The Kildalton Road

The Kildalton Road

Photo: Andrew Wood / Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Two easy days on the peated south coast, based in Port Ellen throughout.

Three of Islay's most famous distilleries, and you can walk to all of them — no car to hire, no timetable, and nobody left out of the tasting.
3 distilleries
all within walking
from £64.50
per person in tours, booked separately
2 nights
one bed throughout

Day by day

relaxedmoderatepacked
Every nightPort EllenPort Ellen is the base for both days — everything on this route is walkable from the town itself.Where to stay→
Night one

You arrive today — nothing to do but eat. The walking starts at ten tomorrow.

ONEThe south coastModerateToday's tours £44No car — two miles on foot

Two Miles Apart

Laphroaig's tar and iodine against Lagavulin's smoke and dried fruit — two miles apart on the pathway, and further apart than that in the glass.

Today's tours cost £44pp. Standard tours at both start at £42pp.

Night two

Dinner at the Islay Hotel — the only kitchen open late down here. Book it when you book the room.

Getting here and away

FerryKennacraig to Port Askaig. Port Ellen's own terminal is closed for redevelopment until 2029.
TransferAbout 35 minutes south by taxi — book it before you book the ferry.
No carThe only journey on the site that doesn't need one.

When to come

SilentLaphroaig stops distilling 8 July–13 September — the tour still runs, and the route may be adapted while it does.
Fèis ÌleThe last week of May. Ardbeg, Lagavulin and Laphroaig are three of the busiest days of it.
RoomsPort Ellen is small and everything here starts at your front door — book the room before anything else.

Take the Kildalton Road

Every tour and every drive already worked out, across two days and two nights. Take it exactly as it stands, or open it up and make it yours.

Free, and you can edit it after.

What it costs, and where

Colour is how hard the day works you. Width is what it costs.relaxedmoderate
Laphroaig and LagavulinDay 1 · the standard tours would be £42£44pp
ArdbegDay 2 · one tour, and no cheaper way in£22.50pp
Tours, as planned£66.50pp£64.50pp on standard tours
two nights£450–£900for the party, off-season to peak
Car, two daysNot neededevery day here is walkable
Not included—The ferry, food, fuel.

Nothing here is paid to DramStory — you book each of these yourself.

Not quite right?

three honest reasons this one might not suit you
IF YOU HAVE ONE MORE DAY

Add the Mull of Oa

The clifftop loop out to the American Monument is eight miles from Port Ellen and needs no distillery to justify the morning — though it comes paired with Laphroaig's longer tour.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ONE

Take day two on its own

Ardbeg, the café on the pier and the Kildalton Cross make a complete afternoon without the first day in front of it.

IF YOU HAVE A CAR ANYWAY

Both days fit into one

Three Legends, One Road does all three distilleries in an afternoon — but somebody loses their drams.