The Laddieblog wrote today about an online petition which started this month. The petition was started by Joan Richardson and calls for a review of the ferry service to Islay and an immediate fare reduction based upon the fact that other Scottish islands will benefit from the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot which will commence later this year or next year. The southern islands of Argyll were not incl
Up untill today I took thousands of Islay pictures and a little over 400 have now been uploaded to the Islay Pictures Gallery, which is an addition of more than 150 pictures compared to one week ago. There are in total 20 albums from which four are new. The new albums are: Wildlife and Nature, Port Wemyss, Kildalton and Islay Shipping. Most of the other albums saw more new images and most of these
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report. Jeremy is into mushrooms and mentions wild food and I found something interesting in the wild as well as you can see in this amazing picture (there's a bigger one here). I took this picture in the Bridgend Woods, at the back of the Bridgend Hotel. It's a fungus called Dryad's Saddle. It's botanical name is Polyporus squamosus and this fungus
After yesterdays post about Port Wemyss I realised this morning that Port Wemyss didn't have its own feature page. Up till today there was some information on the Portnahaven page and I decided that this beautiful village deserved more. That's why I created a new feature page for Port Wemyss and changed the feature page for Portnahaven on the Islay Info Website.I also updated the Islay Media Galle
Mark Unsworth from Islay Studios was kind enough to write some lines and send some pictures of this years Islay, Jura and Colonsay Agricultural Show, the 162nd already. Mark: "The show was held in mainly cloudy but warm conditions and appeared to have a good attendance with many traders happy with their day's business. The overall champion of champion for livestock went to Tom Epps of Ardnave Farm
In less than a month it's time again for the 10th Black Bottle Islay Jazz Festival. A mailing was sent out today with the following information:We plan to announce the full Islay programme early next week, but I wanted to give you some advance notice of our programme for 2008. The 10th Black Bottle Islay Jazz Festival will run from 12-14th September 2008 and will feature the following artists: Col
I found an interesting sea kayaking trip report today, written by Pam, who lives on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll. She was invited by Dave Protherough (picture right) and Emma from the Islay Canoe Club. The trip report is very comprehensive and interesting to read, specially for those who are kayaking themselves or who are planning to. From what Pam wrote I understood it can be very exciting, spec
When you visit the West Highlands of Scotland you're likely to come across an Oban Times publication called Holiday West Highland, a newspaper style magazine packed with tourist information of the West Highlands such as where to go, what to see, where to eat and where to stay. The magazine covers an area that roughly stretches from the Mull of Kintyre and Islay in the south to Mull and Fort Willia
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report with a contribution from Jeremy Hastings and the highlights from the other Islay wildlife and birding blogs. In last weeks report I wrote something about the Rowan tree and today I came across a really nice Islay tree picture (right) which I took in Bridgend, there where the river Sorn flows into Loch Indaal. But as much as I like everything n
If you are interested in having an entire island for yourself, close to Portnahaven on Islay, and have no plans on living there you might be interested in the following article, which appeared in the Press and Journal:It could be the ultimate status symbol for wealthy investors who have avoided the hardships of the credit crunch. Mackenzie Island, or Eilean Mhic Coinnich in Gaelic, is a small and
Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) published their annual report today. These annual reports are not the most exciting reading material so I extracted some information and key figures for Islay. The report says the following about Islay: "Total passenger movements increased by 4.7% due mainly to Loganair operating more scheduled rotations and achieving higher passenger load factors on the G
BBC Scotland reports this morning that the new wave power turbine at Portnahaven is officially "switched on" by the Scottish Energy Minister Jim Mather. The turbine will feed around 100kW of electricity into the island's grid by converting the Atlantic waves into electricity. Whether the ceremony today was merely the official opening or more is not known to me. Mark Unsworth told me he would be on
Many people on Islay know Fiona Middleton as the woman who plays her violin to the seals living in Islay's waters. Fiona lives on the south part of Islay near Kildalton. Today I found a video on youtube with Fiona being interviewed by Megan McCormick from Globe Trekker and includes some beautiful footage of Islay as well. I discovered that this is a fragment of a DVD which you can buy online at Gl
The Isle of Islay really is my favourite Scottish Island and this has got nothing to do with the eight whisky distilleries on the island. I must admit though that it was the whisky that got me there in the first place, through a bottle of Laphroaig whisky. Becoming a Friend of Laphroaig started of a passion for the island that's getting stronger with every visit and after a few visit's to Islay yo
The decline in the number of butterflies in the UK started years ago and at this very moment the decline for most butterfly species is reaching alarming levels. This was one of the reasons that a small group of dedicated naturalists formed Butterfly Conservation back in 1968. The organisation, a charity, has more than 12,000 members and since 1998 Sir David Attenborough has been President of Butte
During our trip in May we had glorious weather conditions which allowed me to take many pictures and create a few beautiful Islay Panorama's. The Islay Panorama Page has been updated today with three new images from Portnahaven, Port Ellen and Bruichladdich. There is more to come but I will save them for a later date. If you click on one of the images below you can see the panorama picture in full
Drive Safely on Islay's Country Roads - Advice from The Highway Code and Strathclyde Police:With so many visitors currently holidaying in Islay, many drivers and cyclists here for the first time, it's a good moment to pass on some information which can help all road users to keep safe on Islay's narrow and single-track country roads. The Highway Code states clearly that: "The Highway Code i
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report with a contribution from Jeremy Hastings and the highlights from the other wildlife and birding blogs on Islay.The Islay Birds blog: In Ian's post of Tuesday Ian had some news of the owls which can be seen on Owl tv: "The young that can be seen on the Islay Natural History's Trust web cam appear to be getting along just fine. Although 6 eggs w
The British Pipe Band Championships were held at Cannon Hill park in Birmingham on the 28th of June. For the first time in years it was held in England again and the Islay Pipe Band with Pipe Major Nigel Morris were there as well to compete in grade 4a. Earlier, in May, the band already won the Scottish Championship in grade 4a. There is more information about the Scottish Championship on their we
The first picture show Don Brook's magnificent B17 Flying Fortress 'Liberty Belle' which flew into a very wet Islay Airport from Prestwick yesterday afternoon 3rd July. Both George Rhind and Fiona MacGregor sent me reports of this unique event and Carl Reavey sent me pictures. Thanks very much everyone for your help!The B17 Flying Fortress Liberty Bell landing at Islay AirportGeorge Rhind: The air
Mark Unsworth of Islay Studios sent me the picture below of a thunderstorm which he took this afternoon. It clearly shows that the long dry spell that started in April and lasted almost three months has finally ended. Good news for farmers, distilleries and nature..... providing it doesn't rain too long.After all our good weather, God has decided to turn the taps on!Tag: rain weather
When I found the winter 2006-2007 edition of GAP news a few weeks ago I had some very interesting reading before me. GAP by the way stands for Grazing Animals Project and was formed in 1997 to aid the development of conservation grazing throughout the UK. I found a great article, written by Dunlossit Estate Manager Chloë Randall, about pigs and (moor)land management. From what I've been reading
Quite a lot of positive Islay Whisky news at the start of July. First of all Response Source published a press release with great news for Lagavulin: "Lagavulin, the iconic single malt whisky from Islay, has again won Double Golds. In fact it won three - for its classic 16 year old expression, for its rare 21 year old release, and for its majestic Distillers Edition cask-finished in oak previously
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report. Today unfortunately without a contribution from Jeremy Hastings who has been cycling the London-Paris cycling tour. Instead another nature related item which is a fishing trip report from Brian Turner from early June (loch Kinnabus picture right). And as usual there are the highlights from the other wildlife and birding blogs on Islay. Last w
It was in May 2006 that we first met Ken and Penny Williams at Rhu House, our favorite Bed and Breakfast in Tarbert, where we usually sleep the night before we go to Islay. Ken and Penny, an elderly and very charming couple from Wales, were joining us at the breakfast table on the morning of our departure and we found out they were going to Islay as well, and even on the same ferry. We saw them se
Due to a planned strike by firefighters at nine HIAL sites, flights to Islay will be disrupted on Monday 23 June. A Quote from BBC Scotland:A strike by firefighters on Monday will disrupt travel plans for about 2,000 air passengers, according to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL). Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Islay, Kirkwall, Stornoway, Sumburgh, Tiree and Wick airports will be closed
The 2008 Film nan Eilean Beaga (Small Islands Film Festival 2008) will take place on Islay. Ray Burnett from the Small Islands Film Trust has confirmed that Islay is their first choice of location, with the festival to be hosted by Ionad Chaluim Chille ÃŒle. The decision follows his recent visit and discussions with the operators of the Screen Machine which will be an integral part of the festiv
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report with a contribution from Jeremy Hastings and the highlights from the other wildlife and birding blogs on Islay. Picture right: Sunset seen from the old pier at Port Wemyss, May 2008.The Islay Birds blog: On Monday 9th of June Ian writes: "Malcolm Ogilvie had been contacted by Richard and Mavis Gulliver who live over at Port Ellen. They had a s
Yesterday, June 14, was the day of the Islay Beach Rugby Tournament, which is held annually and attracts more and more teams from the UK to Islay. The tournament was held at the beach in Port Ellen in front of the White Heart Hotel and was sponsored by Lagavulin. The weather was good with no rain although the northerly wind was rather cold. The Islay Beach Rugby tournament is one of Scottish rubgy
A good tip when you're on Islay is to visit the Islay Art & Craft markets. It's a good opportunity to get to know some of the local artists and craftspeople and at the same time buy locally made items for yourself or as a gift for the people back home. There is a good variety of locally produced items from which some aren't for sale somewhere else on the island. If you can't find what you're looki
The University of Aberdeen is running a study on the feeding behaviour of seabirds and marine mammals in the Sound of Islay for the month of June. We are doing so as a baseline study for several reasons. First to determine the range and abundance of species which may frequent the Sound. Secondly we will collect information in great detail about where and when each species spends its time actively
More and more businesses, organisations and accommodations on Islay get an online presence. It was early April that I wrote about the new website for the An Taigh Osda Hotel in Bruichladdich, followed by five new Islay Websites a week later and a new website for Loch Gorm House another week later.Today I can announce that three more Islay websites made it online in the last weeks. The first one be
Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay and Camilla, Duchess of Rothesay arrived at Laphroaig Distillery on wednesday 4 June at 3pm, reaching Islay Airport by helicopter via an earlier visit to Rothesay. The Black Bottle Islay Pipe Band played the royal couple in, and Port Ellen schoolchildren raised the Royal Standard beside the Union Jack in an increasing breeze on a cloudy afternoon with rain approach
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature and Wildlife report with a contribution from Jeremy Hastings, the highlights from the other wildlife and birding blogs on Islay and a wee contribution of myself.One of my favourite plants on Islay is definitely Cotton Grass, which flowers in spring and can be found anywhere near a peat bog. Cotton Grass looks like tufts of cotton wool swaying in the wind. It's al
The new abattoir being built at Avonvogie will enable the 'Meat Islay' concept to develop - which will be a trade mark that guarantees that the animal bearing the mark was born, bred and slaughtered on Islay. It will enable Ilich, visitors and businesses alike to buy animals directly from participating Islay farmers, either as live animals at the farm or mart, or butchered, packed and delivered to
One of our favourite places on Islay to sit and watch the world go by is definitely Debbie's Minimarket in Bruichladdich. We have spent many happy moments sitting outside on the terrace, admiring the wonderful and always changing views while sipping our great coffees. Fortunately the weather was pleasant enough to enjoy our coffee sitting outside but when the weather let's you down you can sit com
After three and a half years and approximately 200 miles of walking, I (Becky Williamson) have finished my walk round Islay's coastline. I completed the final stretch (Glen Astle to Kintra) on 29th April and decided I'd left the best till last! The weather helped, admittedly, but so did the fantastic views of Golden Eagle on the cliffs of The Oa, the incessant song of the Skylark hig
An interesting article appeared in the Scotsman today about basking sharks. It seems that the population of these huge sharks have doubled in the past five years. Wikipedia writes the following about the basking shark:The basking shark is the second largest fish, after the whale shark. It is a cosmopolitan species - it is found in all the world's temperate oceans. It is a slow moving and generally
This week already Jeremy Hastings nature report number 21 and from now on back on Sunday evening. For those of you who haven't met Jeremy before I can tell you he is quite a character. Besides his vast knowlegde of birding, wildlife, bushcraft and Islay he is always in for a joke as well. During our trip beyond Gortantaoid Jeremy wanted to protect himself from the hot sun while searching for dry s
Jim Eagles, a travel writer from a newspaper in New Zealand, visited the island and wrote a lengthy travel report on Monday the 2nd of June, yes they are a few hours ahead of us. According to the article Jim visited a lot of places on Islay and in his first sentence he starts that when you leave the window open at night you might wake up drunk the next morning. I don't know if the "Angels Share" i
Someone pointed out a Belgian website to me with pictures of Islay showing views from the old days and below them the same view from present times. It reminded me of the book from Mark Unsworth, called Islay Past and Present. The website itself originates from Belgium and is owned by the 100°proof Whisky Club which started in 2004 with ten members. In the winter of 2006 the whisky club did an I
Imagine a butterfly that migrates all the way from Africa and Asia and ends up in May on a hilltop on the Rhinns of Islay. To me that's quite an achievement for such a fragile and small creature. The animal that makes this remarkable migration is the Painted Lady Butterfly and was spotted by Teresa Morris of Islaywildscapes on the top of the Rhinns on 18 May at Turnaichaidh above Kilchoman. A qout
Yesterday we had a witch blogging live from Islay during the Feis Ile and today I found another blog with daily updates about the festival. It's a whisky blog called caskstrength.net which is run by Joel and Neil. Their main focus is the tasting of Islay's fine malts and to recover from the many drams they walk some of the pleasant and always quiet beaches on Islay. So far they have been to most d
As promised earlier the Islay Nature reports nr 19 and 20 by Jeremy Hastings. This time with a contribution about one of my favourite birds, the Gannet and a report about Jeremy's bushcraft trip. Gannet Image courtesy of Al WilsonIslay Nature report nr 19Wow - what a week - the weather has been so kind top us and having spent until Friday in short sleeve order it has felt as if summe
In disguise or not but there seems to be a bad witch on Islay and she writes about her Islay whereabouts on the Bad Witches Blog. A quote from last Tuesday and Wednesday: Last night I went to a whisky tasting followed by a ceilidh. I do have a soft spot for a good peaty single malt, but back in London I probably wouldn't bother to go to an evening of traditional folk dancing. Here, the small villa
Due to my recent trip to Islay and the absence of radio, television, newspapers and internet, something I enjoyed very much for a while, I wasn't able to post Jeremy's nature reports in the first weeks of May. I will therefore post two of them now and the other two later this week. Having been on Islay myself during the time Jeremy wrote the reports they now have an even more special meaning to me
We made it home today after our perfect Islay Holiday. It was quite a shock to trade in the peaceful island life we became so easily used to, against the hustle and bustle of our wee hometown. If you have seen the movie "Local Hero", you know exactly what I mean. And on top of all that, we actually have rain today over here, something we hardly experienced on Islay. The island presented itself to
I came across these very old news snippets through the Islay List, they were posted by Helen Campbell Blair and I thought it would be a good idea to share them with you.Ship Hibernia aground at Islay - 1808Greenock, November 22, 1808The ship Hibernia, of and from Londonderry, for Philadelphia, Jacob James, master, was driven on the rocks near the entrance of Lochendall, in Islay, in the gale of the 8th instant; and the crew, and 70 passengers, narrowly escaped with their lives, and lost a great part of their property. Several gentlemen and a lady of the number arrived here, on Sunday, in the Tarbert packet, and express in the warmest terms, the gratitude they owe the respectable family of Shawfield, for the kindness and hospitality they experienced from them after the disaster, particularl
There is a new Islay related book on the horizon which is expected to be published in the summer of 2008. The book is called "Islay - Land of the Lordship" and is written by David Caldwell, has a hardcover and consists of 320 pages. To give you an idea what this book is all about you can read the "synopsis" supplied by Amazon, where the book can be pre-ordered for £19.80.Islay was originally part of Dal Riata, the early kingdom of the Scots, but was then colonised by Scandinavian settlers in the middle of the ninth century. It was also the home of the MacDonalds who established the Lordship of the Isles during the Medieval Period. In the Gaelic world, their status was king-like and, at the height of their power in the 15th century, they mounted a challenge to the Stewart dynasty for con
Cycling on Islay is becoming more and more popular and mr Islay cycling himself, brian palmer from the thewashingmachinepost and the Ileach, published a new leaflet together with the Argyll and Bute Council.This is a leaflet on the dos and don'ts and the whys and wherefores of cycling on Islay and Jura. Aside from information pertinent to cyclists, there are also three circular routes detailed for those who would like to put some of the advice into practice. Copies of the leaflet are free and are available at Debbies Minimarket in Bruichladdich, the Tourist Information office in Bowmore and from the Ileach office, also in Bowmore. If you like to receive a copy prior to your arrival on Islay you can send brian an email at cycle-leaflet@thewashingmachinepost.netMore information about
Waking up to find your house is on fire is one of those nightmares that we all hope we never have to live through - but it happened to Justin Ruthven-Tyers (picture) and his wife Linda when they were living in an ancient cottage on the edge of Exmoor back in 1992. The house was 'upside down' with the bedrooms on the ground floor and the living accommodation upstairs and Justin describes waking to a strange roaring noise, then reaching up to feel the ceiling above his head hot to the touch before making a hasty exit. Within minutes, the building was a blazing inferno. Despite having no practical experience of building or woodwork, Justin decided to rebuild it himself, and having done so, kind of caught a building bug which for some obscure reason resulted in a decision to construct a gaffer
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature report. There is not much news from the Owls yet, the eggs are expected to hatch early May. What has changed however is the internet address for the Owls! They are now hosted at the Islay Natural History Trust website at: www.islaynaturalhistory.org.The Islay Birds blog: With all the new migrants Ian had almost daily updates including breaking news last Friday: "The first Corncrake of the year was heard this morning, here at Kilchoman, and Michael Copleston had a Spotted Crake over on the Flats at Gruinart last night!" and a day later Ian reports that he had actually seen the Corncrake. This is not an easy task since these birds are very secretive. On Thursday Ian writes: "There were quite a noticable increase in the number of migrants both seen and heard
The sixth of April 1968 saw a new beginning in ferry transport for Islay. On a beautiful sunny Saturday, forty years ago Western Ferries' brand new red and white ferry, Sound of Islay sailed into Port Askaig for the first time and it seemed that the whole of the population of Islay was there to greet her. Captain Angus Mitchell, and First Officer, Sandy Ferguson were afraid to leave their brand new ship as it was overrun by enthusiastic sightseers. With the coming of the Sound of Islay came a revolution in sea transport as far as Islay was concerned as, up until then, cars were driven on to a net and swung into the hold of the mail boat. Now here was a roll on roll off ferry which brought Islay into line with the other islands on the west coast that had had roll on roll off ferries
As promised yesterday, today another new website from Islay. This time a blog about Islay's wildlife called Islay Birder, run by John Armitage from Portnahaven, which is a great area to observe sea birds, specially the coastal area near the Frenchman's Rocks. John's profile on his blog: "I retired early after 20years with RSPB working in conservation. Most of my time now spent doing voluntary bird survey work. Enjoy many other aspects of natural history including mammals and butterflies/moths. Particularly enjoy seawatching and bird migration." John will cover the wildlife on the Rhinns and will post updates regularly on his new blog. When I sent John an email he replied: "From time to time I'll also be incorporating information, updates etc relating to the British Trust for Ornithology an
George Rhind from Bowmore sent me two images of paintings, both painted by David Forrester Wilson, and George is very curious to find out where the subject of the paintings is. Here is the email George sent me:David Forrester Wilson, who was born in Glasgow in 1873, was an artist, taught at the Glasgow School of Art, was an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy and had a studio at what was formerly the Abbotsford Hotel, Bruichladdich, Islay. He died on Islay on 8th January 1950 and his pictures are in many important collections. His grandson has the original of the painting shown in the second picture and would like to establish where the subject of the painting is. He thought it might be Islay but it is not familiar to me. It may be one of the other West coast islands. Does anyone else
Batik artist Liz Sykes, and her husband Dave, have lived on Islay since 1974. Both she and Dave had given up their occupations - Liz a microbiologist in journalism and Dave a technical translator - to come and live on Islay and they were running a small letterpress general printing business, starting with a hand-operated Adana in Dave's parents' ex-coalshed. They also printed for tourism, with Liz doing pen-and-ink drawings for what was upgraded to a hand-fed Victorian power platen press, up the hill in Damaoidh. They produced their first 'Islay Calendar' in 1976. To expand sales to the mainland, Dave spent a day selling calendars depicting traditional crafts from a suitcase in the streets of Paisley - because their by-laws didn't require a hawker's licence. The
Bruichladdich Distillery was the location for top English based digital photographer Andy Johnson to give Mark Unsworth of Islay Studios a pre-launch preview of Hasselblad's new photo editing software. One of the features allows the photographer to shoot direct to a laptop computer, so not requiring a memory card and all the functions of the camera, focus exposure settings etc can be controlled from the computer with no contact needed with the camera. Mark was chosen as he has recently changed to using Hasselblad digital cameras, and found the whole experience very informative and necessary given the pace of digital photographic development. For Andy, the opportunity to shoot pictures in one of Scotland's leading independent distilleries was an offer he couldn't refuse
It's good to see that there is yet another new Islay website, they keep me very busy writing about them. This time it's a website for the Beach Rugby Tournament which will be held on the second Saturday of June, when 18 teams compete on the beach opposite the White Heart Hotel at Port Ellen. The website has several pages including a picture gallery, and other pages with rules, travel and accommodation tips and contact information. Interesting to read was the page with quotes where you can read what the local and national media have written about this tournament. The Herald writes: "The idyllic setting and hospitality makes this one of the top rugby experiences out there." That should explain enough I should say. The new website is available at www.islaybeachrugby.comTag: rugby
It's only three days ago that I wrote about five new Islay websites and today another one has been added to the ever growing list. This time a very nice website designed by James McGregor of Islay IT for a new Bed and Breakfast called Samhchair which is Gaelic for "tranquillity". I think the name is well chosen considering it's located opposite Port Ellen at Kilnaughton Bay between Carraig Fhada and Kilnaughton chapel. A very nice sheltered spot with panoramic views to Port Ellen and the Mull of Kintyre.Samhchair Bed and Breakfast offers one twin and one double bedroom. Each bedroom offers en-suite facilities, satellite television, free wireless internet connection and many other luxuries including a guests' lounge. The Bed and Breakfast is owned by Maggie and Robin Woodman and is built as
The seamanship and outstanding team work of seven members of the Islay lifeboat crew is to be honoured by the RNLI. David MacLellan, who has been the coxswain of the Severn class 'Helmut Schroder of Dunlossit 11' since October 2006, is to receive the 'Thanks of the Institution on Vellum' for his actions during the 18 hour rescue of the Irish registered fishing boat 'Niamh Aine' after she started to take in water in treacherous seas and testing weather conditions 14 miles south west of the Skerryvore Lighthouse on the evening of January 4 of this year. The Barra lifeboat and a Rescue 177 Royal Navy Sea King helicopter were also tasked to the scene but owing to the prevailing weather, along with breaking seas and 6 metre swells, the helicopter was unable to transfer a pump onto the stricken
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature report. This week a comprehensive report and a lot of images, thanks to Jeremy Hastings who spent a whole week on a bushcraft/wilderness trip on the Isle of Texa. There is no news from the Owls yet, apart from the fact that there are six eggs so it's patience for now!The chapel on the Isle of Texa, built in the late 14th centuryThe Islay Birds blog: Reports came in a bit slower than usual, probably because Ian Brooke is involved in the organization of Islay Walkweek which took place last week. Mark Unsworth submitted a nice report for those of you who are interested. Back to Ian's blog, report from Tuesday: "Tracey and the team from SNH forwarded on the final numbers for the year of the count which took place on the 3rd and 4th of April. The tally was 46,
Simon Johnson, a firefighter from Tyneside (UK) is going to undertake an epic journey over several mountains and islands on the Inner Hebrides covering the distance equivalent to six marathons. His challenge will start on the 25th of May on Islay. Simon will be raising money for the charity Debra, which is for people suffering from Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). I haven't found more info yet on how to sponsor Simon, but I will post somthing here when I do. A quote from the Shields Gazette:The first race begins on the island Islay next month, and then the 31-year-old will be getting the ferry over to the island Jura. The run is the equivalent to six marathons. He said: "The race is for six days and the longest day will cover 30 miles. On these races I also have to carry my own back pack. You a
With the increase of tourism on Islay more and more people decide to convert their properties into holiday accommodations and this results in an increase in the number of beds for tourists and websites! In the last few weeks I found four new websites, and built one myself, that I would like to present here.The first website however isn't accommodation related but very much worth mentioning. We start in Port Ellen and the first website is about the Port Ellen Angling Club. Their website provides you with information regarding the many lochs on Islay where there's a good chance of catching wild brown trout. There is a news section with the latest club updates, competition dates, boat rentals and permits. If you want to read about some of the members' magnificent fishing experiences you can t
News isn't always happy, specially not in this case. Today the BBC reports about the death of Marjorie Macgown who died on the 11th of April at the age of 110 at the Gortanvogie Residential Home in Bowmore, where she has been a resident for the last 5 years. Almost seven months ago Marjorie Macgown celebrated her 110th birthday on the 17th September (picture). She was given a most enjoyable tea party with a magnificent cake provided by the Co-Op. Marjorie was believed to be the oldest person in Scotland. A quote from the BBC website:The former nurse put her long, active life down to hill-walking, fruit, porridge, oily fish, and a daily dram of malt whisky. Speaking in 2000, she said: "I think a lot of my age must be put down to the fact that I have kept my mobility and independence." She a
A brand new hotel will open shortly on Islay. The new hotel is located in Bruichladdich, a stone's throw away from the neighbouring distillery, and will use the building known as The Abbotsford, not to be confused with Abbotsford House in the Scottish Borders where Sir Walter Scott used to live and work. I have no knowledge of the history of The Abbotsford on Islay, apart from the fact that it used to be a Guest House some time ago, was owned by Elspeth Pearce and has been on the market off and on in the last years. Whatever the history was, a new chapter will be added soon when the new hotel opens her doors around the 14th of May. The website is already online for some time now and the opening lines sound very promising: "A luxury small hotel providing relaxed & informal accommodation in
For those of you who have been to Islay the phrase 'Islay Time' probably makes sense, if not, I'm afraid you have missed out on one of the key elements the island has to offer. It's what Arra Fletcher told me when I arrived on Islay last year and sent him a text message from the ferry, 'You can throw away your watch now, you're on Islay'. What better welcome can you get, and you immediately adapt to the relaxed pace of life the Ileach, at least most of them, and its visitors enjoy so much. It comes as no suprise that others too write about this phenomenon. Today the Inverness Courier published an article in which the author experienced the same relaxed pace and hospitality that other Islay visitors have. Time for a quote from the article called Islay hospitality still softens return to rea
Twenty intrepid walkers met at Bridgend auction mart Tuesday morning, 15th April, to be taken to the walks start point at Gortantaoid in five 4x4 cars. Conditions were cloudy but started to brighten quite quickly once we had started walking, initially followed by a herd of sheep who obviously don't see much of a human presence in this part of the island.The destination was Bunnahabhain distillery via Bolsa and Rhuvaal lighthouse. Some of the seastacks, natural arches and caves looked superb in the bright sunshine that was rapidly developing, once at Bolsa hill, walk leader Jack Adamson, head keeper for Islay estate gave the opportunity for people to climb Bholsa hill to admire the stunning views back down Killinallan Point and Loch Gruinart (as photo) or across to Colonsay and Mull. The vi
The Isle of Texa is located just off the south east coast of Islay and a few miles from Port Ellen. The island is visible from Islay as well as from the Islay ferry just before you enter Port Ellen harbour. The island, 48 ha/119 acres in size and reaches a height of 157 feet (48 metres) at its highest point, Ceann Garbh (picture), is uninhabited except for some wild goats, otters and (sea)birds. Surprisingly enough the island wasn't always uninhabited. People did live here and in fact Texa was an ecclesiastical settlement and a chapel was built here centuries ago. The same was the case with Nave island on the other side of Islay to the north. In 1625 there was a population of 26 people on Texa and by the late 18th century there were only 8 residents left on Texa. Later in the 19th century
Through the Islay Info website I receive a lot of feedback and thankfully almost every email I get is positive. Most people that email me, either have visited Islay or are planning a visit in the near future. Very often they write about the warm welcome they have experienced and the friendliness of the people, something the Ileach can be proud of. Last week I received an email from Igor, who lives in Moscow, and he told me he had visited Islay in 2006. As a result of his great time on Islay, he is going to write an article for one of Moscow's travel magazines which will hopefully result in more visitors from Russia. Please find below the email Igor sent me last week. He agreed that it was a good idea to publish it on this blog:The Islay is always in my heart and soul. I live in Russia and
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature report. Jeremy submitted his report already yesterday, he spends seven days and nights on Texa with a group of 14 people, a small island south of Port Ellen. Texa was once an inhabited island with 29 people in 1625 but inhabited since the late 19th century. The island measures 48ha and has ruins of a chapel which was built in the late 14th century by Reginald, son of John of Islay. Next week Jeremy will write a lengthy report of his whereabouts on Texa and I will write more about the island itself before that.Owl TV started a few days ago which means you can watch live video images of nesting Barn Owls, which are resident guests on Islay. There are an estimated 3,000-5,000 pairs in the UK and the biggest chance of finding them is on the open fields and pr
The Aberdeen Oxfam shop informs the Ileach that it has sold the two rare old books by G. Gregory Smith, ('The Stent Book and Acts of the Balliary of Islay 1718-1843', published in 1890 and 'The Book of Islay of 1895') for the sum of £1,500. We understand that the purchaser is from Islay and wishes to remain anonymous. The sale was highlighted in the last issue of the Ileach and on the Islay Weblog, sealed bids were invited, and we are delighted that the sum raised to further Oxfam's work was double the reserve of £750. Marion from the Aberdeen Oxfam Shop contacted the Ileach to say: 'Thanks for all your help. To have raised £1,500 is fantastic, and we are glad to know the books will be returning home to Islay.'Tag: auction islay book stent book
There is a new Islay related book on the horizon which is expected to be published by the end of June 2008. The book is called Whisky Dream and tells the story of the re-opening of the Bruichladdich distillery and the expected re-opening of the Port Charlotte Distillery in 2009. The book itself is a paperback, 224 pages and will be published by Birlinn Ltd. To give you an idea what this book is all about you can read the "synopsis" supplied by Amazon, where the book can be pre-ordered for as little as £6.59.Whisky Dream tells the extraordinary story of one man's dream to raise from the dead not one, but two of Islay's most cherished malts. After a hard-fought battle, former wine merchant Mark Reynier, together with old business partner Simon and masterblender Jim McEwan reopened Bruichl
Following is a short overview of Islay news published in the Ileach Newspaper and from various other sources.Ardbeg Corryvreckan: Named after the whirlpool north of the Isle of Jura and based on the legend of a Scandinavian Prince, named Breackan, Ardbeg released a special Committee bottling. There are only 5,000 bottles available and according to the Ardbeg mailing the colour is Deepest Amber and the aroma is Heady, Intense and Powerful. The legend is about a prince named Breackan who fell in love with a princess of the isles. Her father consented to the marriage on the condition that Breackan showed his courage by anchoring his boat in the whirlpool for three days and three nights. How this story ends can be read on the Isle of Jura History Page or you can visit the Ardbeg WebsiteNew SWA
I just received an email from Carl Reavey about Owl TV:Michael Thomson of Bruichladdich has got the latest full colour version of Owl TV up and running on the net. There are three cameras currently operational - a fourth is ready to be activated - probably on the farmyard at Octomore. The bird, a barn owl, is currently sitting tight on what Michael believes are five eggs.Owl TV is available using this link: www.realmalt.com/owl.html. The images change every few seconds and it will be good fun to watch once the eggs have hatched. I will try to have a peek from time to time and will post an update when the chicks come out. For now, it's patience and waiting.....Tag: owl birds webcam
Today I received the 2008 dates for the Visitors Welcome Evenings which are organised by the Islay & Jura Tourism and Marketing Group. This years welcome evenings take place on Monday nights at 8pm, admission is free. The Welcome Evenings are always fun and interesting and I can certainly recommend them if you want to learn a bit more about Islay and like to be entertained with music, song, dance and receive useful information at the same time. The evening always ends with a raffle, a dram and clootie dumpling.I have updated the Islay Calendar and you can find the dates and venues below as well:April: 7th - Ardbeg Distillery, 14th - Lagavulin Distillery, 21st - Bowmore Distillery, 28th - Gaelic Centre BowmoreMay: Sunday 4th - Ballygrant Hall, 12th - RSPB Visitor Centre, 19th - Laphroaig Di
When it comes to fairy tale weddings, Scotland is probably the ultimate destination with its unique combination of history, tradition and romance. Where else in the world can you find such a spectacular natural background, ancient castles and historic places. It wasn't until 1940 that the Scottish law was changed so anyone getting married had to have the ceremony conducted by a minister of religion or a civil marriage celebrant. There is also no requirement for residency in Scotland, although it is compulsory to give a minimum of 15 days' notice of the wedding to allow for any objections. This makes Scotland ideal for couples from all over the world to visit the country for their ceremony. A small point though, if you do marry abroad, depending on where you live, there is often a requireme
Welcome to this weeks Islay Nature report with a superb contibution from Jeremy about Islay's Red Deer, hence the picture, but I would like to start with a blogger called David, aka Reg the Birder. Dave is into birdwatching for some years now and he wrote an interesting report about his trip to Islay in May 2006, which turned out to be an event that changed his look on birding completely. He made his trip during the festival week and as you can read for yourself, touring the distilleries can be well combined with birdwatching. David: "Once we were on the ferry to Islay we had new and exciting sightings such as Black Guillemot, Manx Shearwater and Great Northern Diver. I don't think I had a life list at this point, but the names of all these weird and wonderful creatures were duly noted." A
Earlier I wrote about Tidal Energy on Islay, which I mentioned in the Islay Energy Trust News from March. In the meanwhile a public meeting was held on Wednesday 2nd April, where members of the community-owned Islay Energy Trust (IET) gave overwhelming support to the IET Board’s proposal to lead the development of Scotland’s first commercial-sized tidal energy project in collaboration with The Robert Gordon University (RGU), Aberdeen. The IET website published this news on their website on the 2nd of April and today I found an article on another website referring to these Tidal Energy plans in the Sound of Islay. The article I'm referring to was published on the website of a magazine called Power Engineering and is, as far as I know, the only external source so far to write about this
Yes, it’s almost that time of year again, as Walkislay starts with Donald James on Saturday 12th April. DJ’s walk starts from Dunlossit Kennels at 10.15 am sharp, and will take in the ruins of six former chapels en route. It is about eight miles in total and allowing for various stops for a breather and for food, we hope to finish by late afternoon. As with all our walks, we would request that folk taking part come with suitable footwear, and are suitably clad should the weather turn inclement, and that you remember to bring some food with you. On Sunday, there is a choice of two walks. One from Bunnahabhain led by Lindy and Bryony, starting at 10.15 am, climbs to the summits of Margadale Hill and onto Sgarbh Breac before descending down to the Sound of Islay and returning to Bunnahabh
The Natural History Centre in Port Charlotte is now open for the summer and there are sea creatures in the new touch-pool tank and the refurbished sealife tank, and the frogspawn in the freshwater aquarium is already hatching into tadpoles. The first Wheatear and the first Sand Martin have already arrived on the island, though may not be liking the cold northerlies which greeted them. There will be a slide presentation at the Centre on Thursday April 10th, when we are delighted to welcome back Mick Durham, a bird photographer from Dumfries and Galloway who, this time last year, gave us a memorable slide presentation concentrating on Peregrine, Hen Harrier and Merlin, all in his local area. This year he will be ranging further afield in a talk entitled 'Home and Away'. We can look forward t
In this weeks Birding report more information about the Gannet, which is definitely one of my favourite birds. Gannets are large black and white birds with long pointed wings and long bills. They can be best observed at sea when they are hunting and you can spot them as well from land. Gannets hunt fish by diving from a height into the sea and pursuing their prey underwater, which is spectacular to see. Gannets are colonial breeders on islands and coasts such as Bass Rock off the coast of North-Berwick in Scotland. I took this picture last year and the white colour comes from the thousands of nesting gannets and their droppings! (click on the picture for an incredible high res image) The UK, and mainly Scotland, hosts about two thirds of the world's population of gannets. Check out Gordon'
Sometimes I come across news items and/or rumours that are simply too short to fill a complete post on the blog but they are nevertheless interesting enough to write about. First of all I heard rumours that there will be a passenger ferry service this summer for the Isle of Jura from April onwards which will link the Isle of Jura with Tayvallich on the mainland. For some reason this is not mentioned in the latest Ileach but it seems to be almost certain and will make the life of the people on Jura a lot easier. It will be a similar scheme as the trial they had last year and Islay Sea Safari will provide the boat and captain for this ferry service. The picture was supplied by Mark Unsworth from Islay Studios and shows a somewhat chaotic Port Ellen last Friday with three ships docked. The Is
Two important, very old, and very rare books by G. Gregory Smith about Islay have been donated as anonymous gifts to the Oxfam Book Shop in Aberdeen. The first is The Stent Book and Acts of the Balliary of Islay 1718-1843, published in 1890 (292pp). The second is The Book of Islay of 1895 (xcii + 648pp) which details the history of the island from the 11th to the 18th century. Both were privately printed by Neill and Co., Edinburgh, in a limited run of 250 copies each, and both bear handwritten inscriptions (dated 14 July 1904) from Iain Ramsay of Kildalton to Miss MacCuaig.Sealed bids are invited to be submitted to the shop by April 5th 2008 with a reserve of £750 for the pair. It is hoped that the two books will be sold as a pair because they share the hand written inscriptions relati
Islay’s young film stars were headed to London's famous ODEON Leicester Square early March but a series of travel related disasters caused by snow, hail, ice and sick cabin crew delayed their departure and meant that even though they eventually made it to the Smoke, they missed the awards ceremony. British film industry movers and shakers had gathered to celebrate the First Light Movies Awards 2008 and the Islay crew were nominated as winners. The dazzling ceremony, which has been dubbed the mini Oscars®, was hosted by the vivacious Big Brother presenter and TV personality Davina McCall. A whole host of celebrities were also on hand to present the actual awards including Sir Ian McKellen, Kevin Spacey, BAFTA award winning director Shane Meadows, new Bond beauty Gemma Arterton and the Se
Donald Bell, Islay resident, will be in North Carolina and address the history of Islay during the annual Charles Bascombe Shaw Memorial Scottish Heritage Symposium, which will be held in the weekend of March 28-30 on the St. Andrews Presbyterian College campus in Laurinburg.A quote from the article:This event, now in its 18th year, will feature scholars from Scotland and the United States. All interested are invited to attend. "Since its inception in 1989, the symposium has provided a forum for those interested in Scottish history, culture, and genealogy to learn from top scholars in their fields," said Bill Caudill, director of the Scottish Heritage Center. "This year's symposium will feature two visiting Scottish scholars and two Americans."Also coming from Scotland for the event is Don
Do you remember what happened five years ago on Islay? What made the headlines in the Ileach Newspaper? Today the first of a series of posts that look back to the news on Islay five years ago as printed in the Ileach, volume 30, number 9, 8 March 2003. In this first episode an interesting article about the newly planned microbrewery in Islay House Square, which proved to be a very succesfull business we now all know as Islay Ales: An interesting new enterprise is brewing in Islay House Square – a microbrewery, Islay Ales, the brainchild of Paul and Ishbel Capper, Paul Hathaway and Walter Schobert. Planning permission has been granted, and building work is underway. The hope is that it will be up and running in time for the Islay Show in August. The ten square metre plant will create 90 g
Last Thursday I wrote about the Austin Seven Club on Islay. Several people on Islay mentioned this to me and today Arra Fletcher sent me pictures from the cars while they were parked at Post Askaig, which was yesterday. Although it was bitterly cold the sun was out which provided for some lovely shots of these beautifully kept oldtimers.Below a photo impression of the Austins parked at Port Askaig:Almost like the old days at Port Askaig, the parking place wasn't that large was it? ;-)Shines like new, very impressiveThose were the daysTag: easter austin
This weeks Islay nature report by Jeremy Hastings from Islay Birding: Sunday and a cold windy day brought a wee bit of rain later and Barnacles spreading even further afield looking for green patches that they missed earlier. With the days drawing out the grass gets more light, and therefore more growing time. The week progressed with bright morning and clear skies being blown form the north. On our return from running the Wildwood Wisdom Young Adventurers programme in Bowmore on Monday I took an image of the Barnies and other birds roosting. What colours!Barnacle Geese roosting at Loch IndaalThe air is fresh and folks much cheerier with thoughts of spring! Neighbours brought round their first Guinea Fowl eggs - delicious. A White-tailed Sea Eagle was seen over Gruinart and Lesser Black Ba
While Norma Munro's voice brings warmth and a touch of Islay in our living room, I'm writing this news roundup. Outside the weather is cold and miserable, quite a contrast to Norma's lovely voice. Today I received her latest CD called The Rose, and it's a beauty. You can expect a review soon but the first impression is fantastic! Well done Norma and thanks for another great CD. I haven't found a thorn on this rose ;-)Following is a short overview of Islay news published in the Ileach Newspaper and from various other sources.Road Equivalent Tariff (RET): The Scottish Executive risked further alienating the majority of its island populations when it announced that the much vaunted RET pilot scheme would only apply to all routes to the Outer Hebrides, but would last for a hefty two and a half
About a month ago I wrote about a new Islay DVD called 'The Wildlife Gems of Islay', which is filmed and produced by Gordon Yates. I have seen the DVD twice so far and enjoyed it immensly. Dr Malcolm Ogilvie, ornithological and botanical surveyor who lives on Islay, made a review of the DVD as well which was published in the Ileach on the 1st of March:Malcolm Ogilvie: Gordon Yates has been coming to Islay for more than 30 years filming the island's birds, animals and scenery. Many of us have attended his annual film shows here when he has delighted us with his expert camerawork on the birds and other wildlife not just of Islay, but of his home territory in the Pennines, or further afield in, for example, Alaska, Iceland, Greenland and Spitsbergen. All of those films were taken on wh
The Scottish Austin Seven Club will be visiting Islay over the Easter Weekend, staying at the Machrie Hotel. Club members are looking forward to exploring the island and sampling the culinary delights the Island has to offer! Anyone wanting to find out more about the club should visit www.austin7.co.uk. If you're interested to see the challenges they have to face have a look at the video below which is from their Jura trip in 2004.A quote from their website: "The club was founded in 1971 by a small group of enthusiasts from the Glasgow area. Over the years the membership has gradually increased as the club became better known and now boasts over 120 members from Scotland, the rest of the U.K.and several members from overseas. Cars in the club range from the very early Chummies to the late
Energy Trust Meeting on Tidal Energy: Members of the Islay Energy Trust (IET) will shortly be receiving the Chairman's Report for 2007. In summary, the Report states that despite some disappointing results e.g. the loss of the biomass grant and the airports' objection to the Port Ellen wind turbine location, the year has seen useful lessons learnt and valuable groundwork being undertaken for two future projects. Firstly, the wind turbine site screening exercise has seen 16 potential locations reduced to a short list of 3 after a ranking exercise which took into account airport constraints, landowners permission, proximity to electricity grid, environmental and landscaping concerns etc. Potential hurdles remain however, and it is possible that no one site will emerge as being suit
After their first beach clean at Proaig in February the Islay canoe club achieved a second beach clean last Sunday, this time the beach location was Ardtalla on Islay's east coast. Eight paddlers started from Claggan Bay whilst four others made the short walk to help the clean up operation.The conditions were as perfect as you could expect for Islay at this time of year which made the job a whole lot easier and by the end of the day over 400 Kg of waste was collected which made the journey back to Claggan in several trips in the open canoe (as per picture) which was paddled by canoe club member Stephen Harrison. The second picture shows an immaculate Ardtalla beach afterwards and for those that were there had stunning views of a snow capped Goat Fell on Arran and looking North of the snow
Today a somewhat different post due to the fact that this is the 500th post on the weblog since I started in April 2006, 23 months ago. That makes an average of 0,73 posts per day since the start and it still amazes me how much there is to write about a relatively small island. The best viewed post up till today is Soldiers Rock with 3,654 views since June 2007. Some other interesting facts: So far 176 users signed up, the blog received 905,809 hits and the forum has almost reached thousand posts.If I continue posting with the same average of 0,73 posts per day, post nr 1000 will be somewhere in February or March 2010. By that time the new Islay Hotel in Port Ellen will be opened as well as the new Port Charlotte Distillery, Islay House will be sold, the reconstruction at Port Askaig is re
Welcome to this week's report with some snippets of Ian's Birds Blog and Jeremy's wildlife whereabouts but first I would like to ask your attention for something else. The RSPB launched a campaign against the negative effects of climate change on Scotland's wildlife, a quote: "Without immediate action some of Scotland's most iconic wildlife will be at risk from climate change. We need your help to persuade the Scottish Government to take effective action now. A public consultation on the content of a Scottish Climate Change Bill is underway. This is your chance to urge the Scottish Government to lead by example and take action to avert catastrophic climate change, working with nature to benefit biodiversity, the economy and local communities. Nature needs a voice. Support our campaign to s
It is now more than three months since the last visit of the oil tanker Keewhit to Bruichladdich pier. The tanker is chartered by Shell UK from Whitaker Tankers to deliver heavy oil and diesel fuel to the island. All Islay distilleries are now using oil brought onto the island in road tankers via the CalMac ferries. The Ileach understands that after more than a year of extremely erratic supplies of oil which caused a number of operational problems and interruptions to production schedules, several distilleries have welcomed the increased reliability that has come with receiving oil deliveries by road. The fuel brought in by road tanker is 'marginally' more expensive than oil brought in by sea, but the continuity of supply offsets the relatively small additional costs. The need to use fe
A few weeks ago I wrote about the Distillery tour times for 2008. The official distillery leaflet is now ready and available for download.The leaflet consists of two pages and provides information about the Jura and Islay distilleries opening hours, tour times, phone and fax numbers, email addresses and other important information. It is therefore essential to take a copy with you when you visit Islay. To download the distillery leaflet right click with your mouse on the image and select save target as... to save the guide on your local hard drive. To view the distillery leaflet directly click on the image and it will be opened in your browser window.Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view the Distillery Leaflet and can be downloaded hereTag: distillery pdf leaflet
