Sightseeing in the Isle of Islay

ISLE OF ISLAY

Famous for its numerous whisky distilleries, Islay is a beautiful island with a dozen beaches, several historical sites and not too many tourists. On a clear day you can see over to Ireland.

Accommodation | Transport | Sightseeing

BOWMORE

Islay's capital has a variety of shops including: supermarket, post office, garage, butcher, banks, drug store, video hire, souvenirs, woollens, hair dressing salon. Public telephone situated in the main square. Cycle hire is available from the Post Office.

An excellent craft/book shop is in Shore Street. The leisure centre has a swimming pool, sun bed, sauna and laundrette, but remember it is not open on Mondays. You can take a tour of the Bowmore distillery which was founded in 1779 and is the oldest on the island.

BRIDGEND

The main junction on the island connecting Port Ellen in the south, Port Askaig in the east and Port Charlotte to the west. Look out for Islay House Square which includes Elizabeth Sykes Batiques, Islay Quilters, Islay Ales (tastings and guided tours of the micro-brewery), as well as a textile conservation workshop, stained glass workshop, coffee shop, cards, gifts, etc.

If you take the road from Bridgend towards Port Askaig (see below), you will see the Islay Woollen Mill.

Also on the west coast of the 'Rhinns of Islay' you can see the ruins of historic Kilchiaran Chapel near Kilchiaran Bay. You'll need to take a tiny road from Port Charlotte or Portnahaven to get there.

PORT CHARLOTTE

A picturesque coastal village of whitewashed houses where the street names are still in Gaelic. It was founded in 1828 by Walter Frederick Campbell who named the village after his mother.

The Youth hostel here is combined with the Islay Natural History Trust field centre which contains a nature library, laboratory, lecture room and exhibitions, housed in the old warehouses of Lochindaal distillery which closed in the 1920s. Tickets are valid for a week, so you can go in as many times as you like to consult documents or ask the staff about any wildlife you may have seen.

The Port Charlotte Museum of Islay Life is worth a visit if you are interested in the history of the island. Housed in what used to be the Free Church of Port Charlotte, it contains an extensive library of papers and documents relating to Islay. This museum opened in 1977 and has won several awards. Displays include an illicit still, a farm's medicine box, photos of farming and fishing in years gone by, a selection of toys and exhibits showing life on a croft in the 19th century with numerous old farming implements, tools and kitchen utensils.

NERABUS - 2 miles south of Port Charlotte

Situated on the east side of the Rhinns in the parish of Kilchoman. Today there are just a few farmhouses at Nerabus. In 1850 there were 14 dwellings and a chapel thought to have been dedicated to St. Columba. In the old cemetery ancient carved gravestones dating from the 14th and 15th centuries were recently discovered under a row of turnips. Also by the sea, sit the ruins of an old mill.

PORTNAHAVEN - 5 miles south of Nerabus

A picturesque little village with white cottages sitting around the harbour and a tiny stretch of beach. The ideal spot for seeing seals.

A few hundred metres offshore, a couple of low-lying islands form a natural harbour wall. Orsay is the larger of the two. On its grassy top, the ruins of a chapel are dwarfed by the Rinns lighthouse built in 1825 to a design by Robert Stevenson.

PORT ELLEN

There are regular Arts & Crafts markets in Port Ellen at the Columba Hall in Frederick Crescent.

The Laphroaig Distillery near Port Ellen offers tours Mondays to Fridays

Other attractions nearby include the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle which are situated in Lagavulin Bay, not far from Lagavulin Distillery.

KILDALTON CHAPEL AND HIGH CROSS

Located 7 miles north of Port Ellen, the chapel has one of the best examples of an early Christian cross in Britain (dating from the late 8th century).

FINLAGGAN

Located a few miles south of Port Askaig. Archaeological dig around what was the ancient seat of the Lord of the Isles in the 14th and 15th centuries. There are 2 islands on this site - Eilean Mor (Big Isle) and Eilean na Comhairle (Council Isle). On the so-called Big Isle there are two main ruins (a chapel dedicated to Saint Finlaggan and a service building), plus the remains of over 20 buildings one of which was a great hall. Carved gravestones were found near the chapel.

DAY EXCURSION TO THE ISLAND OF COLONSAY

Colonsay is a beautiful little island with many sandy beaches. It's well worth a trip from Islay if you have a day to spare.

DAY EXCURSION TO THE ISLAND OF JURA

Jura is a wild, scarcely-populated island. George Orwell wrote his novel 1984 here. You can take the 5-minute ferry from Port Askaig.

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