Welcome to Islay dot Scot

As the former webmaster of Islay Info, and a 6 year long resident on the Isle of Islay, I’ve seen and photographed many parts of this beautiful island and came to know many of the lovely folk. I won’t say I’ve seen every nook and cranny of the island, as there are many parts left of the island I haven’t seen yet, but I was fortunate to discover most parts and enjoyed it thouroughly.

With more time on my hands I want to share some of the magical moments I have experienced over the past 20 years, both as visitor, as resident and as a photographer such as the arrival of the Whooper Swans, a stunning Ardnave Walk, my encounter with two Sea Eagles, visiting all the beautiful Islay Beaches or the Corryvreckan Trip with Islay Sea Adventures, just to name a few.

This means you won’t find any advertising or accommodation listings here, nor any of the typical “things to do and places to see” stuff which you’ll find on the tourism websites such as www.islayinfo.com.

Instead, on this website you’ll find many of my photos, reports of exciting trips, interesting tips, some history, lots of photos I took and other bits of information which I think are worthy and interesting enough to share.

About the Queen of the Hebrides

If you’re new on this site and are not familiar with Islay I can tell you that the island can be found off the west coast of Scotland, around 30 miles north of Northern Ireland. Islay is part of the Southern Hebrides. It has 9 whisky distilleries and that number is growing. Rum and gin are produced here too. Other important assets are the stunning beaches, the amazing wildlife such as the thousands of Barnacle Geese wintering at Loch Gruinart and the friendly Islay folk who always have time for a friendly blether, although they can be, and often are, very busy 😉

Folk from all over the world visit the island. Very popular is the week long Islay Festival, Feis Ile in Gaelic. It’s the annual highlight for the whisky aficionados and many island lovers, held in the last week of May. The highlight for the locals is the annual Islay Agricultural Show held in early August, at the show-fields in Bridgend.

Visit Islay

It’s not always easy to travel to the island. The ferries sometimes have their issues, the weather isn’t always playing along and planes sometimes have to return due to mist. But hey, that’s island life, and it’s great!

If you’re keen to visit you can take the Calmac Ferry from Kennacraig on the Scottish Mainland in Argyll and Bute to either Port Askaig or Port Ellen, which sails around 5 times daily, or fly from Glasgow to Islay Airport with Loganair, twice daily. For more practical travel info… Right, visit Islay Info!