Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 110

spectacular settings on the island - yet Lochranza , despite being the only place of
any size in this sparsely populated area, attracts far fewer visitors than Arran's
southern resorts.

1

Lochranza distillery
South end of the village • Daily: March-Oct 10am-6pm, Nov-Feb 10am-5pm; first tour 10.15am, then every 1hr 30min • £6 • T 01770
830264, W arranwhisky.com
Lochranza's main tourist attraction is the island's modern distillery , distinguished by its
pagoda-style roofs at the south end of the village. Established as recently as 1995 - the
first on the island since 1837 - the distillery produces the relatively little known,
fourteen-year-old single Arran malt. The tour is an entertaining and slick affair,
beginning with an audiovisual presentation in a mock-up crofter's cottage, before you
are led through the distillery. There are thorough explanations of the various processes,
and the tour concludes, naturally, with a dram.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING LOCHRANZA

Apple Lodge The old village manse T 01770 830229,
W applelodgearran.co.uk. The old village manse accom-
modates several beautifully conceived rooms decked out
with colourful embroidery and paintings, and an abun-
dance of an tiqu e furnishings; one contains a superb four-
poster bed. £80
Lochranza Camping By the golf course T 01770
830273, W arran-campsite.com. Relaxed and scenically
placed campsite, where red deer come to graze in the early
evening. There are also a couple of cool two-man pods.
Rece ptio n is basicall y the golf clubhouse (a hut). March-
Oct. £16 /pitch; pods £60
Sandwich Station Opposite the CalMac slipway
T 07810 796248. If you're just passing through, or need a
packed lunch, pop into this super little sandwich bar and
deli; hot breakfast rolls, grilled panini and home-made

soup are sample offerings. April-Oct Mon 5.30-10pm,
Tues-Sun 9am-5pm; Nov-March Tues-Fri 9am-2pm.
Stags Pavilion At the entrance to Lochranza Camping
T 01770 830600, W stagspavilion.com. Accomplished
restaurant located in an attractive pavilion at the entrance
to the campsite, with yummy Italian dishes like pollo
cacciatore (hunter's chicken in a tomato, mushroom and
olive sauce). It's not licensed but you can bring your own
bottle. Reservations advised. Mon 5.30-10pm, Tues-Sun
10am-4pm & 5.30-10pm.
SYHA hostel Not far from the castle, en route to the
ferry terminal T 01770 830631, W syha.org.uk. Friendly
and well-equipped SYHA hostel with views over the bay.
Breakf ast £ 4.50, pa cked lunch £5.50. Mid-Feb to Oct.
Dorms £17 ; doubles £38

Isle of Islay
The fertile, largely treeless island of ISLAY (pronounced “eye-la”) is famous for one
thing - single malt whisky . The smoky, peaty, pungent quality of Islay whisky is
unique, recognizable even to the untutored palate, and all eight of the island's
distilleries will happily take visitors on a guided tour, ending with the customary
complimentary tipple. Yet, despite the fame of its whiskies, Islay still remains
relatively undiscovered, especially when compared with Arran, Mull or Skye.
Part of the reason may be the expense of the two-hour ferry journey from
Kennacraig on Kintyre. If you do make the effort, however, you'll be rewarded
with a genuinely friendly welcome from islanders proud of their history, landscape
and Gaelic culture.
In medieval times, Islay was the political centre of the Hebrides, with Finlaggan ,
near Port Askaig, the seat of the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles. The picturesque,
whitewashed villages you see on Islay today, however, date from the planned
settlements founded by the Campbells in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth
centuries. Apart from whisky and solitude, the other great draw is the birdlife - there's
a real possibility of spotting a golden eagle, or the rare crow-like chough, and no
possibility at all of missing the white-fronted and barnacle geese that winter here in
their thousands. In late May, the Fèis Ìle , or Islay Festival of Music and Malt