Most UK campervan owners head straight for Skye or the NC500 and overlook the entire Argyll coast on the way past. That's a mistake. Argyll and Kintyre offer some of Scotland's best scenery with a fraction of the traffic, and the roads suit motorhomes far better than the Highlands hairpins.
Why Argyll instead of further north
Wider roads. More campsites. More fuel stops. Better food. Fewer tourists. The scenery is every bit as dramatic — Loch Awe, the Crinan Canal, the Mull of Kintyre — and you can do it in five days at a sensible pace.
Suggested route
Perth → Crieff → Loch Earn → Tyndrum → Inveraray → Lochgilphead → Crinan → Tarbert → Kennacraig (ferry option to Islay) → Campbeltown → Mull of Kintyre → back up via Carradale → Lochranza (Arran ferry) → Brodick → Ardrossan → home.
Don't miss
Kilmartin Glen's neolithic standing stones (older than Stonehenge, fewer visitors than a quiet pub). The Crinan Canal walk. Tarbert harbour. The single-malt at Springbank in Campbeltown. The seal colony at Carradale beach.
Ferry considerations
CalMac ferries take motorhomes routinely but you must book the vehicle slot in advance for summer crossings to Islay and Arran. Costs are based on vehicle length — measure honestly, including any bike rack.
Common questions
Is Argyll OK in a 6m motorhome? Comfortably. The A83 and A816 are proper two-lane roads. Only the side road to the Mull of Kintyre lighthouse gets genuinely narrow.
When's the best time? May–June for long evenings and no midges; September for golden light and quiet sites.