The Isle of Islay

Port Charlotte's lighthouse

The Isle of Islay (pronounced “eye-la”) is one of the Inner Southern Hebrides Islands on the west coast of Scotland. As some of the locals put it, “West is best.” For me, it was odd having the Atlantic Ocean on the west instead of the east. Of course, I was still getting used to riding on the left side of the road, so I could just add to the adjustments that I was making. 

Islay, known as the Queen of the Hebrides, has about 3200 people year round (Isle of Islay, 2013) and many more sheep. 

Tourism, fishing, farming, and the distilling of Scotch whisky are the major industries of Islay. There are 8 working distilleries on the island that attract tourists and collectors from all over the world. 

Lagavulin's distillery

Bruichladdie's (pronounced Brook-laddie) still

Red deer

The round church in Bowmore. The church is round so the devil could find no corner in which to hide.

Rainbow in Lagavulin

The signs included the Gaelic names, too.

Fun at the Port Charlotte playground

sandy beach at Kilchoman

With Islay’s touted 130 miles of coastline comes stunning beaches. We only visited a few of the breath-taking beaches, some of which held treasure troves of beach glass, bull kelp, shells, and cool rocks. Rocky outcroppings bookended the more than a mile of sandy beach at Kilchoman, also known as Machir Bay. 

Kilchoman beach

Kilchoman

Kilchoman

Seryahna & Djanko at Kilchoman's beach

Ahmyn, Djanko, & Seryahna at Kilchoman

barnacle goose

The beach at Loch Gruinart is a nature reserve with a giant mud flat and known as a roosting ground for the barnacle goose, which summers in Greenland and northern Russia (RSPB, 2013).  For more on the beautiful barnacle goose: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/B/BarnacleGoose/index.aspx.

Seryahna at Loch Gruinart

 

 

 

Lock Gruinart

The rocky Currie Sands beach held a surprise, the LIMPET. No, not the mollusks that cling to the rocks on the beaches, although I did see plenty of that kind of limpet. Islay is the home to the world’s first wave power generator, the Limpet 500, an acronym for Land Installed Marine Power Energy Transformer (“How It Works,” 2000). I will not pretend to know how it works, but you can find out in this link to a BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/1032148.stm.

Currie Sands: you can see why this is a good spot for a wave power generator.

Currie Sands near Portnahaven

Another surprise was the Dunyvaig Castle on the Lagavulin Bay. This 17^th century castle with an even earlier history (Discover Islay Dunyvaig Castle, n.d.) has been the most treacherous set of ruins that I have seen yet. There is a warning sign before you get to the thin ledge that you need to climb around to get to a crumbling wall with a view. 

Dunyvaig Castle in Lagavulin

Although the Dunyvaig Castle has a history that dates back to the 13^th century (castles get built on top of castle ruins), Islay hosts even older relics of the past. The Kildalton Cross dates back to the 8^th century. The cross sits in the cemetery of the Kildalton Chapel, and the epidiorite stone is in remarkably good condition (Isle of Islay, 2013). Carvings depict David and a lion, the Virgin and child, Cain murdering Abel, and Abraham readying to sacrifice Isaac. The chapel itself is also a ruin, roofless surrounded by gravestones and snowbells (a lovely white flower). 

The Kildalton Cross

Seryahna picking snowbells at the Kildalton Chapel

Kildalton Chapel

 

Kildalton Chapel

Getting to and from a couple of these fabulous places is possible via the public bus. However, we did hire a car for two days to more easily see some of the out of way spots. Warning to anyone who will be the passenger in a car for the first time that someone is driving on the left-hand side: you may experience extreme anxiety. Ahmyn did fine and only forgot which side of the road to drive once or twice, but I was quite nervous because the roads are narrow and I did not want to drop off the side as a big lorrie (truck) passed us. I drove, too, and it is odd how even getting in and out of the car on the right hand side is awkward. Fortunately on Islay, many of the roads are one lane with little pull outs for oncoming cars. With only one lane, I did not have to worry about being on the correct side of the road. 

Even in the middle of nowhere, you can phone home.

It doesn't matter which side of the road you drive on this playground equipment in Port Charlotte!

After sightseeing for four days, my family and I were ready to return to Dalkeith and get ready for the next adventure – faculty orientation.

Traveling again: Off to the Isle of Islay

Months ago, my family and I decided that we would arrive in Scotland about a week before the program began in order to explore Scotland a wee bit. We settled on a trip to the Isle of Islay (pronounced “eye-la”), one of the southern Hebrides Islands. Islay is famous for its Scotch, with 8 distilleries on the island, and for its birds, with at least 250 species being sighted on the island.

Djanko and a clock in Glasgow

In order to get to Islay, we utilized three types of transportation: bus, train, and ferry. Of course, the route was not a short one. We took the bus from Dalkeith to Waverley Station. Then we walked to Waverley Station to take a train to Glasgow. We arrived at the Glasgow Queen Street Station and then walked to the Buchanan Street Bus Station. Although there were a few kiosk maps along the way, we got turned around. The maps on the kiosks were oriented in different directions. Unlike most of the maps that we regularly view, these were not always oriented with the north at the top of the map. As you can guess, there were some grumblings, but someone noticed our confusion and pointed us in the right direction.

sculpture in the Glasgow Buchanan Street Bus Station

 

We then took the bus from Glasgow to Tarbert. The bus driver asked us which Tarbert because there are two Tarberts and a Tarbet. The name Tarbert comes from the Gaelic word tairbert, which means a narrow strip of land between two bodies of water. The Tarbert that I wanted was Tarbert Loch Fyne, the town of Tarbert along the body of water called Loch Fyne. Just a clarification, loch means both lake and an inlet of the sea. Loch Fyne is an inlet. 

The three hour bus ride along the west side of Loch Lomond (the largest lake in Britain’s mainland) and through the southern Highlands was gorgeous. On a few mountaintops I saw snow – not that I have missed snow yet. The road was winding, curvy, and all things that those who are prone to car sickness dread. Thank goodness for Dramamine! 

Djanko, Seryahna, & Tarbert Castle

Ahhh…at last we arrived in Tarbert. Tarbert lies on the east coast of the peninsula of Kintyre on an inlet of Loch Fyne. Idyllic fishing village is one description that came to mind. We stopped into the bed and breakfast that we had booked and then walked around. After an early dinner at a local café, we walked along the harbor and saw a sign for Tarbert Castle. We climbed many steps, went through a gate, and walked on the top of the hill to a ruin of a castle. There are still two walls standing, and then there are the remains of outer walls, cisterns, and other features of the castle. Seryahna and Djanko loved running around and exploring the ancient ruins. The castle itself has a history dating back to the 7^th century as a fort. There is more known about the castle in the 1200s and 1300s. Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots who secured independence for Scotland from England in the early 1300s, repaired and expanded the existing castle in 1325 (“Tarbert Loch Fyne Royal Castle,” 2014). Evidence of more recent residents, sheep, littered the ground. The views of the harbor from the castle are fabulous. 

View of Tarbert's harbor from the castle

For more information, you can read about the Tarbert Castle at http://www.tarbertcastle.info/

http://www.tarbertlochfyne.com/history/tarbertroyalcastle.php

The town itself is a fishing village, although the fishing, particularly herring, has declined. Tourism currently plays a role in its economy. Its idyllic harbor and proximity to the southern Hebrides Islands make it an increasingly popular destination.

Tarbert's harbor

The ferry to Islay does not leave from Tarbert. It leaves from Kennacraig, a few miles down the road. We hired a taxi to take us in the morning for the 9:45 ferry to Port Ellen, the town on the south end of the island. Our taxi driver, David, arrived at 9:00am, sharply dressed, and ready to take us to the ferry. When we got to the ferry, one of the employees hurried out to say that there was no 9:45 ferry to Port Ellen because one of the ferries was being repaired. The next ferry was at 1:00pm to Port Askaig, on the northeast section of the island. Well, David the cab driver (and owner) felt quite badly because he had not thought about that when I called about a cab. He felt that he knew and should have remembered to tell us. To pass our time, David offered to take us to the village of Skipness where he gets his morning paper and to show us Skipness Castle, another ruin of a castle but one that was more intact than Tarbert’s. The village store did not have his paper because the bus driver brought the wrong one. Hmmm??? David explained that the papers come by bus from Glasgow, and sometimes the incorrect papers get delivered. Life on the peninsula. 

Village of Skipness

view from Skipness village

Skipness Castle is equally picturesque as the one in Tarbert. It was built in the 12^th century (“Skipness Castle,” 2007-2014), and its 4 walls (no roof) stand on an emerald lawn looking across the Sound of Bute towards Arran Island. Again, Seryahna and Djanko loved running around castle and across the grounds. The castle would be great for hide and seek. One of the spots that would have been a good hiding spot until you read the plaque; the latrine chute.

David and Skipness Castle

Ruins of the chapel at Skipness Castle

View from Skipness Castle

the latrine chute

For more on the Skipness Castle: http://www.skipness.info/castle.php

David was quite knowledgeable about the history of the area, so he was able to tell us about the castle and Tarbert. He also talked about the little school in the village of Skipness that had a total of 4 children attending it this year. One year there was only one child.  

Because we still had a couple of hours to wait, David dropped us off in Tarbert again and agreed to pick us up for the 1:00 ferry. Of course we had to visit the Tarbert Castle again and take a walk along the trail that leads to it. David had told us that the foot path led from Tarbert to Skipness, a distance of 9.5 miles. As you may guess, we did not walk that far. David picked us up around noon and dropped us off at the ferry terminal. 

The ferry MV Finlaggan is a newer ferry built in Poland. David, the cab driver and impromptu tour guide, had lamented about how the ship-building industry has left Glasgow and now the newer ferries are no longer built in Scotland. Being a newer ferry, it was quite fancy, and we enjoyed the two hour ferry ride to Port Askaig.

Gaelic translations were everywhere!

Once in Port Askaig, we took a bus to the quaint village of Port Charlotte. Some of the public buses on the Isle of Islay are also used as school buses. Our bus went into Bowmore and filled the bus with schoolchildren. When picking up adults along the route, there was standing room (or sitting on lap room) only. 

We made it to Port Charlotte and found our hotel, which is a family run hotel, restaurant, and pub. The Lochindaal Hotel has been in the family for five generations. Talk about local. After a day of travel, we settled in for a few days on Islay.