Things you didn't know about... the Isle of Islay

You need to be determined to get to the Isle of Islay

The seas around the Isle of Islay are some of the most dangerous in the world. Thousands of lives have been lost in shipwrecks around the Isle of Islay, mainly to the south and west. There are over 250 wrecks in the waters around the island, including a luxury liner, an American troopship, a refugee transport and a German U-boat. Many of these wrecks are now dived for sport.

The Isle of Islay has been continually inhabited for at least 10,000 years

Many of these years have been turbulent, particularly in the 1800's during the infamous Highland Clearances, where hundreds of crofter families were expelled from their land, to make way for sheep. A few became fishermen, but most shipped off to the New World, especially Canada. Once there were 15,000 living here, but now the populaton stands at around 3,500.

The Isle of Islay—where the sand "sings"

A strange phenomenon exhibited by some beaches on the Isle of Islay is "singing sand", where stamping on or rubbing the beach produces an eerie harmonic effect. The winds over the dunes can sometimes create the same effect.

Isle of Islay landowner destroys village to improve his view

In the 1700s one of the Campbell lairds decided that the village of Kilarrow spoiled his view of the loch from Islay House—so naturally he had the whole village demolished.

It's whisky business on the Isle of Islay

The Isle of Islay produces some of the finest whiskies in the world. The eight distilleries on the island produce a wide spectrum of whiskies, ranging from the full and fruity Bowmore to the peaty and complex Laphroaig. This—and tourism—are the main industries here.

There are 17 famous Celtic crosses on the Isle of Islay

Dating from the fifth to the 17th centuries, these crosses are spectacular evidence of Islay's Christian and Gaelic heritage. Mostly bas-reliefs of intricate knotwork and representations of various saints, these beautiful objects are largely still in their original spots.

Wave hello to the Isle of Islay

The Limpet 500—installed in 2000—is an entirely land-based wave energy converter that generates enough electricity to power 350 homes. It was the world's first commercial wave power converter.