Saligo Bay – Atlantic Waves and Lunch at Kilchoman
A few hours.
The route
Saligo Bay faces the open Atlantic on Islay's west coast, a small sandy bay between dark rocks where the waves come in hard.
A short walk through the dunes takes you down to it, and lunch is at Kilchoman, the island's farm distillery, a few minutes along the road.
Before you go
Book Kilchoman Distillery café
Book a table for lunch at Kilchoman Distillery's café by email to info@kilchomandistillery.com before you go: it's open Sunday to Thursday until the end of October and Sunday to Tuesday from November to February, and it gets very busy.
The day
Saligo
A walk through the dunes to the Atlantic, then lunch at a farm distillery a few minutes away.
About two and a half hoursAbout 1 mile on foot
Saligo Bay
An attraction
Saligo Bay is at the far western corner of the Loch Gorm road. Park by the gate near Saligo Cottage and the bridge, leaving the gate clear: there's room for only a few cars. A short walk across a field and through the dunes brings you to the bay. Keep a dog on a lead, as livestock graze here. The beach is small, but a path at its north end leads on to a smaller cove and a view of the rocks known as the Sleeping Giant. Don't swim here, and stay well back from the rocks when the waves are big.
8 min by car
Kilchoman Distillery café
Lunch
Lunch is at Kilchoman Distillery's visitor centre café at Rockside Farm, 8 minutes' drive south. Until the end of October it's open Sunday to Thursday, with lunch from noon and last food orders at 3.15pm. From November to February it opens only Sunday to Tuesday, 10am to 3.30pm, with last orders at 2.15pm. Expect fresh lunches, barista coffee and home-baked cakes, and book a table by email, as it gets very busy. If it's full or shut, the Port Charlotte Hotel serves bar lunches from noon to 2pm every day.
If it rains
In wind and rain the bay is at its wildest: watch from the top of the dunes, then go straight to lunch indoors.