| Mull of Kintyre |
| Oh mist rolling in from the sea, My desire is always to be here Oh mull of kintyre Far have I traveled and much have I seen Dark distant mountains with valleys of green. Past painted deserts the sunsets on fire As he carries me home to the mull of kintyre. Mull of kintyre Oh mist rolling in from the sea, My desire is always to be here Oh mull of kintyre Sweep through the heather like deer in the glen Carry me back to the days I knew then. Nights when we sang like a heavenly choir Of the life and the time of the mull of kintyre. Mull of kintyre Oh mist rolling in from the sea, My desire is always to be here Oh mull of kintyre Smiles in the sunshine And tears in the rain Still take me back to where my memories remain Flickering embers growing higher and higher As they carry me back to the mull of kintyre Mull of kintyre Oh mist rolling in from the sea, My desire is always to be here Oh mull of kintyre Mull of kintyre Oh mist rolling in from the sea, My desire is always to be here Oh mull of kintyre |
| Mull of Kintyre |
| By Paul McCartney |
Kintyre is on the extreme west coast of Scotland, joined
to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at Tarbert and has
all the characteristics of island living without the hassle
and expense of ferry crossings (though you can come
by ferry as well.)
The peninsula is about forty miles long and contains
within it everything which makes Scotland such an
attractive holiday destination. Here you will find the hills,
lochs, rivers, forests, seascapes, sandy beaches,
history and archaeology and the sea food which have
made Scotland so famous, but with the addition of those
‘little extras’ which make us almost unique; the palm
trees showing the effect of the Gulf Stream, the low
rainfall ( less than 40% of the rest of the west of
Scotland), the most expensive eagles in the world, the
absence of cars( our one traffic warden is the last
example of an endangered species), a world class golf
course on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean featuring the
‘best first hole in the world’, a land which is the very
cradle of Celtic Scotland.
According to Norse sagas, King Magnus Barelegs, while
trying to re-establish control over parts of western
Scotland reached an agreement with King Malcolm of
Scotland that Magnus could have all the islands off the
west coast of Scotland round which he could sail his
boat.
Determined to have the Kintyre Peninsula as well, King
Magnus had his warriors drag a Viking longboat across
the narrow isthmus at the northern end of the peninsula.
‘The king himself sat down in the poop and took hold of
the helm-ball and thus he got possession of all the
coasts lying on the larboard side.’ The Magnus Saga.
Kintyre had indeed become an island!
While the same feat was repeated by King Robert the
Bruce in the 14th Century it does seem likely that it was
fairly common for small boats to be dragged across the
isthmus to save the long and dangerous voyage around
the Mull of Kintyre.
to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at Tarbert and has
all the characteristics of island living without the hassle
and expense of ferry crossings (though you can come
by ferry as well.)
The peninsula is about forty miles long and contains
within it everything which makes Scotland such an
attractive holiday destination. Here you will find the hills,
lochs, rivers, forests, seascapes, sandy beaches,
history and archaeology and the sea food which have
made Scotland so famous, but with the addition of those
‘little extras’ which make us almost unique; the palm
trees showing the effect of the Gulf Stream, the low
rainfall ( less than 40% of the rest of the west of
Scotland), the most expensive eagles in the world, the
absence of cars( our one traffic warden is the last
example of an endangered species), a world class golf
course on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean featuring the
‘best first hole in the world’, a land which is the very
cradle of Celtic Scotland.
According to Norse sagas, King Magnus Barelegs, while
trying to re-establish control over parts of western
Scotland reached an agreement with King Malcolm of
Scotland that Magnus could have all the islands off the
west coast of Scotland round which he could sail his
boat.
Determined to have the Kintyre Peninsula as well, King
Magnus had his warriors drag a Viking longboat across
the narrow isthmus at the northern end of the peninsula.
‘The king himself sat down in the poop and took hold of
the helm-ball and thus he got possession of all the
coasts lying on the larboard side.’ The Magnus Saga.
Kintyre had indeed become an island!
While the same feat was repeated by King Robert the
Bruce in the 14th Century it does seem likely that it was
fairly common for small boats to be dragged across the
isthmus to save the long and dangerous voyage around
the Mull of Kintyre.
