Welcome to Port Ellen. This lovely town is in the south of Islay, built around Leodamais Bay Port Ellen was founded in 1821 by Walter Frederick Campbell who named it after his wife.
Today Port Ellen is the largest town in Islay and has quite a few distilleries.
I continued my drive around the Rinns of Islay. From the South head back to Port Charlotte along the western coast.
The Rinns of Isay is a peninsula in the west of Islay.
A short walk on the beach in Lossit Bay.
There are nine working distilleries in Islay, the first one I visited was Bruichladdich in Port Charlotte on the way home.
Bruichladdich was built in 1881 by the Harvey brothers. The Harveys were a dynastic whisky family that had owned two Glasgow distilleries since 1770, and they used an inheritance to open up a third one in Islay. Back then, it was a state-of-the-art, modern working distillery, especially compared to other ones in Islay, which started in farmhouses.
It is just a short walk from Portnahavn to Port Wemyss – a lovely fishing village on the southern tip of the Rhinns of Islay.
Opposite the Rhinns of Islay lighthouse – I followed the “Path of the Fisherman”. A lovely coastal path with information about Port Wemyss and the area.
Going back to Portnahaven – a bus stop perfect for a little break.
