Historical interest
Caves - OS Grid NR671077
Caves at Carskiey car park are reputed to be haunted. A piper trying to reach Machrihanish got lost so the legend goes and at midnight can still be heard playing.
Dunaverty Castle and Rock of Blood -
OS Grid NR687075
The castle of Dunaverty stood on the precipitous headland jutting into the sea to the south of the village, past Dunaverty Golf course. It had a long and bloody history, culminating in the tragic events of 1647, when the royalist garrison of 300 men were massacred by the army of General David Leslie. The fortress of Dunaverty first comes on record in the Annals of Ulster for 712. The castle was rebuilt in 1542, attacked by the Earl of Sussex during his raid on Kintyre in 1558, and demolished in 1685, after the forfeiture of the Earl of Argyll. Today only slight traces of the walling remain.
Duns - OS Grid NR625073
Around 200 BC the living style of the Iron Age people changed from hill-top forts of their ancestors to smaller family size structures. These were known as duns. One of the finest duns in Kintyre overlooks the mouth of Borgadale Water just of the road to the lighthouse at the Mull of Kintyre. It is 43ft (13 m) in diameter and has a wall up to 13ft (4 m) thick.
Iron Hill Fort - OS Grid NR688087
On the hill of Cnoc Araich are the remains of the largest iron hill fort in Kintyre. Access is from behind Southend primary school. Follow the track leading to High Machrimore farm.
Keil School - OS Grid NR678078
Near the village lies the burnt-out ruins of the original Keil School, a private educational establishment for the sons of Argyll. It was founded when Sir William MacKinnon, who was born in Campbeltown, and made his fortune in East Africa, donated to a trust which later bought Keil House. A catastrophic fire destroyed the building in February, 1924. A statue of Sir William is located at Kinloch Park next to the new Community centre.
