On this page you can find some information about Islay itself. If your ever going on a trip to Islay, I hope this page will help you out planning your travel then. More information on what to do on Islay can be found on this page.

Introduction to Islay
Getting to Islay

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Introduction to Islay
Islay is a fairly small island (approx.. 40km by 30km) and is often called the "Queen of the Hebrides". The origin of the name is not entirely sure, it might have come from the goddess with the same name, or from a Danish princess (Yula) who is said to be buried close to Port Ellen, the main sea port on the island.

The island is drenched in a rich history, of which the remains are still visible all over the island. The famous Kildalton Cross is the only still standing stone highland cross of Scotland, dating from the 8th century. Dunevaig castle still guards the entrance of the bay where Lagavulin distillery resides. It was in use by the "Lords of the Isles" to guard over the bay in use as a harbor. This kingdom was formed after the Norse Vikings were defeated. The kingdom at one time stretched over much of west Scotland, and at one time reached as eastern as Inverness. The ruins of their main castle can still be seen in a small island in Loch Finlaggan in the northeast of Islay.
The northern part of Islay is mainly rough terrain difficult to access. Loch Gruinart is a RSPB Bird Reserve and Islay can host 32000 Barnacle Geese who stay on the island during the winter. Compare that to the 3400 humans living on the island!
But naturally, Islay is these days best known for her Single Malt Whisky distilleries. At this moment 7 distilleries are in production, and a 8th one is being worked on.

If you like a remote island, left alone by mass-tourism, single malt whisky, and rough Scottish nature, then Islay is definitely a holiday location for you worth to check out!

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Getting to Islay
If you want to plan a vacation, holiday or even a weekend break on Islay, you might find these next links and tips come in handy.

Most people will probably be using the air to get to Glasgow. There are several operators flying to Glasgow, but EasyJet is probably the cheapest, and it also flies from London, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and a few of European cities to Glasgow. Availability and routes are easy to find on their website.

From Glasgow to Islay are several possibilities. You could fly from Glasgow to Islay Airport with British Airways. Another possibility is to hire a car and take a ferry (see next paragraph), or take a coach from Glasgow to Kennacraig, where the ferries depart to Port Ellen. If you want to take a coach from Glasgow Airport to Kennacraig then Scottish Citylink is the service you need.

There are two main ports on Islay you can reach per ferry. If you are coming from Glasgow, you most likely will need the ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen.
The other port is Port Askaig. There is a weekly service from Oban to Port Askaig running on Wednesday.
The company running these services is Calmac (short for Caledonian MacBrayne). Also note their Hopscotsch deals, where you can follow a predefined route for a reduction over the total price. They even have a special Whisky Hopscotch.

For a collection of hotels, B&B's and other forms of accommodation check the http://www.islay.co.uk/ website. There used be the possibility to camp at the youth hostel in Port Charlotte, and a campsite in Bowmore, but these possibilities are not there anymore (although personally I was able to camp at the youth hostel after asking kindly).

If you need transport around the island where the bus will fail you, there is always Fiona’s Taxis. You can reach her at: Tel: 01496 302622, or mobile: 07808303200.

For more information you could contact the Islay Tourist Information Center in Bowmore which is open all year on:

Islay Tourist Information Center
Bowmore
Isle of Islay, PA43 7JP
Tel: (01496) 810254

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On 02 August 2003, John added the next comment:

The Oban-Askaig ferry only runs one time a week indeed, on wedness day. We found that out when we arrived in Oban on friday... Oban however is a very pleasant city, and you can easily make daytrips to for example the Isle of Mull! One BIG bonus is that if you take this ferry, you will pass both Bunnahabhain and Caol Ila in the ferry on the Sound of Islay... A really wonderfull sight.

On 03 August 2003, JeroenK added the next comment:

Oh yes indeed. On the wallpaper page I have a image of Caol Ila shot from the Oban-Port Askaig ferry. Next time I'm on Islay I'll have to do the Seafari trip on the south coast... Looking at them from the sea must be awesome too.