Am Fasgadh (in gaelic this means the shelter/refuge) is a two bedroomed cottage that overlooks Loch Indaal, in Port Charlotte. The cottage sits in its own grounds, it has a big front garden, to sit in and enjoy the view and a large garden at the back with picnic bench. Off road parking is provided at the top of the drive in front of the garage (use of garage is not included). The cottage also has partial disabled facilities (further details on request).
The accommodation consists of two bedrooms - one double & a single bedroom, bed linen and towels are provided, (however if you prefer you can take your own). The sitting room also has a double sofa bed, so the cottage can sleep between 3 and 5 people comfortably, a shower room with a walk-in electric shower, wash basin and toilet. The cottage has a well equipped kitchen with electric cooker, fridge/freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer and microwave.
The large front window in the sitting room gives a wonderful panoramic view of the far side of the island and Loch Indaal (see picture). On a clear day, in the distance past the Oa, the furthest point you can see from the window, you can see the Antrim coast in Northern Ireland.
Also in the sitting room there is a TV and video, a selection of videos are provided, and they can also be rented from the post office in the village. A mini hi-fi is provided and in the hall there is a bookcase with a selection of books to read for down at the beach or those lazy days sitting in the garden.
Well behaved dogs are welcome!
Please note for safety purposes: Smoking is only permitted in the sitting room
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAY
Port Charlotte is an ideal base from which to explore Islay, and there is plenty to do in the village itself, The Museum of Islay Life, the Islay Wildlife Information Centre and there is a safe sandy beach, by the pier. The village has a small shop and petrol station, with two hotels - the Lochindaal Hotel and the Port Charlotte Hotel and the Croft Kitchen Restaurant if you prefer to eat out.
Heading towards Bowmore the first village you reach is Bruichladdich where you can visit the distillery, there is also a small shop/post office. There is also a well stocked shop and freezer shop in Bridgend. For more extensive shopping, Bowmore is only a 15 minute drive away and has a Co-op, various shops and a swimming pool leisure centre near to the Bowmore distillery, the Round Church is open to visitors and is worth a visit. Islay also boasts many sandy beaches, an excellent par 71 links golf course at the Machrie hotel and some of the activities available are horse riding, cycling, shooting, bird watching, fishing, clay pigeon shooting, archaeological sites - to name a few of the things you can do during your visit to Islay!
The island of Islay is 25 miles (40km) in length and around 20 miles (32km) wide at most. Thanks largely to the Gulf Stream, it has a fairly temperate climate. It is famous for its abundance of wildlife, beautiful scenery, there are many golden sandy beaches, ии not forgetting that Islay is justly famous for its malt whiskies. There are currently seven working distilleries on the island, Ardbeg,Bowmore, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, guided tours are available (it is advised to contact the distilleries for tour times).
There are many interesting historical and archaeological sites on Islay to visit. Kildalton Church and the famous Kildalton Cross (the best preserved high cross in Scotland) both date back to around 800 A.D. Finlaggan, the administrative capital of the Lord of the Isles from the 12th to the 16th century, has a visitor centre which displays a number of archaeological finds and a model of how the site would have looked during its lifetime. Also worth a visit are the standing stones at Ballinaby, the stone circle at Coultoon and the large and impressive Iron Age fort at Dun Nosebridge.
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
HOW TO GET HERE !
You can reach Islay from the mainland either by ferry from Kennacraig or by air from Glasgow airport.
Caledonian MacBrayne ferry service runs between Kennacraig and Port Ellen or Port Askaig on the island. The timetables for this and all other services are available online at www.calmac.co.uk or call Caledonian MacBrayne: - 08705 650000, 01880 730253 (Kennacraig) or 01496 302209 (Port Ellen). It is strongly recommended that you book your ferry in advance!
British Airways fly from Glasgow airport to Islay the airport is just over five miles from Bowmore, flight time is around 30 minutes. Taxis can be booked in advance and a Post Bus service to Bowmore from the airport is available. For further information contact: BA/Loganair - 0870 8509850 or 01496 302022 (Islay)
Scottish Citylink operate a bus service from Buchanan Street, Glasgow to Kennacraig, for details of bus times contact: Citylink hotline on 08705 505050 or www.citylink.co.uk
For other information on Islay check out www.isle-of-islay.com and www.ileach.co.uk
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
For further information, availability and tariff, please contact:
Ms C Sinclair
59 Dochart Place
Falkirk, FK1 2QY
Tel: 44 (0)1324 882048