Loch Melfort to Loch Craignish

Loch Melfort, Kilmelfort

Kilmelfort, Loch Melfort

 

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Loch Melfort and Loch Craignish are situated about halfway between Oban and Lochgilphead. There are many small hamlets but no villages of significance except for Ardfern on Loch Craignish and Craobh Haven at the mouth of Loch Melfort and Kilmelfort. This is a an extremely beautiful part of the Argyll coastline with lochs and inlets sporting many small islands.

Ardfern and Craobh Haven and Loch Melfort have boatyards and Marinas, and there are many holiday homes, hotels and room providers in this general area.

This is a great area to visit by boat or in fact to get boat hire. There are boats which take passengers to Corryvrecken (sometimes spelt Corrievrecken)whirlpool at the Gulf of Corryvrecken between the islands of Jura and Scarba, from both Ardfern and Craobh Haven.

  

Ardfern Sunset
Photograph courtesy of Jade Wah’oo Grigori

The main industry in this area is fishing, yachting, farms and forestry as well as tourism. Fish farms can be seen dotted up and down the lochs and inlets in this vicinity. The roads, although purport to be "A" roads are substandard and can be quite dangerous as there are many places where there are right angled bends and narrow places where you might meet a log lorry or other large vehicle.

The three main villages also have a pub each with restaurants attached.  The three are the Galley of Lorne at Ardfern, the Lord of the Isles at Craobh Haven and the Culifail Hotel at Kilmelfort. The first two have stunning views across the water to islands beyond.

The fact that all three villages have large yachting marinas is testament to the popularity of the this section of the west of Argyll to the sailing and boating fraternity. There are a myriad of inlets and islands to explore by boat and many of these are fairly accessible by car or walking. I would suggest that any able bodied visitors would benefit from some of the many walks whether they are tracks to ancient stones or a path to a headland view.

The are has facilities for boat or canoe hire as well as for horse riding. Visit our Local interests pages to see what activities and places to visit there are.