Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Port Askaig
Islay's other ferry connection with the mainland, and its sole link with Colonsay and
Jura, is from Port Askaig , a scattering of buildings which tumbles down a little cove by
the narrowest section of the Sound of Islay or Caol Ila. There's next to nothing here,
save for a hotel, shop and post office.
1
ARRIVAL AND TOURS
PORT ASKAIG
By ferry To all intents and purposes, Port Askaig is the
second of the island's main ferry terminals.
Destinations Colonsay (Wed 1 daily; 1hr 10min); Feolin ferry
to Jura (Mon-Sat hourly, Sun 7 daily; 5min); Kennacraig (3-4
daily; 2hr 5min).
By bus Buses depart from a spot just up from the
ferry terminal.
Destinations Bowmore (Mon-Sat 6-8 daily, Sun 4 daily;
25min).
Boat tours For high-adrenalin boat trips, contact Islay
Sea Safari ( T 01496 40510), which is based in Port Askaig
and best known for whizzing round the distilleries in a
rigid inflatable.
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Ì Kilmeny Farmhouse Ballygrant T 01496 840668,
W kilmeny.co.uk. Three miles south of Port Askaig, this
whitewashed farmhouse is a place that richly deserves all
the superlatives it regularly receives. Antique furnishings,
locally made fabrics and slipper baths feature in some or
all of the four colour-coordinated rooms. You can expect to
be well pampered for the duration of your stay, and the
gourmet breakfast is a real treat, comprising, among other
things, fresh fruit salad, poached plu ms, an d smoked
salmon and scrambled eggs. March-Nov. £125
Port Askaig Hotel Opposite the ferry terminal T 01496
840245, W portaskaig.co.uk. Brilliantly convenient for the
ferry and with wonderful views over to the Paps of Jura,
though there's no doubt that this warm and welcoming hotel
could do with a lick of paint here and there. Both the
restaurant and bar of the Port Askaig Hotel are busy, convivial
places any night of the week, popular with local fishermen
and tourists alike. The restaurant serves a quality menu of
seafood, while the snug, low-ceilinged Port Bar (allegedly
dating back to the sixteenth century) is about as relaxing a
place as you could wish for. Restaurant daily noon -2.30pm
& 6.30-10.30pm; bar daily 11am-11pm. £125
Isle of Jura
Twenty-eight miles long and eight miles wide, the long whale-shaped island of JURA is
one of the wildest and most mountainous of the Inner Hebrides, its entire west coast
uninhabited and inaccessible except to the dedicated walker. The distinctive Paps of
Jura - so called because of their smooth breast-like shape, though there are, in fact,
three of them - seem to dominate every view of the west coast of Argyll, their glacial
rounded tops covered in a light dusting of quartzite scree. The island's name is
commonly thought to derive from the Norse dyr-oe (deer island) and, appropriately
enough, the current deer population of 6000 outnumbers the 180 humans 33 to 1;
other wildlife to look out for include mountain hares and eagles. With just one road,
which sticks to the more sheltered eastern coast of the island, and only one hotel, a
couple of B&Bs and some self-catering cottages, Jura is an ideal place to go for peace
and quiet and some great walking.
Jura House
Five miles south of the ferry terminal • Daily 9am-5pm; tea tent June-Aug Mon-Fri • £2.50
Five miles south of the ferry terminal are the lovely wooded grounds of Jura House ,
originally built by the Campbells in the early nineteenth century. Pick up a booklet at
the entrance to the grounds, and follow the path that takes you down to the sandy
shore, a perfect picnic spot in fine weather. Closer to the house itself, there's an idyllic
walled garden , divided in two by a natural rushing burn that tumbles down in steps.
The garden specializes in antipodean plants, which flourish in the frost-free climate; in
season, you can buy some of the garden's organic produce or take tea in the tea tent.
 
 
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