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Islay and Jura: oak casks and the Atlantic realm. 7 nights, £2000.


  • Bridgend, Islay, PA44 7PB (map)

Islay remains our favourite Scottish island, and one we’ve visIited more than 20 times since the mid-1980’s. It’s the mix of cultural landscape and wilderness, of bright green pastures abutted by moorland and a coastline worried ragged by the Atlantic, that make it so enchanting. That, along with huge skeins of barnacle and white fronted geese, seals, goats and choughs, keeps drawing us back. Oh, and there are the distilleries and lighthouses too.

During the Retreat, we’ll visit all of our favourite haunts, at just the right time of day–or night. There is almost no light pollution away from our base near Bridgend in the centre of Islay, providing good conditions for astro-photography, with an old chapel as a foreground to boot. We’ll also do some light painting at dusk as well as visit a tiny bay with some of the most exquisitely patterned rocks in the Hebrides. Weather permitting, we will spend a day on the neighbouring island of Jura to try to photograph the plentiful red deer there.

Islay Estates is providing us with fabulous en-suite accommodation at Ceannloch House and an adjacent property from which is it easy to access all parts of the island within half an hour. For more information, please email us and we’ll set up a call with you.

23rd - 30th October 2021, £2000, includes transfers to and from Port Ellen- Post Askaig, Islay, all meals, accommodation, guiding, tuition and trans- port during the Retreat. No single room supplement. DOWNLOAD THE PDF BROCHURE HERE.