Southern Hebrides, Scotland

The Southern Hebrides has been an epicentre for single malt whisky since the late 16th century, with Campbeltown on the Kintyre peninsula recording its first reference to whisky in 1591 and, a few years later, becoming a whisky smuggling centre with a thriving illegal production of the ‘water of life’. Three distilleries still exist in Campbeltown but today Islay is the undisputed whisky capital. There are currently nine distilleries on Islay including well-known brands: Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Bowmore and Laphroaig.

Caledonian MacBrayne operates frequent ferry services to Colonsay, Gigha, Islay & Jura and the Kintyre peninsula which are also known for their walking routes, golf, and wildlife. Highlights include hiking the Paps of Jura, the 3-mile 3-distillery path connecting Port Ellen with Laphroaig, Lagavulin & Ardbeg on Islay and the long-distance Kintyre Way – a 100-mile walk (or cycle) along the unexplored Atlantic coast of the Kintyre peninsula. Also, in Kintyre you’ll find the famous Machrihanish Golf Course, and the Machrihanish Seabird and Wildlife Observatory.