because of the quiet and non-commercialised environment, (and the kind people around here). But I have sometimes given it a thought, that if a lot of people from far away did the same, we could at the same time ruin what we actually came for.

But speaking about the kindness of most people here, I would like to give an example:

This July, we coincidentally heard about a junior-golf day at Dunaverty. I asked my two kids, if they wanted to go, and the youngest boy, who had just turned 4, was eager. So he and I went down to Dunaverty, just to discover, that he was several years younger than the others. But the kind ladies in the golf club were quick to arrange a “nursery-group” for him alone, and the way they made him feel welcomed and a wee star was an overwhelming experience. We will never forget that day, and he has been a keen golfer ever since.