Carradale

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Carradale (Scottish Gaelic: Càrradal pronounced [kaːrˠəd̪̊əlˠ̪]) is a picturesque village on the east side of Kintyre, overlooking the Kilbrannan Sound and the west coast of the Isle of Arran, approximately 14 miles from Campbeltown.

In the 17th and 18th centuries there were small communities of crofters and fishermen working in and around Carradale. The introduction of steam ships transformed Kintyre and from the 1830s until the Second World War daily steamers went from Campbeltown to Glasgow, calling at Carradale.

With the herring industry thriving, Carradale's first pier was built in 1858, developing and encouraging the holiday trade. This situation persisted until the Second World War, with hotels developing and a tradition of families returning year after year. Now this situation is reversing again. Carradale still has a fishing fleet, - largely dealing in shellfish. Since the 1950s, forestry has also played an important part in the village with large scale afforestation taking place.

The novelist and poet Naomi Mitchison lived in Carradale House from 1937 until her death in 1999.

The village has five main areas:

Carradale Village, situated at a crossroads formed by the junction of the B842 and B879 roads.
Carradale Bay, site of a large caravan park overlooking a beautiful expanse of white sand.
Carradale Harbour (and the surrounding area), situated at the end of the B879.
Port Righ Bay, overlooking a small sheltered beach.
Waterfoot, at the mouth of the Carradale River.