Islay lies in the Southern Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Though justly famous for its peaty whiskies, visitors will also love the stunning coastal scenery, diverse wildlife and the local ingredients that make Scottish cuisine so fresh.

It was a fabulous weekend in England, with gloriously crisp sunny winter days. Unfortunately, that was 11 hours behind us, the rain had started near Glasgow and now we awoke to shades of grey and drizzle.

However, it was still atmospheric and beautiful as we wound around Loch Lomond then dropped down to follow Loch Fyne. Too early for the famous Loch Fyne Oyster Bar, we stopped for coffee at the cosy George Inn in Inverary. This attractive Georgian town, albeit in an austere northern style of Georgian, was built by the Duke of Argyll in 1770. His castle nestles under the crags on the edge of town. A Highlander stands at the edge of the loch, an elegant war memorial.

The ferry dithered but confirmed we were on two hours before it was due to leave. A sparkling white with lots of faux walnut veneer inside, it was quite a jolly ship. Grabbing a seat at the front we settled down to watch the unfolding landscape of low rugged islands, the Paps of Jura offering tantalizing glimpses of their high peaks through billowing grey clouds.

The naked land lay to each side as we passed down the channel with Jura to our right and Islay to our left, the islands having the rusty autumn colours of an old fashioned map, each contour visible on their bare jumbled hills. Jura is made up of a few large estates, Islay is the more low lying and agricultural of the two – and of course it is famous for its whiskey distilleries. A week of exploration lay ahead of us.

Whisky Galore

A disparate group of people rocked up at Kilchoman House: no wonder we needed the whisky! Islay has a history of distilling going back to the 1400’s, much of it illegal. A plentiful supply of water, peat and barley lent itself to whisky making and produced the full flavoured whiskies which makes Islay world famous today. We were spoilt for choice with 8 distilleries but each was different and there were a great variety of tours to choose from.

A new 3 mile path and cycle way now runs between Port Ellen and Ardbeg, passing Lagavulin and Laphroaig en route. It is a great way to spend a day, there are superb sea views and an excellent café at Ardbeg. We particularly enjoyed the cask tasting at Lagavulin with the master whisky maker Iain McArthur, who had a dry sense of humour and was very informative, though it was rather alarming to be drinking 57° proof whisky at 10.30 am!

Bruichladdich was another favourite with its smart turquoise livery that is supposed to mirror the colour of the sea, albeit not on a grey day in November. There is a strong sense of terroir due to it once been run by a vintner and they are quite experimentative, proving that you can have a big peaty malt after only 5 years in a cask. The Botanist, a beautifully smooth gin, is also produced there: they employ a full time forager to collect all the local herbs and flowers.

Around the Oa

But enough of alcohol and let’s hit the cliffs to blow the cobwebs away! The southernmost part of the island is called the Oa and is as wild and rugged as they come. On its tip, the stark lighthouse style monument marks two American marine tragedies: on 5th February 1918 the Tuscania sank with 266 lives after been torpedoed by a German U boat 7 miles offshore, then on 6th October HMS Otranto was lost with 431 lives after colliding with another troopship.

There is a beautiful circular walk to the monument which follows the high cliffs with views of lonely beaches and boggy mountains. In fact, one can walk pretty much anywhere but be warned: once off track and very often on it, the going is hard work over invariably a bog with big tussocky grass. On another day, we visited the stunning bay at Kintra and walked above on the hills through tumble down long abandoned villages to a wild coast. Herds of feral goats grazed perilously close to cliff edges: some people say they originated from Armada shipwrecks.

Wildlife in the West

Another monument of an equally sombre nature is found at Sanaigmore to commemorate the Exmouth of Newcastle wreck in April 1847.  241 Irish emigrants, many of them children, died. One can drive right up to this one but there is a lovely bay beyond it and steep cliffs above for dramatic views. It is a good place to see choughs, a rare black bird from the crow family with red beak and legs – they like foraging in cow pats, though here one of the locals feeds them to attract them in.

Nearby is Loch Gruinart which has some RSPB bird watching hides. Some 40,000 geese arrive every year from Greenland to winter in the milder climate and can be seen in great numbers in the fields beside the roads. The farmers are unable to sow any crops until their departure in April time so they are not always popular. However, I enjoyed watching them wing their way in at dusk with their soft honking filling the air.

At the end of the road there is more nice coastal walking at Ardnave. It is worth looking out for seals and otters, whilst hen harriers are often seen hovering overhead. In the more remote areas, there is a healthy population of red deer. In the coves north of Bunnahabhain are more otter hotspots: they were recently filmed for a TV nature programme.

Ancient History

I was surprised by the number of ruined churches on the island, mute testimony to highland clearances and famines. These were usually built on top of much more ancient structures and their grounds often contained ornately carved stone crosses.

Just beyond Ardbeg, along a very scenic coastal road, are the ruins of the 13th century Kildaton Chapel with an 8th century blue stone cross. There is a 15th century version at Kilchoman and on the cliffs just beyond one can find the neat War Grave cemetery of those who died on the Otranto. The sweeping golden sands of Machir Bay lie below – it is said to be one of the best beaches on the island, though there are many contenders.

I particularly liked the desolate ruins at Finlaggen, once seat of the Lord of the Isles who ruled the western isles and Kintyre for 400 years from the 1200’s. The islands in the loch are approached through nodding reed beds and though there are mostly just jumbled rocky foundations remaining, the old chapel has some remarkable gravestones, including a richly carved one for a child and another with a Highlander in full dress. On a grey November day with the water running so high over the approaching duckboards that we had to take off our shoes and paddle it was an evocative place.

Town and Country

But Islay is full of such pockets of wild beauty. Take a drive to the south to Portnahaven and Port Wemyss to see the little fishing villages and the Rhinns of Islay lighthouse, built by Robert Louis Stevenson’s father in 1825.

The villages were all largely planned and built by the Campbell’s, long-time owners of the island. Bowmore is the màin shopping centre for all supplies and has a good butcher. There is an unusual round church at the top of its main street – apparently to avoid giving the devil any corners to hide in!

Check out the pubs, some admittedly a little behind in the design stakes but cosy enough, though I did like the cool Islay cushions at the Ballygrant Inn plus its amazing bar with over 300 whisky bottles on display.

We were spoilt too in the self catering department: on the east side of Loch Gruinart we tracked down some of the plumpest, juiciest oysters in the British Isles, and the scallops were pretty good too. Other delights include the wild venison and lambfrom the herds that graze on the salty pastures.

Shopping wise, there is one essential stop: if tweed is your thing and even if it isn’t – I’ll admit I was pleasantly surprised – the Islay Tweed Woolen Mill is brilliant. Not only do they have 2 Spinning Jennies – quite impressive: these things started the Industrial Revolution – but a wonderfully colourful range of tweed designs, as well as irresistible handbags, lampshades and other goodies. A friendly Yorkshire manager is happy to show visitors around the old factory and not one of our party came out empty handed.

Nearby we found the Re-Jig centre which is basically a big charity shop in a warehouse just to the west of Bridgend where they also make cool furniture made from the old whisky casks. You might also find some local stuff like the branded whisky glasses or jugs – I bought a great decanter in the shape of a Highlander which also played Auld Lang Syne!

Despite some days of unsettled weather, Islay certainly lived up to all our expectations, so much so that there was talk of doing it all again next year.  I’ll drink to that!