Getting to Lurabus

The house is reached easily by ferry from the mainland. It leaves from Kennacraig, about 100 miles from Glasgow on the A83 Cambletown, Mull of Kintyre Road. The ferry fare is about £75 return. The passenger fare is about £15 return for adults, children (<16) pay less, <5 pay nothing. There are two routes to Islay – Port Ellen and Port Askaig. The latter is closer, just 3.5 miles from the house and takes about 2 hours on the ferry. The last mile to the house is over a rough farm track.

Things to do on Islay

Islay is only 25 miles long, and yet supports 7 distilleries including the famous Bowmore and Laphroaig varieties, and there are tours available. The wonderful Machrie Hotel has an 18-hole golf course, and Bowmore has a bookshop, some craft shops, a tourist information centre and a swimming pool heated with waste heat from the distillery for those who don't fancy the North Sea. There are nature cruises and oppurtunities to see wildlife such as the pair of golden eagles who nest on the island. There are a couple of bikes in the house and you can hire more, there are plenty of good walks, a nearby farm runs riding lessons and we've managed to catch fish from the coast around Lurabus. And there is of course the heritage investigation aspect - Port Charlotte has a good museum and Lurabus itself is a heritage site. The Oa supported 20,000 people before the Clearances (compared to 3,000 for the whole island today), and the ruins of Lurabus village are visible from the house. You can find out more here.