Campbeltown is the chief town and port of the Kintyre Peninsula and sits at the head of Campbeltown Loch, 38 miles south of Tarbert.Local attractions include:- Davaar Island, Museum, Heritage Centre, Linda's Garden, Owl Centre, Springbank Distillery, more to follow on this.. It is an ideal location for visiting all the villages of Kintyre, Island hopping and playing golf. There is also superb walking and cycling in Campbeltown and Kintyre. A former seat of the Kings of Dalriada, the site was granted by King James V to the Campbells of Argyll who were charged with maintaining royal power and authority in this rebellious corner of Scotland. The Campbells later created Kilkerran Castle and renamed the existing small settlement Campbeltown. Lowlanders from Ayrshire and Renfrewshire settled in the town in the 17th Century, enhancing its status as a burgh of barony (1667) and a royal burgh (1700). The town developed in association with coal mining, herring fishing, boat building and whisky distilling, all of which went into decline at the beginning of the 20th Century. Now an agricultural service centre and tourist resort with a small shipyard and food processing industries, Campbeltown has the oldest surviving cinema in Scotland and a local museum. Campbeltown is the historic Royal Burgh, occupied continuously for over 8000 years. Once home to a big fishing fleet. The town is overlooked by Beinn Ghuilean, where pleasant walks can be enjoyed, and at the head of the Loch, connected by a tidal breakwater, lies Davaar Island, where in a cave a painting of the Crucifixion was completed in secret in 1877. More recently, Campbeltown has been an important naval base, especially during World War II;Convoy Escorts were trained here, Sunbamrines and the Atlantic Tugs were based in the Loch.