Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Islay SYHA£
(
01496-850385;
www.syha.org.uk
; dm £17.50; Apr-Oct; )
This modern and
comfortable hostel is housed in a former distillery building with views over the loch.
HOSTEL
Debbie's Minimarket£
(
01496-850319; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Sat; )
The village shop and post office at
Bruichladdich doubles as a deli that stocks good wine and posh picnic grub, and also
serves the best coffee on Islay - sit at one of the outdoor tables and enjoy an espresso with
a sea view.
CAFE
Croft Kitchen£
(
01496-850230; mains lunch £4-7, dinner £11-15; snacks 10am-5pm, lunch
noon-3pm, dinner 5.30-7.30pm)
This laid-back little bistro serves as a cafe during the day
and transforms into a restaurant serving quality meals in the evening.
CAFE
PORTNAHAVEN
Six miles southwest of Port Charlotte the road ends at Portnahaven, another picturesque
village that was purpose-built as a fishing harbour in the 19th century. A mile north of the
village is the pretty little shell-sand beach of
Currie Sands
, with a lovely view of Orsay
island.
The next inlet to the north of the beach is occupied by the world's first commercially
viable, wave-powered electricity generating station, built on cliffs that are open to the At-
lantic swell. The 500kW plant - known as the
Limpet
(Land-installed, marine-powered
energy transformer) - provides enough electricity to power 200 island homes.
LOCH GRUINART & AROUND
Seven miles north of Port Charlotte is
Loch Gruinart Nature Reserve
, where you can
hear corncrakes in summer and see huge flocks of migrating ducks, geese and waders in
spring and autumn; there's a hide with wheelchair access. The nearby
RSPB visitor
offers two- to three-hour guided walks around the reserve (£3 per person, 10am Thursday
April to October).
Kilchoman Distillery
(
01496-850011;
www.kilchomandistillery.com
;
Rockfield
Farm; tours £4.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, plus Sat Apr-Oct)
, 5 miles southwest of Loch
Gruinart, is Islay's newest, going into production in 2005. The distillery grows its own
barley on Islay, and the visitor centre explores the history of farmhouse distilling on the
