Skipness

Skipness
Scottish Gaelic: *Sgibinis*
Skipness Scottish Gaelic: Sgibinis;
	Skipness Bay
	Skipness Location within Argyll and Bute
OS grid reference	NR902576
Council area	Argyll and Bute;
Lieutenancy area	Argyll and Bute;
Country	Scotland
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TARBERT
Postcode district	PA29
Police	Scotland
Fire	Scottish
Ambulance	Scottish
UK Parliament	Argyll and Bute;
Scottish Parliament	Argyll and Bute;
	List of places UK Scotland 55°46′01″N 5°20′42″W / 55.76694°N 5.34500°W

Skipness (Scottish Gaelic: Sgibinis, pronounced [ˈs̪kʲipɪnɪʃ]) is a village on the east coast of Kintyre in Scotland, located just over 7 miles (11 km) south of Tarbert and facing the Isle of Arran. It arguably provides some of the finest views of the unspoilt Kintyre coast and the Isle of Arran.

Skipness has various sights; two of the oldest are Skipness Castle (a ruined castle) and Kilbrannan Chapel, which contains some rare grave slabs. Both the castle and the chapel date from the 13th century, and are maintained by Historic Scotland. Skipness has a village hall and the community holds regular events including dances and coffee mornings. They have an ongoing appeal for funds to maintain the village hall and a community social media presence. Skipness school still stands next to the village hall but it has not been in use for several years.

There are plenty of walks running from and through Skipness, and many shorter ones are located in the picturesque Skipness Estate. There is an 'old' or 'high road' between Cloanaig and Skipness. It is possible to do a longer beach walk along the coast from Skipness to Tarbert but this requires a good level of fitness and awareness of the rocky terrain and risk of falls as it involves some scrambling. There are the remains of ancient settlements in the hills above Skipness.

There is a nearby cafe run by the family who own Skipness Estate that serves fresh fish from the area, and beer brewed on Arran, the island which can be seen from Skipness. There is also a Skipness Smokehouse from which various produce can be purchased directly or by mail order online. There are various businesses on the road from Skipness to Carradale towards Cambeltown including an organic tannery and gin distillery. There are cottages available to rent in Skipness and in Port na Chrò (a small bay near the village). Many of the cottages have their own boats and sea fishing is permitted. Mackerel and Pollack can be caught from them as well as a whole host of other types of fish. Basking sharks and Dolphins can sometimes be seen in the Kilbrannan sound, the area of sea between Skipness and the island of Arran. The Kilbrannan Sound is an active area for shipping, and ferries, naval vessels, coastguard vessels and cable layers are all regularly seen there.

Although Skipness is a small village it has a recently opened shop (situated on the site next to the old shop and post office). The shop provides the essentials and some local produce. There are other communities nearby such as Carradale, Glenbarr, Tarbert and Campbeltown from which other items can be bought.

There is a disused observation tower next to the approach road into Skipness. This tower dates from World War Two and overlooks the Kilbrannan Sound and Ayrshire coast. If you look carefully near Skipness Estate House and Kilbrannan Chapel (overlooking 'Shell Bay') there is a surviving concrete arrow marker which the Royal Air Force used during World War Two. This marks the path of a long abandoned air force range used primarily by aircraft from HMS Landrail (RNAS Machrihanish) for bombing and torpedo practice at sea. There is still a civilian airport at Machrihanish which is close to Cambeltown.

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