Tour Scotland Photographs Port Askaig Islay Inner Hebrides

Tour Scotland photograph of fishing boats in the the harbour at Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky. Port Askaig serves as the main port of Islay, sharing passenger services to the Scottish mainland with Port Ellen. It also has a regular service to Feolin, Jura across the Sound of Islay, and in the summer there is also a weekly service via Colonsay to Oban.

Tour Scotland photograph of the harbour at Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.



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Old Photograph Blacksmith Islay Scotland

Old photograph of a young Blacksmith on Islay, Scotland. Four hundred people emigrated from Islay in 1863 alone, some for purely economic reasons, but many others having been forced off the land their predecessors had farmed for centuries. In 1891 the census recorded only 7,375 citizens, with many evictees making new homes in Canada, the United States and elsewhere.



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Old Photographs Port Askaig Islay Scotland

Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.


Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.


Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland.

Old photograph of Port Askaig, Islay, Scotland.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photographs Bowmore Islay Scotland

Old photograph of Bowmore, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.



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Old Photographs Port Charlotte Islay Scotland

Old photograph of Port Charlotte on the shores of Loch Indaal, Islay, Scotland. Port Charlotte was named after Lord Frederick Campbell's wife, and it was set up mainly to provide housing facilities for the Lochindaal Distillery work force. In October 1813, the American privateer The True Blooded Yankee captured six merchant ships lying at Port Charlotte, casting them adrift and setting fire to three.

Old photograph of Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

Old photograph of Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

Old photograph of Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. Islay Whisky.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Old Photograph Port Ellen Islay Scotland

Old photograph of Port Ellen, Islay, Scotland. Port Ellen is a small town on the island of Islay. The town is named after the wife of the founder, Frederick Campbell of Islay. Its previous name, Leòdamas, is derived from old Norse meaning " Leòd's Harbour ". Port Ellen is built around Loch Leodamais, Islay's main deep water harbour. It is the second largest town on Islay, only slightly smaller than Bowmore and provides the main ferry connection between Islay and the mainland, at Kennacraig. The Port Ellen Distillery was first established in the 1820s and ceased production of Scotch whisky in 1983. The large malting continues to produce for the majority of the distilleries on Islay. The area around Port Ellen has a variety of archaeological sites covering the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Age periods. There are standing stones at Kilbride, a fort at Borraichill Mor, several chambered cairns, and a chapel at Cill Tobar Lasrach. Nearby lie the ruined remains of the 14th century Dunyveg Castle, once a fortress of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles.



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Old Photograph Bowmore Islay Scotland

Old photograph of small fishing boats in the harbour at Bowmore, Islay, Scotland. Islay is the fifth largest Scottish island and the seventh-largest island surrounding Great Britain.

Famous Scots from Islay include;

Alexander McDougall, born 1732, died June 9, 1786, who was an American seaman, merchant, a Sons of Liberty leader from New York City before and during the American Revolution, and a military leader during the Revolutionary War. He served as a major general in the Continental Army, and as a delegate to the Continental Congress. After the war, he was the president of the first bank in the state of New York and served a term in the New York State Senate. McDougall was born on the Isle of Islay, in the Inner Hebrides and was one of the five children of Ranald and Elizabeth McDougall. In 1738 the family emigrated to New York, America, as part of a party led by a Scottish Army veteran, Captain Lachlan Campbell.

The Reverend Dr. Donald Currie Caskie, born 22 May 1902, died 27 December 1983, who was a minister in the Church of Scotland, best known for his exploits in France during World War II, during which he helped an estimated 2,000 Allied sailors, soldiers and airmen to escape from occupied France, mainly through Spain. The son of a crofter, he was born in Bowmore and was educated at Bowmore School and then Dunoon Grammar School before studying arts and divinity at the University of Edinburgh. His first charge was at Gretna, before becoming the minister of the Scots Kirk in Paris in 1938.



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Old Photograph Ballygrant Islay Scotland

Old photograph of house and cottages in Ballygrant, Island Of Islay, Scotland. Ballygrant is the longest established village on Islay, pre-dating the clearances and whisky distillery villages on the coast. Nearby place names suggest connections to Viking times. Ballygrant means 'Town of Grain' and the water powered mill, now demolished, was turning oats into meal up until the early 20th century.



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Street View Loch Finlaggan Scotland

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Street view of Loch Finlaggan, Islay, Scotland. Loch Finlaggan is located to the northwest of Ballygrant on Islay. Finlaggan was the seat of the Lords of the Isles and of Clan Donald.

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Islay. The Land of the Lordship. 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 control of Scotland. However, this book is not just about the great men. It also looks at the lesser folk, especially during the time of the Campbell lairds, from the early 17th century onwards.Archaeology combined with documentary research has helped to build up a picture of how the people of Islay lived, the way the land was farmed and the development of local industries, including the distilling of whisky. This book provides a comprehensive grounding in island history for visitors and locals alike, and, for the valuable details it gives on local families, will be particularly valued by genealogists and those tracing their roots to Islay. Islay: The Land of the Lordship.

Street View Loch Indaal Lighthouse Islay Scotland

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Street view of Loch Indaal Lighthouse, just outside the village of Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. Established in 1869 by engineers David and Thomas Stevenson.

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Old Photograph Port Charlotte Islay Scotland

Old photograph of Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. Port Charlotte was named after Lord Frederick Campbell's wife, and it was set up mainly to provide housing facilities for the Lochindaal Whisky Distillery work force. Parts of the former distillery buildings are now in use as Youth Hostel and Wildlife Centre. Others are currently used by a garage nearby. The remaining warehouses are currently owned and used by Bruichladdich distillery to mature their Port Charlotte heavily peated spirit, named in tribute to the village and original distillery. No plans have been formally announced to reopen Port Charlotte Distillery to date. The village is located on the shores of Loch Indaal and is very picturesque with its white painted houses. It is home to the Museum of Islay Life which is located in a former Church building. In October 1813, the American privateer, The True Blooded Yankee, captured six merchant ships lying at Port Charlotte, casting them adrift and setting fire to three.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

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Street View Kilchiaran Chapel Scotland

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Street view of Kilchiaran Chapel, Islay, Scotland. This ruined church, dedicated to St Ciaran, stands within its graveyard, overlooking the valley of the Abhainn na Braghad close to the head of Kilchiaran Bay. The church itself may be ascribed to the later Middle Ages while the adjacent graveyard is unlikely to be older than the 18th century.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Rinns of Islay Lighthouse Scotland

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Street view of the Rinns of Islay Lighthouse, from Port Wemyss, Islay, Scotland. This Scottish Lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson, in 1825, is situated on the small Island of Orsay off the south coast of Islay. Rinn is the Gaelic for point, but in this case the name came from Gaelic Rann, a division. The Rinns formed one of the three divisions of Islay.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.


Old video of Port Wemyss, Islay, Scotland.

Street View Museum of Islay Life Scotland

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Street view of the Museum of Islay Life, Port Charlotte, Islay, Scotland. The Museum building is the former Free Church in Port Charlotte.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Blackrock Beach Scotland

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Street view of Blackrock Beach, Islay, Scotland. A safe beach in the sheltered waters of Loch Indaal.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Round Church Bowmore Scotland

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Street view of the Round Church Bowmore, Islay, Scotland. The Round Church has served Bowmore Parish since it was built in 1767. Legend has it that the church is round to leave no corner in which the devil may hide !

Kilarrow Church is a Church of Scotland parish church, overlooking and serving Bowmore on the Isle of Islay. The "Round Church", as it is often known, was built in 1767. It has a highly unusual circular design, more reminiscent of some churches built in the 1960s. It has been suggested that the circular design was intended to ensure that there were no corners in which the devil could hide. The roof is supported by a single massive central pillar. The Church also contains some artifacts belonging to the Bowmore-born Rev Donald Caskie (1902-1983), former minister of The Scots Kirk, Paris and famous as the "Tartan Pimpernel" for aiding over 2,000 Allied servicemen in their escape from occupied France.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Kilchoman Church Scotland

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Street view of the ruined Kilchoman Church, Islay, Scotland. Many old church buildings on Islay are in an unroofed and ruined state; some have considerable historical interest dating from mediæval times. Associated with many churches are mysterious cupstones which date to prehistory; these can be seen at Kilchoman Church where a carved cross there is erected on one,

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Portnahaven Scotland

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Street view of Portnahaven Scotland. A village on Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland. It is located at the southern tip of the Rinns at the southern end of the A847 road. Its harbour is sheltered by the island of Orsay and its smaller neighbour Eilean Mhic Coinnich. The Rinns of Islay lighthouse, built by Stevenson is located on Orsay. Portnahaven is served by a church, two shops, one also a Post Office, and a public house, the An Tigh Seinnse. The harbour around which the village is built provides the opportunity to observe Grey seals at close quarters.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Bunnahabhain Distillery Scotland

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Street view of Bunnahabhain Distillery, Islay, Scotland. Situated in the North East of the hebridean island of Islay, the tiny village of Bunnahabhain was first established in 1881 to house workers from the malt whisky distillery which stands there to this day and still employs the majority of the inhabitants of the village. The distillery in the village produces The Bunnahabhain (Boon-a-havn) which is one of the milder Islay whiskies available and its taste varies greatly from other spirits to be found on the island of Islay, off the west coast of Scotland. The distillery was built in 1881 and sits below the northeast tip of the island just north of Port Askaig. It overlooks a narrow belt of water, the Sound of Islay, with a view of the neighbouring island of Jura, which also has a working distillery, and its famous hills, the Paps of Jura.

Islay Hotels. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

Street View Bruichladdich Distillery Scotland

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Street view of Bruichladdich Distillery, Islay, Scotland. Bruichladdich Distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery on the isle of Islay. Bruichladdich was built in 1881 by the brothers Robert William and John Gourlay Harvey on the shore of Loch Indaal, on the Rinns of Islay, the westernmost part of the island.

All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.