Join naturalist writers Nick Acheson and Michael Warren on this literacy foray to Islay to enjoy the island's spectacular winter birdlife, varied landscapes and the occasional dram of whisky!
In recent years, we've run many popular wildlife art and wildlife photography tours, encouraging our clients’ creative responses to the beauty and majesty of the natural world. However, despite the award-winning nature writers we count among our leaders, we've never yet offered a dedicated nature writing tour. Until now.
Building on our successful existing Islay tours, we're delighted to launch our first nature writing tour to the ‘Queen of the Hebrides', as this peerless island is known. Lying only 40 kilometres north of the Irish coast, Islay is perhaps most celebrated for its peat-flavoured single malt whisky, though it's also rightly renowned for its dramatic landscapes and the limpid light typical of Scotland’s west coast.
Our nature writing tour visits in February, at the height of the island’s annual wild drama. Each day we focus on a different region of Islay or Jura, and a different wildlife spectacle.
Returning to our warm and comfortable hotel in the afternoon and evening, we explore what has already been written on the subject through history and by our own expert leaders, and respond in words to the day’s experiences.
Typical Itinerary
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Day 1:
Meet in Glasgow & travel to Islay
From Glasgow, we head to Kennacraig ferry terminal near Tarbert, where we take the early afternoon Caledonian MacBrayne ferry to Port Askaig on Islay.
On the crossing over, we look out for seabirds and cetaceans on deck before continuing on to The Bridgend Hotel, our base for the next five nights.
Accommodation: Bridgend Hotel, 5-nights
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Day 2:
Explore the Oa
Today we explore the south of the island, particularly the peninsula in the far south-west of the island known as the Oa (pronounced ‘O’). This RSPB reserve is a beautiful spot consisting of moorland, farmland and cliffs.
After a short but steep walk to the top of the cliffs, we hope especially to see red-billed choughs on the buffeting winds, and golden eagles. Other species may include peregrine, hen harriers, white-tailed eagles, twite and other farmland birds.
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Day 3:
Drive to Loch Gruinart & Gruinart Flats
Today we head north to Loch Gruinart and Gruinart Flats for the day. Managed by the RSPB, the wildlife and flora in this area is thriving. At this time of year, we can see tens of thousands of migrant geese (most famously, the Greenland and Icelandic barnacle geese), wintering thrushes, waterfowl and huge numbers of waders in the estuary.
The grassland and dunes here are also superb for twite, chough, hen harriers, short-eared owls, peregrine and white-tailed eagles (which these days you’re likely to find anywhere on the island and have become relatively common).
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Day 4:
Day excursion to Jura
Today we take a morning ferry from Port Askaig across to Feolin on neighbouring island Jura, which is dominated by ‘The Paps’, the mountains that dominate every horizon here.
While literally a swim away from Islay, Jura is completely different in its geography, and allows us the ‘Highlands’ experience even while on Islay. We’ll be on the lookout for hen harriers, golden eagles and red deer on the inland moors and blanket bogs, as well as otters all along the island’s rocky east coast.
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Day 5:
The Rhinns & the west
On our final full day we visit the west of Islay, known as The Rhinns, the most ancient half of the island with igneous rocks here nearly two billion years old. The coast is scattered with signs of ancient peoples—Bronze and Iron Ages forts and settlements.
There are opportunities for chough, eagles, harriers, short-eared owls, seabirds, waterfowl, seals and cetaceans all along this part of Islay, as well as snipe and lapwings on the bogs, and special flora on the machair dunes.
We have a range of locations to pick from depending on the weather and group preferences. If the conditions are favourable, we can walk across the bog to the sand dunes and pristine beach of little-known Lossit Bay, which we will have entirely to ourselves.
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Day 6:
Return to Glasgow
Today we catch the afternoon ferry from Port Ellen back to the mainland, which gives us a final few hours to enjoy the wildlife. From Kennacraig we drive back to Glasgow to be dropped off at either Glasgow Airport or Central Station.
Please note: Typically, mornings and sometimes early afternoon are spent in the field, and afternoons/evenings are based at the hotel to provide time for reflection, workshops, writing, and sharing of our work. The planned itineraries for the outings each day will inspire our writing.
