Edinburgh to Islay

Posted on 2007/09/09 18:45:21 (September 2007).

[Tuesday 4th September]
We checked out of our apartment at the Whisky Society around 9 in the morning, and with luggage in tow caught a taxi into the centre of Edinburgh to pick up the hire car Chie and I would be heading over to Islay in. Vera had decided to remain in Edinburgh a couple more nights, so once we had got our hire car we took her to the B&B where she'd be staying (in fact the same place her and I had stayed at eight years ago).

Then Chie and I were off, and out onto the open road. I'd decided to go the Glasgow route on the way there, so it wasn't such an interesting run for the first hour or so, but I thought it better to be on the safe side to make absolutely sure we weren't going to miss the ferry to Islay.

Our first stop off (save for a quick stop at the services to buy junk food) was in Inveraray. Here we had a quick spot of lunch - the ever reliable bag of chips - and I also bought a waterproof jacket, having realised the weather was probably not going to be all sunshine and blue sky for our stay on Islay.

We arrived at Kennacraig - the port from which the Islay ferry goes - a good two hours or so early, and were then at a bit of a loss for what to do. I had originally hoped I might be able to fit in a very quick visit to Campbeltown, but the Kintyre peninsula is very long indeed, and we didn't want to chance it. So in the end we just drove about half way down the peninsula, stopped to take in the view briefly, and then went back to Kennacraig again.

By 6 o' clock we were on the ferry, and leaving the mainland bound for Islay. The weather was pretty dreary unfortunately, but this did not entirely curb my excitement at finally being on the way to this place I'd wanted to visit for several years now.

Besides, I like boats. To this end, I initially ran around the ferry rather excitedly taking pictures of everything even remotely nautical, although after a while the novelty of that wore off, and it was actually a bit cold and damp outside, so was eventually persuaded to head inside.

We had dinner on the boat, which was something of an experience - having recently read Iain Banks' Raw Spirit I was already somewhat prepared for what the food was going to be like. It was a canteen, reminiscent of school dinners, with such delicacies as indiscriminate meat pie, a style of very British curry I thought had been relegated to the 1980s, and good old macaroni cheese (all served with chips and "veg"). It was splendidly bad, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Towards 8 o' clock, when I was back out on deck again enjoying a wee dram in the sea mist, I caught my first glimpse of Islay - even through the thick fog I could just about make out the black lettering on a large white building. After a couple of minutes of squinting I finally worked out it read "Ardbeg" - and shortly after another similar building along the coast read "Lagavulin". I was very excited indeed.

We arrived at Port Ellen at 8:30, and the mist was at its' thickest - we couldn't really see anything at all. I had been somewhat relaxed about printing out directions to our hotel (i.e. I hadn't), safe in the knowledge it was only a small village, and the hotel was on the seafront - so how hard could it be to find it from the harbour? Clearly I hadn't reckoned on this real pea-souper of a fog! We did eventually manage to find it, but only after I had to resort to the ultimate male humiliation and ask directions - much to the amusement of the locals with whom I enquired.

We stayed at the White Hart Hotel, which I'd wanted to spend at least one night at, as the famous whisky writer Alfred Barnard had also stayed there 120 years earlier (see here). I don't think it was in quite such a good state as it was when Mr Barnard visited - he "found the accommodation excellent and the attendants obliging". I wouldn't quite have used the same description, but I guess it met our needs. We popped down for a quick drink in the bar after putting our bags in the room, but it was very quiet, and we were somewhat tired, so we didn't stay long.

Still, the very average accommodation and even the dreary weather did nothing to quell my excitement about the next couple of days...

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