Covering an area of 81,000 ha (200,000 acres) on the west coast of Highland Council Area (although once in Argyllshire), the sparsely populated Ardnamurchan peninsula extends westwards from Sunart. It is separated from the Morvern peninsula by Loch Sunart and from Mull by the Sound of Mull. At the centre of the peninsula are the remnants of a large volcanic crater created over 60 million years ago when the North American and European plates of the earth's crust separated to form the Atlantic Ocean.
There is a ferry link between Kilchoan and Tobermory on Mull and near Kilchoan is Mingary Castle, a former stronghold of the MacIans of Ardnamurchan, a sept of the Macdonald Lords of the Isles. The land passed to the Campbells of Argyll in the early 17th C. The Ardnamurchan Estate, which still extends over much of the peninsula, was bought by the Murray family in 1722 and then the Riddells in 1767. Other notable owners have been Charles Rudd (1844 - 1916), who made his fortune in gold and diamonds in South Africa; Kenneth Clarke (1868 - 1932) of the Paisley thread manufacturing family; and John Boot (2nd Baron Trent; 1889 - 1956) of the Nottingham-based Boots the Chemist.
