Tarbert


Argyll and Bute

Tarbert is a seaport village which stands at the head of East Loch Tarbert in Kintyre. It was once a prosperous herring fishing port, but has suffered the same decline in fishing as many other west coast villages and now relies on tourism to supplement the income generated by fishing.

According to legend, it was across the narrow isthmus between West and East Loch Tarbert, which connects Tarbert with West Tarbert, that Magnus Barelegs, son of King Olaf of Norway, had his men drag his ship in 1098, to claim that Kintyre was an island and therefore a Viking possession.

Tarbert Castle overlooks the harbour and although pre-14th Century in construction, the tower dates from 1494 and the visit of James IV to the Western Highlands.

Near the mouth of West Loch Tarbert sits Dun Skeig, an oval fort with vitrified walls and a dun 50m (164 feet) north of the fort, 13.7m (45 feet) in diameter, within a wall 4m (13 foot) thick.


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