Mull of Kintyre - Geography

Geography

The Mull is at the extreme southwestern tip of the Kintyre peninsula, approximately 10 miles (16 km) from Campbeltown in Argyll and Bute, Western Scotland. It is about 8 miles (13 km) beyond the southernmost village of the peninsula, Southend, and reached via a single track road.

Ailsa Craig and the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland and Rathlin Island are all clearly visible from the Mull. On clearer days it is also possible to make out Malin Head in County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland, and the Ayrshire coast on the other side of Ailsa Craig. Other islands in the Firth of Clyde are also visible when looking east, especially from further back along the single track road from Southend village. The Straits of Moyle (part of the North Channel) allow sea passage from the Irish Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. Notoriously strong currents plague the tip of the Kintyre Peninsula creating a hazard to unmotorised craft and virtually impossible for swimmers. . At its closest point, mainland Northern Ireland is only 20 km (12 mi) from the Mull. Owing to the low-lying level of Rathlin Island and the high elevation of the Mull of Kintyre it is also possible to see over the top of Rathlin Island and on towards the Antrim coastal town of Ballycastle, immediately behind. Visitors to the Mull may also see the individual houses of the Antrim coast and the cars travelling along the coast road without the aid of binoculars, although this is dependent on having very good visibility; the area is often plagued with sea-mists.

The steep sides rising out of the sea on all sides have made the area a hazard to flight. The remains of a number of Second World War planes litter the area.