Scenery galore

An August holiday in Scotland is always a bit of a risk: you might be lucky and enjoy glorious sunny weather (but be eaten alive by midges) or you could face pouring rain (and midges) or autumnal temperatures, mists (and midges). You get the idea: midges are always going to be part of the equation so it’s best to go prepared with a good repellent. In the event, however, our August break on Islay was relatively midge-free, apart from at dusk when the hungry little monsters seemed to come out in force, and as far as the weather was concerned we struck gold…

Islay (pronounced Eye-la) is the southernmost island of the southern Hebrides and is known as the Queen of the Hebrides. With a population of about 3,200, it has 130 miles of stunning coastline, fascinating wildlife and – one of its major tourist attractions – eight working distilleries.

Having left home in Ilkley very early in the morning to get to the ferryport at Kennacraig, we found ourselves by the banks of Loch Lomond by 10am. The crossing over to Islay is one of the most magical sea journeys I’ve ever experienced.

First you see the Isle of Gigha and then the magnificent Paps of Jura come into view – three large, rounded mountains whose names translated from the Gaelic mean Mountain of Gold, Mountain of Sound and Sacred Mountain. Passing through the Sound of Jura we saw dolphins.

The ferry arrived at Port Askraig and we headed towards the village of Port Charlotte and our self-catering cottage before setting off to explore.

At Brigend we joined the coastal road running alongside seemingly unending beautiful empty beaches.

Port Charlotte itself is a village full of Local Hero-style charm – our cottage overlooked the sea and was a few yards from a small, sheltered beach and a pier perfect for fishing or crabbing. There’s a pub, a primary school, a small shop and a petrol pump.

All you could hear from the open window of the our first-floor kitchen-dining room was the gentle lapping of the waves. As the sun set on our first perfect summer’s day on Islay, there was a sense of an inward sigh of contentment as the whole family began to relax and unwind.

Unfortunately, we woke up to a grey, drizzly morning – it turned out to be the only rainy day and ideal for a distillery tour. Not being a whisky fan, I was designated driver for the afternoon trip to Laphroig. We managed to tick off another three distilleries of the eight on the island before the week was out. Laphroig distillery is on the very edge of the craggy coastline at the southern end of the island near Port Ellen.

The tour – which included the history of the distillery and demonstrations of the distilling process – was fascinating; and there were plenty of samples to keep at least one of our party very happy.

The rest of our stay was graced with blazing sunshine so we either explored on foot or rented bikes. Walking the coastal path one day, with a picnic, we only encountered two other people and had secluded beaches entirely to ourselves. Cycling was thirsty work and a bit arduous since there are plenty of hills on Islay but we were frequently rewarded with stunning views out to sea with Northern Ireland clearly visible in the distance and the Paps of Jura a constant comforting presence.

A trip over to nearby Jura is highly recommended – we spent a wonderful day exploring this amazing island that is home to only 200 people and over 5,000 deer. Jura is famous for the fact that George Orwell fled there in the late 1940s to finish writing his novel 1984. He went there because he didn’t want to be disturbed and it really is about as off the beaten track as you can get – one of Scotland’s last great wildernesses – but, never fear, it too has its own distillery. We visited the stunning Jura House walled garden which has many examples of the kind of sub-tropical plants that can grow on Jura thanks to the island’s temperate climate.

One evening we enjoyed a fantastic trip to the cinema – unlike any we’ve ever experienced before. The Western Isles has a service known as the Screen Machine – a mobile cinema inside a huge articulated lorry that tours the islands and Highlands bringing the latest films to remote communities.

The lorry parks up for a few days at a time and it folds out, literally, into an 80-seater cinema. Forget the hyperbolic CGI thrills of the Hollywood blockbuster we saw, it was the place we were watching it in that was most exciting.

Other highlights of our stay included attending a concert by American country singer Rachel Harrington and Lindisfarne guitarist Rod Clements in Bruichladdich distillery – surrounded by bottles of whisky, Harrington herself said it was without doubt the most unusual venue she had ever played; visiting the RSPB reserve at Guinart and exploring the fascinating ruin of Finlaggan, the Ancient Seat of the Lords of the Isles, a small island fort in the middle of a loch.

Islay is a magical place – it is steeped in history and has a wild, rugged quality that creates a sense of being truly away from it all. We were lucky to see it in such glorious weather but rain or shine, the wise passenger on the ferry trip out was right – we will want to go back.

GETTING THERE

For information about Islay, including links to accommodation websites, visit: www.islayinfo.com