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Making the trip to Islay definitely separates the men from the boys. The Holy Grail we set out to attain was the distillery of Laphroaig. The aim: to trace the internationally known whisky back to its source, a tiny island in the Inner Hebrides just off the West coast of Scotland. Islay (pronounced I-la) is just 3 miles wide but has an impressive 130 miles of coastline.
The ferry from Askaig takes a couple of hours and the ambience is much the same as on the channel ferries to France. The smell of chips and booze is slightly overpowering. On the upside, if you like dogs you can sit in the dog's lounge - which at least has comfy chairs - but you have to be quick to grab a seat! Arriving at Islay in the dark is pretty scary stuff. The barren look of the island makes for an unsettling first impression. The spooky sensation wasn't helped by the curious marshland vegetation, which reminded me of thrillers set in Louisiana or something out of a bad Scooby Doo episode. The eerie hanging trees scraped the car as we drove along the pitch-black dirt tracks into the unknown. Having decided to rent a farmhouse we followed our rather limited directions - 'you can't miss it - it's past the cross'. Naturally, we took a wrong turn. A bumpy lane led us to a huge farmhouse set in a Deer Park complete with clanging cattle grids. Unfortunately no one was home to give us directions, apart from a black cat peering through the window at us, the intruders. Spooked some more, we drove off in search of our home.
The copyright of the article Discovering Laphroaig's Island: Islay in Hip Travel is owned by Rowena Carr-Allinson. Permission to republish Discovering Laphroaig's Island: Islay in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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