Kintyre 66 - Top 6 Wheelchair-Friendly Things To Do
The Kintyre 66 is a 66-mile route that takes in the fantastic Kintyre peninsula and the gorgeous wee Isle of Gigha. While I was looking into this trip I realised that, as is often the case, there was a gaping void when it came to accessibility information. I reached out to the folks at Explore Kintyre and they set to work finding places for me to venture on this underrated Scottish peninsula.
You can watch the video, or scroll down for my write up of the 6 best wheelchair friendly things to do on the Kintyre 66.
Tarbert Harbour
Tarbert Harbour
Tarbert Harbour has a great level walk or wheel around the waters edge - yes, no barriers in some places which made Kirsty a bit nervous, but I was fine wheeling along taking in the beautiful reflections in the water. There are plenty of benches for stops along the way, and some waterfront pubs and shops (sadly I didn’t have much time to check out the accessibility of these, which is the perfect excuse to plan another visit!
Location: https://w3w.co/fades.articulated.hurtles
The Church at A’ Chleit
I make no secret, I am not the religious type but I am a sucker for a bit of churchy architecture. Now, the church at A’ Chleit is no architectural masterpiece, but I was drawn to it first by its location, overlooking the water to Cara and Gigha, and then its unusual and slightly spooky story.
Originally, the parish church was at Killean, but one day in 1770 the minister, Robert Thomson gave a grave warning to his parishioners. They were told not to enter the church under any circumstances because our Rab had a feeling that danger would befall anyone who stepped inside. Later, while the congregation prayed outside, an almighty crash was heard. The heavy stone roof had fallen in. How did he know? Well, the congregation believe that an angel must have visited Robert Thomson to warn him.
It took many years to build this new church in A’ Chleit, but eventually in 1790 the first service was held. Whatever you think about the spooky story, it’s a gorgeous wee place to visit. There’s a bench in the car park amongst the crocosmia, a lovely place to watch the sunset over Gigha. The night we were there the sky was all purples, blues and oranges. Sadly, if you want to get to the beach there are wooden and stone steps to navigate with the help of a hand rail, but honestly, you get the best view from the top anyway!
Location: https://w3w.co/reapply.good.mills
Beinn An Tuirc Distillery
Kirsty and I received a complimentary gin tour (and cuddles with Crumble the labrador) in return for a feature in the vlog.
I absolutely loved this gin tour. I remember boring, stuffy, whisky distillery tours with my Dad when I was wee. This gin tour was a world away from that! Our guide was relaxed and funny, the gin was delicious (my favourite was the Isle of Gigha Coastal Gin), and accessibility was well thought out. I could access all areas of the tour without an issue, along with the café and shop. There’s an accessible toilet too, not the biggest I’ve seen but I don’t think most people would have a problem.
The highlight of the tour for me (apart from meeting Crumble, obviously) was seeing the copper still and realising how everything at Beinn An Tuirc is still done on such a small scale. It’s a very much hands-on process.
Beinn An Tuirc also offer a Gin School experience where you get to craft, and take home, your very own gin. I’ll definitely be putting that on my Christmas list!
Location: https://w3w.co/lotteries.applause.gangway
Machrihanish Seabird and Wildlife Observatory
The Machrihanish Seabird and Wildlife Observatory is a fantastic project, spend as long as you can here to make the most of it! The observatory is an unassuming little hut, perched overlooking the water. The doorway is a little narrow but there are future plans to improve. The volunteers are so helpful. There are also excellent wildlife photographs available to purchase that capture some of the fantastic birds that visit this area. Email ahead to make sure you can get access to the observatory machobservatory@yahoo.com
Location: https://w3w.co/hosts.edits.dabbling
Achamore Gardens, Gigha
It’s easy to hop on the short ferry to Gigha and explore all it has to offer, like the brilliant Achamore Gardens. I used my power attachment to get around because some areas are a bit hilly and, to be fair, I didn’t stick to the All Access Path that has recently been created. We headed up to the walled garden first which has gravel paths around a mainly lawned area, with stunning flower borders. I didn’t want to ruin the grass with my wheels so stuck to the paths while Kirsty explored.
Later, we tried the All Access Path. I spoke to one of the gardeners who said they have refrained from calling it a Wheelchair Access Path because some areas are too steep. Personally, I didn’t think it was bad but it’s worth keeping in mind. The surface is packed, crushed, gravel. I’m not a fan because with a front power add-on I get a bit of wheel spin on that kind of surface. For just pushing, or using a power chair, I think it would be fine. There wasn’t much in the way of flowers to see along that path, but improvements are ongoing. You do get to see some beautiful trees and shrubs along the way though, and a pond!
Entry is by donation and there is an accessible toilet available up near the walled garden - it’s an uphill wheel from the entrance.
Location: https://w3w.co/notched.relocated.clasps
Mull of Kintyre
I wasn’t going to bother going to the Mull of Kintyre because I’d read that it’s a really steep trek down to the light house from the car park, impossible for the vast majority if not all wheelchair users (turns out that’s correct). But we were driving back from somewhere or other and saw a brown tourist sign for the Mull of Kintyre and though, why not! Turns out, the view from the top is stunning! There’s a wooden gate at the top of the road with big gaps in the slats, so I rested my binoculars there and watched dolphins play about in the water below. I waddled on crutches through two boulders (probably too close together for most wheelchairs) to get to the heather and take this shot. Difficult, but worth it!
Turns out we were so close to Ireland that Kirsty’s phone popped up with a message saying “Welcome to Ireland!” Now we want to Ireland to see if we get a ‘Welcome to Scotland!” message.
I’d definitely recommend swinging by the Mull of Kintyre if you’re passing, you never know what you might see.
Location: https://w3w.co/flank.soaps.free
