The Island of Islay - it's not all about the whisky
If you’ve never heard of the Island of Islay you’ll be familiar with some of it’s villages courtesy of the whisky industry – bottles of Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Bowmore and Bruichladdich can be seen on the shelves of supermarkets and off licences throughout the UK. But it’s not all about the whisky. Islay is a haven for families seeking to get away from it all - while still having shops which sell fresh ginger, chilli and fine wine.
Tucked away on the West coast of Scotland between Northern Ireland and the Mull of Kintyre (mist rolling in from the sea, etc etc), Islay is closer to civilisation but more difficult to get to than many of the Scottish islands. As the crow flies it would take minutes, in reality it is a meandering 2 hour drive from Glasgow factoring in lochs, mountains and caravans driven by geriatrics. And that is only to the ferry terminal of Kennacraig. From there it is another 2 hours by ferry, 2.5 if you’re sailing to Port Ellen, but by then the kids know they’re on holiday and will be running round the boat pretending to be pirates, stroking the many dogs and making friends. I love the fact that it takes so long to get there. I flew there once but found that I arrived as stressed as when I left the city. The beautiful drive and relaxing ferry journey are as much of the holiday as the island itself.
Once on the island there are numerous rental cottages and B&Bs to choose from. If you want to camp and really let your kids go feral for the week head for Kintra, a five mile drive from Port Ellen, which is a wild campsite in the dunes at the end of a 7 mile beach. It is beside a farm house which also offers B&B (useful if your tent blows away!) and three holiday cottages and for me it is the most beautiful spot on Islay. To the left there are walks on the hill complete with secret bays and waterfalls, to the right the 18 hole golf course, a tempting destination even if only for the 19th hole. Last time I was there Oz Clarke and James May had taken over the bar having just tried to film a car fuelled by whisky. Across the bay the twinkling lights of Port Charlotte are home to Port Mor campsite, adjacent to a fabulous kids playground which is better than any I have visited in Edinburgh or indeed London. The site is flat and more clinical than Kintra and the beach at Port Charlotte is tiny but it has more options in the event of rain including the Museum of Islay Life, a Wildlife Centre and two good restaurants at the Port Charlotte Hotel and the Croft Kitchen.
I have been visiting Islay since I was a child and it is a joy to take my own children there now. They are never happier than playing on the beach in shorts and swimming costumes (or wellies and waterproofs) but I know that parents need more entertaining and over the years plenty of new businesses have emerged ranging from reflexology and hot stone treatments to the inevitable hunting, shooting and fishing. The town of Bowmore is the pivotal point of the island where everyone is forced to converge for supplies. It is also home to a swimming pool which is heated by water from the neighbouring distillery and available for private hire at extremely reasonable prices complete with giant inflatables. There are two options for pony trekking, one at Ballivicar on the Kintra road and one shortly before Port Charlotte at Rockside. Although Rockside is a fair drive from anywhere it also offers the Kilchoman farm shop, cafe, a new privately owned distillery and beautiful beach so is well worth the detour and on the way back you can pass by the oyster farm at Gruinart to inject a bit of passion into the holiday. A five minute ferry ride across the Sound of Islay is the Island of Jura where George Orwell famously wrote 1984 and during the summer it is possible to make a day trip to the neighbouring island of Colonsay.
I can’t recommend Islay highly enough but worry that by being so enthusiastic about it I could ruin my rural idyll forever.
CAMPING, COTTAGES and B&B at Kintra Farm (near Port Ellen) – Margaret Mactaggart by e-mail margaretanne@kintrafarm.co.uk or 01496 302051
CAMPING at Port Mor (near Port Charlotte) Warden James McEachern by e-mail at warden@islandofislay.co.uk or 01496 850441.
HOTELS – Port Charlotte Hotel, Machrie Hotel & Cottages, The Harbour Inn
CAL MAC FERRY from Kennacraig to either Port Askaig (North East Islay) or Port Ellen (South Islay) - Caledonian MacBrayne website has full timetables. Book ahead if you plan to take a car across. 01880 730 253
BRITISH AIRWAYS fly from Glasgow to Islay. British Airways website has full timetables or call 0845 773 3377.
PONY TREKKING at Ballivicar (01496 302241) and Rockside (01496 850231)
RESTAURANTS The Croft Kitchen in Port Charlotte, Kilchoman Cafe, Harbour Inn, Machrie Hotel and An Taigh Osda which I neglected to mention by Bruichladdich which is a new and quite marvellous boutique hotel and restaurant.
If you want to see some more on Islay then check out this great site Islaypictures.com for lots more to wet your whistle!
Most popular pages
Advertisement
