Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 113

1

The distilleries
Heading east out of Port Ellen, a dead-end road passes three distilleries in as many
miles. First up is Laphroaig , which, as every bottle tells you, is Gaelic for “the beautiful
hollow by the bay”, and, true enough, the whitewashed distillery is indeed in a
gorgeous setting by the sea. Laphroaig also has the stamp of approval from Prince
Charles, who famously paid a flying visit to the island in 1994, crashing an airplane of
the Queen's Flight in the process.
A mile down the road lies Lagavulin distillery, beyond which stands Dunyvaig Castle ,
a romantic ruin on a promontory looking out to the tiny isle of Texa. Another mile
further on, Ardbeg distillery sports the traditional pagoda-style kiln roofs. In common
with all Islay's distilleries, the above three offer guided tours (see box, p.115).

Kildalton Chapel
Two miles down the track from Ardbeg, you eventually come to the simple thirteenth-
century Kildalton Chapel , which has a wonderful eighth-century Celtic ringed cross
made from the local “bluestone”. The quality of the scenes matches any to be found on
the crosses carved by the monks in Iona: the Virgin and Child are on the east face, with
Cain murdering Abel to the left, David fighting the lion on the top, and Abraham
sacrificing Isaac on the right; on the west side amid the serpent-and-boss work are four
elephant-like beasts.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PORT ELLEN AND AROUND

By ferry The ferry terminal is a two-minute walk from the
village's main through roads.
Destinations Kennacraig (3-4 daily; 2hr 20min).

By bus Buses pick up and drop off on Charlotte St.
Destinations Bowmore (Mon-Sat 10 daily, Sun 4 daily;
20-30min).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Caladh Sona 53 Frederick Crescent T 01496 302694,
E [e-mail]. Simple, unassuming
detached house in the heart of the village with three
en-suite g roun d-floor rooms (all twins) at a very reason-
able price. £72
Islay Hotel 18 Charlotte St T 01496 300109, W islay
hotel.com. One of the finest hotels on the island, rebuilt
from scratch a few years ago, hence the thoroughly
modern, sharp-looking rooms and superbly-equipped and
very large bathrooms (some with whirlpool bathtub). The
Islay is also Port Ellen's social hub, with a fine restaurant
and a buzzy, more informal whisky bar. The former rustles

up sublime dishes like pan-fried turbot with herbed
mash and hollandaise sauce (£20), while at the latter
you can grab a steak sandwich (£9.50) washed down with
a microbrew beer. Restaurant d aily n oon-2.30pm &
6-10pm; bar daily 11am-11pm. £120
Ì Kintra Farm campsite Three miles northwest
of Port Ellen T 01496 302051, W kintrafarm.co.uk.
Enjoying a stunning situation at the southern tip of sandy
Laggan Bay among the grassy dunes, this is not far off
wild camping at its best. Facilities are basic, but there are
showers and run ning water as well as laundry facilities.
April-Sept. £14 /pitch

The Oa
The most dramatic landscape on Islay is to be found in the nub of land to the
southwest of Port Ellen known as The Oa (pronounced “O”), a windswept and
inhospitable spot, much loved by illicit whisky distillers and smugglers over the
centuries. Halfway along the road, a ruined church is visible to the south, testament to
the area's once large population dispersed during the Clearances - several abandoned
villages lie in the north of the peninsula, near Kintra .

American Monument
The chief target for most visitors to The Oa is the gargantuan American Monument ,
built in the shape of a lighthouse on the clifftop above the Mull of Oa. It was erected
by the American National Red Cross in memory of those who died in two naval
disasters that took place in 1918. The first occurred when the troop transporter