Islay Weblog - News Events Information

Auntie Flora's New Shop in Portnahaven

ron — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:24:45 +0000

When one of the two village stores in Portnahaven closed, no not Alister Redmond's shop annex post office but the other one, there was an opportunity to use the free space for something else. Opposite this former village store lives Flora Hutton, former midwife, or auntie Flora as she is known locally. Auntie Flora decided, with her 70 years old or more, that she was much too young to do nothing all day. I have been told that auntie Flora is a special woman which explains the fact that she started a new business on her age. Her new shop in Portnahaven is named Bo Frois which is gaelic for rainbow. From what Carl Grootjes told me, shop is perhaps not the best description for this new venture. It's true, you can buy sweets and local crafts but more important you can have a pleasant conversation with a good cup of coffee or tea and homebakings, kindly provided by Auntie Flora's neighbours. I have also been told that for the sake of Auntie Flora's nerves, it's better not to come in with a busload of people at once but apart from that it's a wonderful establishment and a great addition for Portnahaven and the visiting tourists. Continue to more images....

Auntie Flora's shop

Three large images are courtesy Carl Grootjes

Tag: shop portnahaven auntie-flora

More Islay Streetview

ron — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:05:27 +0000

Show larger map

Besides using Google Streetview through Google Earth and on maps.google.co.uk I found another interesting feature which is the embed option. Anyone with a website can include this embed option in their website and you can see above how well that works. Make sure to also use the full screen mode from the wee icon in the upper-right corner. I wish you a good time driving over the Isle of Islay but don't drive too fast! Take off by moving your mouse over the image above.

Tag: photography streetview

Islay on Google Streetview

ron — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:12:51 +0000

In february I wrote about Bing showing very detailed Islay satellite images and today I read that Islay is now also represented on Google Streetview. I'm not too familiar with streetview (yet) and I accessed it through Google Earth but you can access it through Google Maps too. When you access Streetview through Google Earth you have to look for the larger camera icons and select the Streetview link which is placed under the image. Through Google Maps enter a placename and select Streetview. To access through Google Maps go to maps.google.co.uk and type for instance Bowmore. Click the link Bowmore that appears on the left of the screen and when the pop-up appears click on the Streetview link below the image. Anyway, to make a long story short, I found a couple of really interesting 360 views from Islay taken from the main road. I'll leave further discoveries to you. Below are a few examples of Streetview at Nerabus and Bruichladdich and I think the images look really great!

Nerabus on Google Streetview

Debbies Minimarket on Google Streetview - you can smell the coffee :-)

Tag: streetview

Islay Winter Weather

ron — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:40:46 +0000

Islay has been experiencing winter weather such as hasn’t been seen here for very many years. With local weather-watchers reporting only about 4mm of rainfall during the first six weeks of 2010, this has been very different from the usual average of about 250mm total for January and February. With glorious dawn-to-dusk sunshine on many days, there’s hardly been any resemblance to the usual seasonal rain and gales. The windless conditions on many days and nights allowed hard frosts to settle, and ice once formed scarcely thawed even in the sunshine as daytime temperatures often didn’t rise above freezing.

Geamhradh reòthtanach, Earrach ceòthanach, Samhradh breac-riabhach is Foghar geal grianach, cha d’fhàg gorta riamh ann an Alba. (Frosty winter, misty Spring, chequered Summer and sunny Autumn never left dearth in Scotland).Though the weather has been very cold, Islay’s scenery has been amazingly beautiful and many photos have been taken of the unusually snowy local landscapes. In Bridgend, walkers have been treated to the delightful annual display of wild snowdrops blooming in the Wood, a sight thought by many to be one of the prettiest and most looked-forward-to times in the Islay year.

An old story in the late Peggy Earl’s collection, “Tales of Islay, Fact and Folklore” tells legends of snowdrops; “Snowdrops were said to be unlucky if taken into the house, and perhaps they may have been connected with death. However, there is a rather pretty story connected with them. When Eve was turned out of the Garden of Eden, she was very sad and wept bitterly. Her hot tears ran down her cheeks and there was snow on the ground. The tears melted the snow, and when Eve looked down there appeared the most beautiful flowers ever seen. For each tear, a beautiful flower had sprung up - a snowdrop.”

The Heatherhouse at Caol Ila with the Paps of Jura, March 2010. Image courtesy Claudio Riva.

This story was published with kind permission of the Ileach local newspaper.

Tag: nature snowdrops weather winter

Islay TV New Video - French Islay Documentary

ron — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:16:54 +0000

Although a bit hidden away in a previous post about the eight new Islay websites, I am very happy with the new Islay video website, www.islay.tv, and I hope you share my enthusiasm a bit. Besides the reasons given earlier the new site provides me with an opportunity to upload videos with an unlimited length, something for instance Youtube doesn't offer. Perhaps you remember the post from September 2008 where I mentioned a French Islay documentary for the first time. This documentary is made in the winter of 2007 by a French tv crew. They followed Jeremy Hastings and Donald James MacPhee, head gamekeeper of Dunlossit Estate, during their day to day lives on Islay. A truly wonderful documentary with stunning Islay images which received a lot of positive responses from many readers. Back then I posted around ten minutes, the going limit at Youtube, but now there are 42 minutes more. So here you go, 52 minutes of excellent Islay views, French spoken but great nevertheless.

Tag: video documentary

Snow rain and tears in the Cote d'Azur

ron — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:06:42 +0000

Jeremy Hastings: I was really really looking forward to training with David in Nice. We had been invited to join a pro training camp based at the great Tour De France, Giro D'italia and World Champion, Stephen Roche's hotel and it meant we were to have some quality, dry hard miles in the Alpes Maritimes. Fabulous!

Sadly David was still carrying his injury from the crash he sustained in Snowdonia. Luckily enough our team soigneur and remedial masseur, Peta McSharry, had also come out to administer health and well being and ride with is as well. You will, if you have been following this crazy story, know already that David's achilles did not magically self fix and after a wee ride out at the start of the camp it had become obvious that the injury was much more serious than we all thought. Continue reading....

The riding therefore has become solo this past week and after the hard rouleuring in Nice which also took us to Monaco, Italy and of course San Remo I have spent five days in the Corbierres. That is the region between Toulouse and the Mediterranean. It has been dry but very windy. I have been tired but sleeping well, being looked after by great hosts, who ate well and enjoyed laughter song and great coversation . They are professional musicians and dancers. Great food, good company and a fantastic time. My digs are in their 16th century gatehouse overlooking the river Orbieu.

I used to live in this region so know the roads well and can pick and choose whether it will be hard, hilly, rolling or whatever our super team coach, Colin Batchelor, has set us. Road surface are excellent and traffic very little. Days start cloudy but by afternoon the sun is shining a well warm 14C, so very comfortable indeed. I have been doing 5 plus hours a day- originally it was supposed to be up to 12 but what with David's injury and the first attempt postponed, Colin has pulled us back on the miles.

So I headed west and the rest of team wiggle tandem headde home. I ended in a fabulous part of France, quiet roads, stunning scenery and great food. What more could an cyclist require? It was had being without an equippe and I was tired but got out and rode - rode well and succesfully . Measuring my wattage output and energy usage. It was good. It was also good seeing my dear French friends - to be able discuss weight/food issues with them. As dancers they share the same passion for weight/food balance so it was no surprise to them that we still had lots in common!

It was nice to be able to be part of a diffent nature too with kingfishers, early martins arriving, montagues harriers and egrets too.

Soon it was time to get on the train and all too quickly to leave the relative warmth - 14degrees - and head for the snowy hills of Scotland and eventually Islay and home. The Endura boys were heading south to race in Murcia, Spain - the big time for our young Scottish pro team. It's been a long time for all of us but a worthwhile journey all the same.!

Tag: wiggle cycling

Eight New Islay Websites and Islay TV

ron — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:00:01 +0000

I have been neglecting mentioning new Islay websites somewhat which doesn't mean that there aren't any. In fact, I now have eight new sites I'd like to mention and there are a couple more coming online soon. All the more reason for a proper round-up. From the accommodation front I have four new sites, there are two new business sites, one wildlife site and there is Islay's new TV station, well sort of. Find out more in my scribbles below!

First of all there is the new site of Glenegedale, www.islay-accommodation.co.uk. Rachel and Alasdair Whyte built two fabulous new and luxurious holiday homes next to Glenegedale House and the results can be seen on their new website. I have visited one of these self-catering houses myself and they are indeed perfect for a holiday on Islay. Both houses are very similar, offer anything you need and more and include magnificent views over Laggan Bay and beyond. Continue reading.....

We now head for Bruichladdich where we pass the distillery and close to an Taigh-Osda is Caberfeidh cottage. A self-catering accommodation with a new website. Caberfeidh Cottage is attached to Caberfeidh House and is recently upgraded to modern standards. A nice and quiet base to start your Islay discoveries from, specially when you consider that you have a supermarket, distillery, great views and fantastic restaurant within walking distance. Visit www.islayretreat.co.uk for more information and images.

We're off to Shore street in Port Charlotte where we find a terraced house on one of the most beautiful locations on Islay. The terraced holiday home is called Cala Seimh and offers magnificent views over Loch Indaal towards the Oa and further north to Jura. Although the distillery has yet to be built Port Charlotte offers a lot to its visitors which makes it a very popular holiday village on Islay. Visit www.calaseimh-islay-holidayhome.co.uk for more information, beautiful images and rates.

The above three sites are all built by Braveheart Web Design which is the name of my web design and web hosting business. The next site is built by someone else and brings us to a different part of the island, Lagavulin to be precise. According to the owners of Bayview Cottage this is the perfect holiday cottage on Islay. "Bayview is a charming self-catering holiday cottage overlooking Lagavulin Bay, Texa and Dunyveg castle. The 3 bedroom cottage is only 3 miles from Port Ellen and within walking distance of Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries." Besides information about the accommodation you can also find event details, general information and beautiful images on this attractive website. Visit www.goislay.com for information, nice images and a tour of the cottage.

Regular visitors of Islay House Square probably noticed that Susan Eastwood has started the Islay Chocolate Company. The place to be if you like the combination of whisky and chocolate and who doesn't? I have tasted the very first chocolates Susan made and they are delicious to say the least. It was only a matter of time before Susan would get her new site online and you can now order her delicious treats from anywhere in the world at www.islaychocolateco.com.

Time for some good old Islay promotion. Finding (new) quality videos of Islay and Jura on Youtube isn't always easy. I know that from my own experience and from what I've heard from several people. The people who have uploaded the videos haven't always used proper descriptions or tags which makes them sometimes almost impossible to find. To make your life a bit easier and the fact that I had the opportunity to get myself the much wanted www.islay.tv domain, made me decide to start a Youtube lookalike dedicated to Islay and Jura. This means that I'm building a huge collection of videos from Islay and Jura only, which makes it easier for people with an interest in Islay and Jura to quickly find related videos. Besides Youtube videos I can upload other videos as well which makes the current setup quite flexible. For now I would like to invite you to www.islay.tv and have a look for yourself. A lot of new content will be added in the next weeks so do come back!

From Portnahaven we go back and stop at Portbahn, Bruichladdich. Here we find Rhinns Electrical, providers of reliable power for Islay and Jura customers. Rhinns Electrical was established in June 2003 and is owned and run by Ross MacMillan. Ross previously worked for a large Electrical firm in the South Side of Glasgow for 15 years before moving to Islay and starting the business. For more information on Rhinns Electrical Islay and their services visit their website at www.rhinnselectricalislay.co.uk, email them at rhinnselectrical@btinternet.com or give them a call on phone number 01496 850037.

Last but not least there is a new wildlife website from the hand of John Armitage, who lives in Portnahaven. We already knew John from his Islay Birder website where he regularly posts about our feathered friends that live on the island. John's new site is meant to report and comment on Islay's wildlife in general and complements the Islay Birder Blog. Although not as regularly updated as the Birder Blog, the new wildlife blog offers interesting articles and is a great addition for wildlife enthusiasts. Visit http://islaywildlife.blogspot.com to read John's latest wildlife articles.

All these new sites will be added to the Islay Directory soon.

Tag: website accommodation videos business wildlife

Islay Whisky News from Kilchoman and Ardbeg

ron — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:03:44 +0000

I have a couple of interesting Islay whisky news items for you. The first one comes from Kilchoman Distillery: "We are delighted to announce that John MacLellan will be joining us as General Manager. John has worked in the whisky industry for over 20 years and for the past 12 years he has been the manager at Bunnahabhain, so brings with him lots of experience. He starts on the 3rd of May and will be responsible for the day to day running of the business, freeing Anthony up to concentrate on developing sales around the world." Congratulations to John MacLellan and Kilchoman and it will be interesting to see who will become the new manager of Bunnahabhain, will it be someone from Islay?

More news comes from the other side of the island where Ardbeg Distillery won two awards: World’s Best Single Malt Whisky at the World Whisky Awards and Single Malt of the Year by Malt Advocate Magazine. After rigorous blind tastings by Whisky Magazine’s panel and industry experts Ardbeg Corryvreckan, at the recent Whisky Magazine’s World Whisky Awards ceremony in London won “World Best Single Malt Whisky”. Earlier in February Ardbeg Corryvreckan also won “Single Malt of the Year” from the US Malt Advocate magazine. John Hansell, publisher and editor of Malt Advocate Magazine described the Ardbeg Corryvreckan as “an invigorating, complex, and meticulously cared for whisky.” Hamish Torrie, Brand Director, Ardbeg commented on the two wins saying, “We are thrilled to have won these prestigious awards. With the hundreds of single malt whiskies that are entered for these competitions it is a great testament to the hard work of our Distillery team on Islay and the whisky creation team led by Dr Bill Lumsden.” Dr Bill Lumsden, Head of Distilling and Whisky Creation, explained: “Experiments initiated in 1999, and continued ever since, have created parcels of Ardbeg stock slowly maturing in French oak casks on Islay. These are at the heart of Corryvreckan's perplexing character, teasing spicy and sumptuous sweet fruity notes from the maturing whisky.”

Tag: kilchoman bunnahabhain ardbeg whisky distilleries

Ardbeg Gourmet Ride with Graeme Obree

ron — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:01:45 +0000

Islay already has many events, festivals and other festivities and yet there is still room for more. There are always the weeks in between the festivals and other celebrations that can be used for something new, or should I say something recycled. I use the word recycled on purpose since the succesful Ride of the Falling Rain, organised by brian palmer and his partners from the velo club 'd Ardbeg, now has a one time spring edition due to the fact that the Ardbeg Committee celebrates its tenth birthday. For those of you unaware of its existence: "In 1999, the Ardbeg Distillery started a "fan club" of sorts by creating the Ardbeg Committee. The Ardbeg Committee was officially founded on The First Day of the First Month in the Year Two Thousand AD. That's "fancy speak" for, 1/1/2000. According to Rules and Regulations: Page 4, Section 2, the Committee is established to "promote the advancement of general knowledge and enjoyment of Ardbeg." You can say that they were very succesfull since they currently have around 80,000 members. There are certain benefits of being a member and one of them is the opportunity to buy committee bottlings not available to the general public. When you consider membership is free as well as the other benefits it's worth signing up yourself. Continue reading....

Now back to the reason of this post. As part of the celebrations brian palmer, mr. Islay cycling, is organising a fantastic pleasure ride of 100km (60 miles) over the island with start and finish at Ardbeg. Now this is not only a bike ride as you might have guessed by the name. The day starts with breakfast at Ardbeg distilleries' Old Kiln Cafe and ends with a three course dinner there as well. The food alone would be a good reason to join the ride as the people who have been to the restaurant know. The Old Kiln Cafe is famous for its quality food and when you consider that there will be a light lunch halfway at Debbies Minimarket you know that this will be a great day. And as said, in between the food and drink stops there is some pleasant cycling with other likeminded enthusiasts. In my opinion a day not to be missed and on top of all this there will be a very special guest present both during the ride and at night when he will speech for all present. His name is Graeme Obree and he is a Scottish racing cyclist who twice broke the world hour record, in July 1993 and April 1994. He was known for his unusual riding positions and for a bicycle he built which included parts from a washing machine. Is this perhaps the connection with brian's washingmachinepost blog? Join the ride on Saturday the 19th of June and find out yourself. The costs of this exclusive gourmet ride will be somewhere around £30 - £40 per rider and this includes the food and perhaps a dram or two. The ride is restricted to 50 riders so send brian an email soon to tell him that you will join too!

Tag: cycling ardbeg old kiln cafe events

Linkspan refurbishment at Port Ellen

ron — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:52:14 +0000

Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is currently carrying out a refurbishment of the existing linkspan at Port Ellen. The work started in February as CalMac already operated a reduced service during this month and early March due to a vessel refit and, not really planned, the necessary repairs of the Isle of Arran ferry after it hit the pier at Kennacraig. You can find an image of the Isle of Arran ferry lined up at James Watt Dock on the Clydesights website. The crash resulted in more damage than Calmac staff thought at first as you can see from the image (right) of the passenger walk way at Kennacraig. CMAL has taken the planned reduced service to refurbish the linkspan during this period in a bid to minimise disruption for passengers with the ferry using a fixed ramp for the duration of the works.

The current refurbishment will comprise of steelwork repairs, raising the level of the linkspan, as well as an extensive mechanical overhaul and lifting rope replacement along with painting. The linkspan will be lifted from its current location for the works, scheduled from 15th February – 9th March 2010. CMAL has consulted with Diageo who have programmed grain deliveries around these dates to minimise resulting ferry diversions to Port Askaig. CFL will also alert passengers should severe weather result in further diversions to Port Askaig. If all goes as planned normal timetable service will resume tomorrow but make sure to check the Calmac website for the latest information and updates.

Update: When I wrote this post yesterday I already had a feeling that more disruptions would be likely, after all the Isle of Arran ferry has not returned from dock yet. As a result there will be more disruptions. Check out the link above for the latest info.

Tag: ferry travel linkspan port ellen