Day Twelve (Monday)
Today is bitter-sweet. It is our last day of exploring this extraordinary island Islay. No distilleries today, just historical sites and seeing this incredible landscape. Again, we allowed the morning to come to us. Breakfast at the Inn before heading out to the Church on the south end of the island. The cross in the churchyard has been there for 1,300 years. After spending some time there, our next adventure was to head to the American monument. But we decided to head further south and see the coast before heading to the monument. At first, the drive was regular, but then we ran into a traffic jam (sort of). We had some cows in the road that thought we were part of the herd. I can’t blame the cows; they do have a fantastic view.
The American monument was stop number two. For whatever reason, I thought that we would be able to drive right up to it. I wasn’t expecting the mile hike. Though it was a nice walk, and we needed the steps. The views were outstanding, and even the little rain didn’t slow us down.
With the day running down, we headed to the north end of the island to see if we had time to jump over to Jura and possibly see a little of that island. We arrived around 2:45, and the next ferry left at 3:15. We were the first car in line. The guy we gave our money to was surprised that we were not spending the night because the return ferry was running at 3:45, 4:45, and 5:45 – not much time to explore. However, it ended up being the right amount of time. The 20-minute drive around the island to the town was spectacular, and we got there before the distillery closed and Katy even got a pint of beer from the bar before headed back and made the 4:45 ferry. We even had a few minutes to spear. I have to say that the drive was incredible. Katy captured some great photos and even a video, but you’ll have to wait to see that later.
We had dinner at the Islay Inn, mainly because it was the only place open because Sea Salt is closed on Monday nights. But that was ok for us because the Islay Inn’s food is excellent and the people there are even better. Finally, we strolled, knowing that this was our last pint at No 1 Charlotte. However, we didn’t want the night to end. If you are ever in Port Ellen, you must stop by the pub at No 1. Charlotte – Ann is the best!
www.tsallenphotos.com 