Kilchoan Jetty
Brief History
The jetty has been improved and repaired continually over the years, often by local community members. In 2020 the Jetty Association raised enough money through grant applications and a crowdfunding campaign to begin major restoration work on the jetty, which was suffering the effects of the Atlantic waves. A contractor couldn’t be found, so a group of local volunteers assembled to repair the jetty themselves - with an average age of 65! They removed the eroded concrete surface and laid new concrete in two pours. It was February, when favourable tides and good weather did not always coincide.
The jetty officially reopened on 4th August 2022 and continues to be used by the local community and visitors alike, who, thanks to the work of local volunteers, can now enjoy a safe and stable jetty for many years to come.
Click here to find out more about Kilchoan Jetty
85 metres of steel to be fitted to the Jetty structure, by local volunteers. Photo courtesy of Chris Gane.
Kilchoan Jetty thumbnail
Concrete removal on the Jetty. Photo courtesy of Chris Gane.
This photograph - taken in the first half of the 20th century - shows people embarking from a small ferry boat at Kilchoan jetty. A horse and cart have waded out towards the boat for easier access. © MEM Donaldson Collection, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery, High Life Highland.
Photograph by MEM Donaldson, taken in the first half of the 20th century.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
The Jetty, August 2022, After the restoration work. © ica
The Jetty, August 2022, After the restoration work. © ica
HMY Britannia moored in Kilchoan bay. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was Queen Elizabeth II's official ship until 1997.
Kilchoan Jetty Photo courtesy of Mary Khan, with thanks to Ardnamurchan residents.
Kilchoan Slipway Photo courtesy of Mary Khan, with thanks to Ardnamurchan residents.
Unloading cargo and people from a boat at Kilchoan Jetty, below The Ferry Stores. The tide must have been very low as passengers usually stepped straight into the ferry.
Salmon Coble © Lorna Taylor
a salmon Coble leaving the Kilchoan Jetty in the mid 1980s, nets on board. This boat is now in a shed by the ice house at Fascadale.
The Jetty team at work © Hamza Yassin Photography
Regatta Day Photo courtesy of Mary Khan, with thanks to Ardnamurchan residents.
People gathered outside Kilchoan Ferry Stores, on Regatta Day.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Regatta Race Photo courtesy of Mary Khan, with thanks to Ardnamurchan residents.
Salmon nets drying on the green Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Salmon nets drying by the Jetty. Some of the drying poles in this photograph still remain here today.
Sheep at Kilchoan Slipway Photo courtesy of Mary Khan, with thanks to Ardnamurchan residents.
Sheep probably being loaded onto the boat, at Kilchoan Jetty.
The Jetty, before the refurbishment in 1982. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Volunteer removing the old steel. Photo courtesy of Chris Gane.
Volunteers pre positioning the shuttering. Photo courtesy of Chris Gane.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
A jetty volunteer hard at work. Photo courtesy of Chris Gane.
Regatta Day in Kilchoan, 1970s or 1980s. Photo by Catriona MacMillan.
Dig into layers of history
Jetty
The jetty connects the peninsula to the rest of the world. Goods and passengers arrived here by boat, and people caught the ferry from the jetty to travel over to Mull, or further afield. The jetty lies on one of the ancient drove routes, that herds of cattle would take on their way to markets in Central Scotland and England.
Drying Poles
Second half of 20th century. Courtesy of Catriona MacMillan.
Look out for...
Stand at the jetty and look back to the shore. The small white building to the right of the shop was the bothy, where fishermen would shelter between fishing the nets and waiting for the tide. The cottage by the shore on your left was a boat house. The grassy area in front of you used to be a drying green, where fishing nets were hung on “dock poles” for cleaning, drying, and mending - you can see four “dock poles” still standing on the green today.
Archive photograph, early 20th century. Courtesy of Mary Khan.
Discover the stories of Kilchoan Jetty...
My friend had a temporary job working on the jetty refurbishment in about 1998. When he worked on it again as a volunteer in 2020, he was pleased to see that the work he had done 22 years ago still looked good. It looks like the recent work should last for many years too!
Explore how Kilchoan Jetty has changed through time.
21st Century
2020
1996-1997
Crofting and Fishing
1984
1983-1984
Eviction and Emigration
1880s
