Islay

Oh Islay, what a magical web you wove on our hearts from the moment we left Kinnacraig on the CalMac ferry in thick fog to bursting into the sunlight as we rounded the bend of the island with Ardbeg, Laguvalin and Laphroaig standing sentinels to Port Ellen. We couldn’t have asked for a warmer embrace for our time spent with you.

Where are you planning on staying on the island? It’s bigger than you think. We liked Port Charlotte, but Port Ellen is the main ferry dock and Bowmore is more Central. Do you have wheels? Renting a car on the island is easy peasy and almost necessary. The public buses are more scheduled to school transportation than a regular service. What’s your budget? Islay is a big draw for Scotch lovers without a lot a accommodations to handle the demand which has pushed prices up. We stayed at a beautiful B&B but I sadly fear the aren’t renting their two rooms out anymore. It was Tighachuain Mhor in Port Charlotte. We thoroughly enjoyed Lochindaal Inn just down the road for dinner and drinks two nights (pre-order the seafood platter the night before so they can tell the local fisherman to bring up lobster and scallops) . One night the pub had their local ceilidh going on. The other night, we eavesdropped on some native Gaelic speakers. They rent rooms there too and think they’d be a great lower cost option on the island.

Islay has a home spun website with some great information. It’s Islayinfo.com.
Why islay? Are you visiting for a smoky slap of peat punctuated with wisps of iodine enveloped in liquid amber or just island hopping?

If you haven’t yet watched it, The Water of Life is a documentary about distilleries on Islay. Specifically Bruichladdich Distillery

Hi, kristin.dehrkoop,

I could rhapsodize endlessly about Islay! We came in on the night ferry from Colonsay, and stayed for a few nights in a wonderful guest house in Port Ellen. We were definitely not there for the whisky, but found the whole island was way beyond what we expected. Lots of really good, and not overly strenuous hikes, bird watching, visiting important sites - a nature lover's paradise!

Favourite places to visit were the RSPB Nature Reserve at Loch Gruinart (Two excellent hides, and two very good hiking trails.); also the ancient Celtic crosses at Kildalton and Kilnave, and the more recent one at Kilchoman; and the seals at Portnahaven.

There are many good restaurants on Islay, mostly in hotels. However, we are quite happy with simple meals, so Ellen's Wok in Port Ellen provided us with excellent meals which we enjoyed overlooking the bay from our guest house. We also enjoyed inexpensive meals at Labels in Bowmore and the Port Mor Community Cafe in Port Charlotte. (There's a self-service laundry there, as well.) The well stocked Co-op in Port Ellen also provided us with takeaway food and lovely sweets (desserts).

We were really sad to leave Islay, as we'd had such a special time there. The day we left, we had to take four ferries to reach Wemyss Bay, but we still had enough time to visit Mount Stuart on Bute (Highly recommended, as is the Victorian toilet at the Rothesay ferry terminal!)

We have decided to definitely return to Islay on our next holiday in Scotland. I'm sure that you will fall under its spell, as well.

Best wishes for your travels!

Mike (Auchterless)

After reading these responses, I'm thinking of changing 2 nights on Arran and 2 on Islay with 4 nights on Islay.

If you are staying on Islay I would strongly recommend trying at some point getting over to Jura.

Oh yes, day trip to Jura! Be sure not to miss the Gulf of Corryvreckan. Watch out for deer!