The Ardnamurchan peninsula is often overlooked by the main tourist buses heading west through Glencoe up the Road to the Isles and onward to the Isle of Skye. The narrow winding single track road is not suitable for tourist buses and large motorhomes making it even more appealing to those who like to truly get away from it all. The peninsula hosts the most westerly point of the UK mainland close to Ardnamurchan lighthouse -a great fun fact to throw at your friends who will likely answer ‘Penzance in Cornwall’ when asked where the most westerly point of the UK is!
The views over Loch Sunart to the south and the islands of the Inner Hebrides to the north and west are simply spectacular and very different from the imposing mountains of Glencoe or the jagged mountains of Skye.
Whilst many use Ardnamurchan as part of their road trip between the Isle of Mull and the Isle of Skye, we think it warrants a longer stay, especially for those who love to get away from the crowds and embrace the hills, the ocean and the most spectacular of sunsets!
Highlights of our Campervan Road Trip
Wild Deer crossing our route
Deer appear to be like buses on Ardnamurchan…..you don’t see any for a while but when you do, they all come at once! We were astonished and thrilled to round a corner on a single track road not far from Kilchoan to find a deer crossing point with dozens of stags, and does passing in front of us. The couple of stags in the herd headed swiftly into the hills but the does and fawns took their time giving us plenty time to get out of the car and have a photo shoot! I have NEVER seen so many wild deer quite so close to the road on a road trip around Scotland!
Soaring eagles along the inland mountain passes
The hills surrounding the single-track road just east of Kilchoan offer the perfect nesting sites for eagles with Ardnamurchan having one of the highest populations of Golden Eagles in the UK. The reintroduction of Sea Eagles on Mull from the mid 70s has also had an impact with over 35 breeding pairs now breeding on Mull which has made sightings on the mainland more and more common.
The viewpoint near Ardslignish
With stunning views out across the head of Loch Sunart and further south west to Mull, this view point is definitely worth stopping at. As with so many points along the way there is a brilliant information board depicting the historical sites along the Ardnamurchan Peninsula including Graeadal Fhinn at Ormisaigmore – a chambered cairn; an abandoned crofting settlement at Glendrian ; an Iron Age fort at Bourblaige settlement; and the 6000 year old Bronze Age settlement at Swordle. The information boards give detailed directions to each location with a summary of the stories associated with each location.
The viewpoint also shows the walking route for a local walk from the viewpoint itself down to the stunning bay below which take in a Bronze Age standing stone and neolithic cairn.
A further information board at the view point tells of the volcanos of Mull and Ardnamurchan and the geological landscape of the area and how it was formed 5 million years ago. The community centre in Kilchoan hosts an interesting display of rocks (many of which are not local) but super interesting. The community centre also has toilets and showers!
The fog horn at Arnamurchan Lighthouse
One of numerous lighthouses built by the Stevenson family (best known for their famous writer member Robert Louis Stevenson), Ardnamurchan lighthouse is the only lighthouse in the UK built in an Egyptian style . What makes it even more interesting is the gigantic fog horn to the west of the lighthouse facing the sea. Connected via steel pipes to the engine room, the fog horn is no longer working but offers a great viewing platform with panoramic views of the Inner Hebrides.
Ardnamurchan Lighthouse
Visit Ardnamurchan Lighthouse visitor centre with a museum and access to the restored engine room and workshop and climb to the top of the lighthouse itself to view the light at the top of the tower. Note that the road up to the car park at the Lighthouse is extremely narrow with no passing points for the last section – perfect for our little VW Campervans to get along but I would not take a larger motorhome there.
Campfire by the Beach
Our campfire on the beach overlooking Loch Sunart was one of the highlights. I love informal camping and it was totally awesome to set up camp at a local picnic spot on the banks of Loch Sunart a few miles west of Salen. The picnic spot would take 3 campervans or motorhomes comfortably without being crowded but we were fortunate to have it to ourselves. An early spring sunset followed by a large tomahawk steak with roasted peppers and asparagus all cooked on the fire followed by marshmallows gave us the 5 star camping experience we were looking for!
Ardnamurchan an accessible wilderness
We love seeking out accessible wildernesses in our perfectly sized VW California campervans and Ardnamurchan is one of the best places to enjoy long stretching deserted roads winding through rolling mountain passes with an abundance of remote beaches along the length of the peninsula. At approximately 25 miles long, it looks on the map to be super accessible but the narrow road makes for a leisurely road trip so allow plenty of time to drive slowly and enjoy the mesmerising landscape.
Despite being remote, we were super impressed by the signage on our road trip. There are numerous stopping points along the Ardnamurchan Trail highlighting scenic view points, places to visit, the history of the peninsula from the prehistoric age to the 21st century, the archaeology of the Ardnamurchan peninsula, and interesting wildlife to spot along the trail.
Top Places to Visit when touring around Ardnamurchan in a campervan
Ardamurchan Distillery
Located at Glenbeg, the distillery is open from 10 till 4pm Monday to Friday from Easter to October and closed at weekends with tours ranging from £15 per person to £50 per person for the ‘behind the scenes’ tour. https://www.adelphidistillery.com/
Kilcamb Lodge Hotel
Camp at nearby Strontian Campsite, dress smart and take the 15 minute stroll to the beautiful Kilcamb Lodge hotel for delicious Scottish produce in a stunning restaurant with views across Loch Sunart. https://www.kilcamblodge.co.uk/
Wildlife Tour
Take a boat with Staffa Tours from Kilchoan to Staffa and the Treshnish Islands for some Puffin watching. https://www.staffatours.com/
Sanna Bay
Located on the western side of Ardnamurchan, there is a large car park giving access to the beach and surrounding coastal walks. An information board in the car park explains the origin of the ring complex.
The beautiful white sandy beach at Sanna Bay on the western coast is one of our favourite Scottish beaches and the long drive is most definitely worthwhile. We love Sanna so much we even named one of our cool VW Campervans ‘Anna’ after it!
Secret Hidden Places not to miss on your visit to Ardnamurchan
- The Monster Midge whilst not of significant historical, geological or natural interest, does offer up a great photo opportunity for kids young and old! A painted rock on the road to Ardtoe Beach. Parking overnight is optional for a small fee at the small car park across the road from the small white beach at Ardtoe.
- The Singing Sands beach near Kentra is a 6 mile walk through a lovely forestry path that opens out onto the stunning white beach at Gotenfern. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/singingsands.shtml
- Castle Tioram near Acharacle – whilst not entirely secret, this ruined castle on the tidal island of Tioram in Loch Modart is most definitely off the main tourist routes. Only accessible at low tide across a sandbar, the ancient 13th century of the Clan Ranald, is not accessible inside but still worth a walk to. The 3.5 mile ‘Silver’ walk, takes in Castle Tioram as well as coastal lochans with magnificent views across the sea to Eigg, muck and Coll. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/castletioram.shtml
- Keep your eyes out for Otters along the banks of Loch Sunart – the rockpools and sheltered bays with a huge variety of seaweed, molluscs and crustaceans provide the ideal hunting ground for the thriving population of Otters. A hide at Garbh Eilean near Resipole provides a good starting point for otter spotting and can be reached from the nearby Forestry Commission carpark or the car park at Ardery.
How to get there
There are 3 routes into Ardnamurchan:
- From the north from Fort William and Glencoe, travel along the infamous Road to the Isles and take in the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct then travel south through Acharacle to Salen and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula to the west
- From the south – take the ferry from Tobermory on the beautiful Inner Hebridean Island of Mull and take the short ferry crossing from the pretty fishing village of Tobermory over to Kilchoan on the south west corner of Ardnamurchan.
- From the east, take the A82 north from Glencoe heading towards Fort William and cross over Loch Linnhe on the Corran Ferry onto the Ardnamurchan peninsula at Stontian. The ferry operates all day 7 days a week and takes only 5 minutes to cross the water costing £10 for cars and £17 for motorhomes 6-8m long. Card payment is preferred to cash.
