Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
island. Its first single malt was released in 2010, and was so popular it sold out within
days.
The
cafe
(mains £5-10; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, plus Sat Apr-Oct)
at Kilchoman Distil-
lery rustles up an excellent lunch - crusty brown rolls filled with hot-smoked salmon and
dill mayo, and bowls of rich, smoky Cullen skink.
FINLAGGAN
Lush meadows swathed in buttercups and daisies slope down to reed-fringed Loch Finlag-
gan, the medieval capital of the Lords of the Isles. This bucolic setting, 3 miles southwest
of Port Askaig, was once the most important settlement in the Hebrides, the central seat of
power of the Lords of the Isles from the 12th to the 16th centuries. From the little island at
the northern end of the loch the descendants of Somerled administered their island territ-
ories and entertained visiting chieftains in their great hall. Little remains now except the
tumbled ruins of houses and a chapel, but the setting is beautiful and the history fascinat-
ing. A wooden walkway leads over the reeds and water lilies to the island, where informa-
tion boards describe the remains.
Finlaggan Visitor Centre
(
www.finlaggan.com
;
adult/child £3/1; 10.30am-4.30pm
Mon-Sat & 1.30-4.30pm Sun Apr-Sep)
, in a nearby cottage (plus modern extension), ex-
plains the site's history and archaeology. The island itself is open at all times.
Buses from Port Askaig stop at the road's end, from where it's a 15-minute walk to the
loch.
PORT ASKAIG & AROUND
Port Askaig is little more than a hotel, a shop (with ATM), a petrol pump and a ferry pier,
set in a picturesque nook halfway along the Sound of Islay, the strait that separates the is-
lands of Islay and Jura.
There are two distilleries within easy reach:
Caol Ila Distillery
(
01496-840207;
www.discovering-distilleries.com
;
tours from £6; 9.15am-5pm Mon-Fri & 1.30-4.30pm
Sat Apr-Oct, shorter hours in winter)
, pronounced 'cull
ee
-lah', 1 mile to the north, and
Bunnahabhain Distillery
(
01496-840646;
www.bunnahabhain.com
;
tours £6;
9am-4.30pm Mon-Fri Mar-Oct, by appointment Nov-Feb)
, pronounced 'boo-na-
hah
-
ven', 3 miles north of Port Askaig. Both enjoy wonderful locations with great views
across to Jura.
The rooms at the
Port Askaig Hotel
(
01496-840245;
www.portaskaig.co.uk
; s/d
from £50/105; )
, beside the ferry pier, seem pleasantly stuck in the 1970s, but the staff
are warm and friendly, the breakfast is good and there's a great view of the Paps of Jura
