Islay and Jura Questions for August-Sept trip

This area in my opinion is one of the most beautiful parts of Scotland so whatever you do I am sure you will have a wonderful time. We did a similar trip in 2021, some suggestions from me:

-Not on the way from Port Askaig to Port Ellen, but very close to Port Askaig, is the Bunnahabhain distillery, which has beautiful views and is maybe my favourite Islay whiskey- definitely recommend visiting. Ardnahoe is near there too but when we went they didn't actually have any whiskey ready for consumption yet- tho that didn't seem to stop them selling loads of merchandise (not sure why you would buy merchandise for a whiskey you hadn't even tried...).
-I think half a day is a good amount for the three Port Ellen distilleries. Our favourite was Ardbeg. Laphroaig also has a lovely place to sit and enjoy a dram. We drove everywhere so not sure about cycling. If you're concerned about being able to drive and taste whiskey, most distilleries have "driver's drams" which you can take back to your hotel with you to enjoy once off the road.
-Other places to explore- we really liked the town of Bowmore, walking in the RSPB reserve at Loch Gruinart, and driving down to Currie Sands beach (our dog in particular enjoyed that one).
-We did a day trip to Jura but only got as far as Craighouse and walked a bit along the beach from there. If we had more time we would have tried to see the Corryvreckan whirlpools on the other end of the island. I believe they have boat trips that take you there.

Good luck with the rest of your planning!

Ardnahoe now has whisky available to taste and buy.

Lussa, as far as I know, is only a Gin distillery.

I only saw a video last night of people cycling between distilleries on Islay on dedicated bike paths, so it can be done (on the Three Distilleries walking and cycle path) (from about 24 minutes in) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JuflqC-akg

Or take the bus to Ardbeg and walk back.

Bowmore would be a good place between the two ports to stop to explore. Expect the unexpected - Port Ellen and Port Askaig are often switched around depending on weather (and sometimes grain boats at PE). It is more normal for the sheltered Port Askaig to be substituted for Port Ellen but the reverse can also happen.

For all things Jura see here https://isleofjura.scot/

I didn't know that Jura now also has a rum distillery - so whisky, gin and rum!

And there is bike hire on the island- £25 per day pedal cycles or £35 electric.

My choice (not least as it is on my IWM job list) would be the American Monument at the Point of Oa - it's a rental car so it doesn't matter if you wreck the suspension on the potholes.

Oh yes we tried the rum when we visited Jura- it was excellent, I definitely recommend checking that out- a nice short walk from the distillery.

For evening meals, book ahead.

If you're into historic sites, then Finlaggan might be of interest. There are nine distilleries, so you're not short of choice. I enjoyed the Kilchoman and Laphroaig tours. Ask for drivers' drams if you have the car; then again, even if you're on a bike, you don’t want to be knocking back whiskies at 10 am.

Easy to cycle to the three near Port Ellen – though it might depend on the ever-changing weather.

Port Charlotte and Portnahaven are pretty villages.

Fantastic views over to Northern Ireland from the American Monument – the road is challenging so go slowly.

Jura – Craighouse, again very pretty – didn’t get much further north as the road was poor – it’s an A road with grass growing down the middle! My car so had more to lose!

Remember to give other drivers a friendly wave!

Good walking and cycling path between the 3 Port Ellen distilleries..a bus can take you back(or to) if only want to go one way by yourselves.
The Machrie Hotel is excellent for lunch.Lovely walk to the excellent beach from there too.
Ardnahoe has a stunning looking cafe(closed when we were there) in a fab location.

Walkhighlands is great for both islands...

https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/islay-jura/islay.shtml

Mull of Oa walk is superb..road poor but worth the hassle.Pick a good day.

Carraig Lighthouse walk is easy and pretty.
Kilchoman Beach offers big surf crashing on the lovely sands..great area.
Sanaigmore nice too and Lossit Bay, but latter harder to reach.

Kildalton Cross is a beauty.. drive out beyond Ardbeg.
Jura is beautiful.We drove up to the road end on North Jura.Did the Glengarrisdale walk which I wouldn't recommend Rough as heck.
The Corrievreckan trip would be well worth doing.

So many choices! I would love your suggestions for the following: We arrive at Port Askaig @ 3pm. Would it be realistic to 1.) Visit one of the distilleries near Port Ellen and visit Kildalten Cross and/or the American Monument that evening? 2.) Then on our full day head to Bowmore, RSPB reserve, Bridgend, Portnahaven, the American Monument? 3) For the third day, on our way to Jura, visit Finlaggin, Bunnahabhain? Trying to figure out best ways to include the various suggestions.

On Day 1 you won't get to any of the port Ellen distilleries on time but there are three near Port Askaig- Ardnahoe, Bunnabhain and Caol Ila.
You can then do Kildalton and the Mull of Oa that night.

So we could do one of the Port Ellen distilleries the following day after exploring Bowmore, RSPB reserve, Bridgend, Portnahaven? We don't necessarily need to visit more than 1 or 2 distilleries as we are not big whiskey drinkers, but we understand the historic relevance of such entities that have developed with the culture. Thus, we want to include in our itinerary.

Will we be able to visit Finlaggin on our way to Jura or should we focus our entire day on Jura?

Hi, losrichins,

I'll start out by saying that I have been visiting Scotland on pretty much a biennial basis for over 50 years, and the three worst roads I have ever encountered are on Islay. Don't get me wrong - I love Islay, but these roads are bad! I never made third gear on any of them - I was lucky to make second.

The roads are the ones which take you to Finlaggan, The Oa, and the Oyster Shed. If you do end up on them, drive slowly, and I hope that your hired car has good clearance.

Now that I've said that, if your ferry is arriving at 3:00 p.m., you probably won't have time to do justice to any of the distilleries near Port Askaig. However, you could visit Finlaggan, ancient seat of the Lords of the Isles, which you'll pass soon after you leave Port Askaig. Bowmore is a pretty little town, on the shores of Loch Indaal. It's worth taking a walk around the town center, and checking out the round church at the top of the hill leading out of town. Supposedly it was constructed that way so that there would be no corner in which the Devil could hide.

If you were to drive directly to Port Ellen from Port Askaig, it's about a 45 minute drive. If you want to bypass Bowmore, you can take the B8016 just before the town, which takes you directly to Port Ellen. Otherwise, just stay on the A846.

To visit the Kildalton Cross, which is one of the finest examples of a Celtic cross in Scotland, take the minor road at the end of the A846, which starts just past the Ardbeg Distillery.

There are a couple of nice walks in the Port Ellen area. There's a short walk out to the seafarers memorial at the east end of the bay. There's another walk of about three miles to the standing stones. Follow the A846 to the Old Excise House, just before the Laphroaig Distillery, and follow the farm road on your left. You can also walk out to Ardbeg, and take the bus back, as isn31c recommended, or vice versa.

There's a great little book which you should be able to find at the post office in Port Ellen - Islay, Jura, and Colonsay: 40 Coast and Country Walks. It costs seven pounds, but it's worth every penny.

With three days on Islay, you should be able to cover a good bit of the island. I'm assuming that day one is your arrival day, which means that you have two full days, plus your departure day. As you're dedicating one day to Jura, that means you have just one full day for Islay.

I'd recommend the Oa and possibly the Kildalton Cross on your first evening, then Port Charlotte, Portnahaven, and the RSPB preserve at Loch Gruinart on your full day. Be sure to walk down to the hides at the preserve. There is also a good circular walk, albeit a bit boggy, on the west side of the Ardnave road. It starts from the car park. Be sure to visit the RSPB visitor centre as well. You can pick up maps there. You could include a distillery tour on that same day.

As far as Jura goes, the main road (also the A846) is in very good condition. There are two main places to eat in Craighouse. The Antlers is on the left side of the road; the Jura Pub, in the Jura Hotel, is on the right. We checked out The Antlers, and were taken aback at the prices. We instead had lunch at the Jura Pub, which was considerably less of a strain on the budget. Good views of the Sound of Jura, as well, and picnic tables if we had decided to eat outside. The Jura Distillery is across the street, if you want to check out another distillery.

There is one small shop in Craighouse, which serves the 120 residents of the island.

As far as walks on Jura, we enjoyed the Corran Sands walk, which starts from the small car park just past the rubbish bins on the right. The large field doubles as Jura's emergency landing field. The walk is about 2 1/2 miles, along the shore of Loch na Mile. You can walk back along the Corran River path, if it's not overgrown.

Have a wonderful time!

Mike (Auchterless)