The Island

Our island is full of lovely places to visit – simply run your mouse over the map, or better still come and see us!

Our island is full of lovely places to visit – simply run your mouse over the map, or better still come and see us!

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  • Port Ellen High Street

    Forget the Zebra crossing in Abbey Road. Port Ellen High Street is now on the map as the place where Dolly, Maise and Kathleen were famously snapped crossing for our latest advertising campaign.

  • Ruined beach house

    Ocean view dead ahead, sky view above. This tranquil spot can be found along the beautiful white sandy beach of Kilnaughton Bay. See if you can find the short cut up the steps and through the Rhododendron Wood.

  • Bridgend

    A pretty bridge, a babbling brook and a bowling green. All is picturesque and peaceful here… until you spy the eerie devil’s tree!

  • Cow on the road

    Now this could happen almost anywhere. Cows take their time and precedent over cars. A little patience can be required, but remember, this is Islay where we say “goodbye to care”.

  • A pole!

    One of the many that connect towns, villages, farms and cottages across the island. In the days when children got about on foot, they’d “run a pole then walk a pole” to make the long journey go quicker, as Duggan tells us in Gigs and Yarns.

  • Japanese Film Crew

    Behind every greta malt, there's a great distillery. Behind every wall on Islay, there's usually a Japanese film crew. These chaps travel halfway around the world in pursuit of the ultimate malt. probably why Ardbeg's big in Japan.

  • Wrecked on Islay

    Well we've all been there. You haven't? Well take yourself up to the north of the island were you'll see great views of the famous Paps of Jura and just round the bend, resting on the shoreline, the unfortunate Wyre Majestic.

  • Ardbeg bottle necks

    Here's a tip if you're travelling around the island and you want to avoid the traffic bottle neck (flocks of flossies on the road). Just past Bridgend, veer off to the left and take the high road, avoiding downtown Bowmore and you'll arrive just outside Port Ellen - Ardbeg's just a wee jaunt down the road.

  • jean's mobile fish shop

    If you're lucky you just might catch her!

  • The house opposite the airport

    Home of Justy, Shorties's only pup and heir.

  • airport

    When the aeroplane comes and goes (once in the morning, once in the evening) Morag opens her teashop in the airport terminal building. At all other times, she's more likely to be found over the road with Shortie's offspring, Justy - the single Islay malt pup.

  • Airport road (known as the low road)

    8 miles of dead straight road. But don't be deceived - it's not dead level. In places the road 'floats' on a peat bog, causing shifting and subsidence and hence a bit of a bumpy ride. Turn right out of the airport, travel this road, following your nose through Port Ellen, Laphroaig and Lagavulin... eventuall you will reach Ardbeg.

  • Loch Uigeadail

    This dark and mysterious place is the source of Ardbeg's water three miles up in the hills above the Distillery. Which in turn is the key ingredient in a bowl of world-beating porridge. If you're up there it's traditional to return a dram to the loch. So don't forget to pack a bottle before you go!

  • airgh nam beist

    The smaller Loch fed by Loc Uigeadail whose name means 'Shelter of the Beast'. Getting dark? We wouldn't hang around if we were you.

  • Knickers on the line

    Could this be a signal that the coast is clear?... Another signal that the coast isn't clear - the Port Charlotte lighthouse.

  • Kildalton cross

    9th century High Cross, hewn from a single slab, a masterpeice of stone carving - and still in remarkably good condition. Kildalton means 'the church of the foster-child or disciple'.

  • Solam 'plague village'

    A crumbling ruin is all that remains of the remote village of Solam today. Legend has it that a sailor returning from his voyages overseas brought a palgue that wiped out the whole community. It's a heck of a trek uphill through treacherous bogs, but a peaceful and poignan place eventually you find it.

  • ardbeg distillery

    Stand on the grassy mound that rises between the buildings and the sea. The sight of the pagoda roofs crowning white-washed walls before you; the sound of waves surging onto the rocks behind you; the smell of malt and seaspray all around you.

  • port ellen

    Travelling from the mainland by ferry, this is many people's first encounter with the island. In days gone by, the puffers used to dock here to deliver coal and leave with casks. Nowadays, the only puffers you might see here are strolling along the shoreline and puffing on a pipe.

  • the post office

    The nerve centre of all Ardbeg postal activity. Today, Port Ellen. Tomorrow, the World.

  • all the peat you can heat

    You'll spot acres and acres of peat all along the island, but it's most prevalent along the low road past the airport. As well as giving Ardbeg whisky its distinctive peaty aroma, it's also used by the community as fuel for homes. For just £10 a year, each islay resident is entitled to dig up all the peat they can heat.