Thoughts on Kintyre.

[tarmmaker]

I love Kintyre.
After many years of living here I am still knocked out by the scenery. Just driving from down the road to Campbeltown is a complete delight. Rarely the same seascapes and beaches that can match any, anywhere. Wildlife everywhere. We lost count of the number of breeds of birds in the garden this year. In the burn that runs round our garden (more of a trickle really) we had a female otter and three kits a couple of years ago.
The people are friendly, helpful and funny. There are exceptions, of course, but let's not spoil it! The roads are crap and the two biggest road schemes at the Glenbarr/Muasdale corner and Aqua Ave in town, which we are told have been planned since 2009, go ahead during the tourist season.
I'm sorry, but big business in Kintyre is a non-starter. You have to accept that a peninsular with no rail connection, an airport with three or four flights a day( I don't know exactly how many, or if it handles freight), no vehicle ferries and one crap road round the edge, which is closed when it rains heavily causing a landslide, is not a glowing endorsement of the place we call home.
The one saving grace goes back to the first paragraphs. Kintyre is beautiful and often breathtaking. Visiting tourists want to see beauty and have their breath taken away. Surely tourism must be a priority, not empty call centres and road schemes for the "Renewables Hub". The road widening after Glenbarr will benefit all users but is an opportunity missed. Why not straighten the road and the make the existing corner a viewpoint / picnic site / information centre? The amount of work it has taken just to widen the road and then chevron the seaward edge off-limits narrowing it again is baffling. The new golf course and refurbs of the hotels is fantastic. And, at last, there are going to be more pontoons for the visiting sailing community. Campbetown has one of the best natural harbours anywhere, we must use it. Reinstate the summer beach at Dalintober. Have coloured lights around the harbour. Make Campbeltown a nice place to spend some time, let's not hear "we went to Campbeltown on holiday but it was closed" ever again. Just small things will keep people here and make them come back. If the fishing has declined, let's reel in the visitors. Get Campbeltown buzzing. More visitors, more money to spend.
So let's make the most of what we have. Fantastic golf, superb harbour, world famous distillery, prize-winning cheese makers.....and that scenery!

[LANDROVER ROGER]

Excellent post and all constructive!

[argylltourist]

All absolutely true, great post.

[mankind]

I heartily agree with all tarmmaker says in the above post. However, in my opinion, there is a major threat to the scenario as described, and that is industrial-sized wind turbines being erected in totally inappropriate places. I have no problem with these turbines being erected on the spine of Kintyre, but, alarmingly, more and more applications are appearing for these monsters to be sited in places they should never be allowed. Is it right that Government targets and the greed of landowners should be allowed to ride roughshod all over those of us who sincerely appreciate and love the beauty of where we live? I think not.
To quote tarmmaker, "I'm sorry,but big business in Kintyre is a non-starter".

[tarmmaker]

I was worried that I might be whistling in the wind with this post, but it's heartening to know that others share my point of view.
Now, mankind, turbines are another matter and one I tried not to include except for the "hub" reference, or else it would have been a much longer post and well covered elsewhere. I agree with you entirely re their sighting, so let's leave it at that. For now!!
The area benefited financially by the NATO base for so many years, that when it closed (and thank goodness it was no longer required) there was a large hole to fill, but it seemed the only way business could be enticed here was by hand-outs and when they dried up, so did the businesses. Business should choose Kintyre for the positives, not just handouts.
Now, I suppose that brings me back to turbines.........!