North Channel | Ireland, Scotland & England | Britannica (original) (raw)

North Channel, strait linking the Irish Sea with the North Atlantic Ocean and reaching a minimum width of 13 miles (21 km) between the Mull of Kintyre (Scotland) and Torr Head (Northern Ireland). It runs northwest-southeast between Scotland and Northern Ireland and includes the larger Arran and Gigha islands and the smaller Ailsa Craig, on each of which a lighthouse is located. The Scottish coast of the channel is deeply indented by the Sound of Jura, Kibrannan Sound, and the Firth of Clyde, and the Irish coast by the Belfast Lough.