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The usual gateways to the island are via the ferry terminals at Port Askaig and Port Ellen. Islay Airport, near Port Ellen, has regular flights to Glasgow.
In medieval times Islay was the centre of a kingdom that included much of Western Scotland plus the Western Isles and parts of Northern Ireland. For 350 years from the expulsion by Somerled of the Norse until the imposition of central power by King James IV in 1493, the MacDonald Lords of the Isles ruled this large area from their capital on two islands in Finlaggan Loch, near Port Askaig. See our Historical Timeline.
In 1830 the population of Islay was about 18,000 people, fairly densely spread across the island in crofting and farming communities. A programme of clearance and emigration, plus the establishment of a series of fishing ports like Portnahaven, Port Charlotte and Port Ellen by the Campbell Lairds of Islay produced the pattern you see today, when the total population of the island stands at about 4,000 people.
Bowmore, 10 miles from both Port Askaig, and Port Ellen, is the island's capital and administrative centre and is situated on the western coast at the head of Loch Indaal. The town was founded in 1768, and built in a striking grid-plan with the main street running up the hill in a straight line from the harbour to the Round Church at the top. Bowmore Distillery is west of the main street.
West of Bowmore, beyond Bridgend and the RSPB nature reserve at Gruinart Flats, is the pretty village of Port Charlotte. Walter Frederick Campbell, Laird of Islay founded it in 1828 and named it after his mother.
He had named Port Ellen, which he founded in 1821, after his wife. Port Charlotte is home to the Museum of Islay Life, an imaginative display open to visitors during the summer months and the Wildlife Information Centre, which is housed in a former distillery warehouse.
Following the road beyond Port Charlotte brings you to the attractive twin villages of Portnahaven and Port Wemyss.
Just north-east of Islay and overlooking the coastline of Argyll is the Island of Jura. Its three peaks, the Paps of Jura, dominate the view from the mainland and form a mountainous core to the thirty mile long, eight mile wide island which is the wildest of Scotland's inhabited islands. The the interior and entire west coast are uninhabited and the island's 190 people are hugely outnumbered by the 6,000 deer living on Jura.
Craighouse is the main centre of population on Jura, eight miles from the ferry link from Port Askaig at Feolin Ferry. It is home to the Isle of Jura Distillery, which offers tours by appointment.
Colonsay is one of the most remote Hebridean islands and is found to the north of Islay. It has a varied landscape and is a haven for birds. For visitors, the ferry terminal is in the main village of Scalasaig, which has limited tourist facilities. Important Site links:
http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/islay.htm
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk
