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Argyll and Bute

Port Ellen

A village of white and pastel cottages on Islay's south coast, founded in 1821, with three famous distilleries along the road east.

Welcome

Port Ellen is a village of white and pastel cottages on Islay's south coast, set round two bays and a working harbour.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Walter Frederick Campbell, then Laird of Islay, founded it in 1821 and named it after his first wife, Eleanor. It is the island's second largest village after Bowmore, with shops and places to eat and stay, and it is a photogenic one to wander, with the beach on Kilnaughton Bay and St John's Church overlooking the more enclosed bay of Loch Leòdamais.

Whisky is close by. Port Ellen Distillery, founded in 1825, reopened in 2024 and welcomes visitors on pre-booked tours, and Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg stand along three miles of road to the east, on the way to Dunyvaig Castle and the Kildalton Cross. To the west the road leads on past Kilnaughton Bay to the Oa, a short drive if you have a car.

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Before you go

Port Ellen is on the south coast of Islay.

The ferry from Kennacraig now arrives at Port Askaig, 20.8 miles away, while the village's own terminal is upgraded.

Where
The south coast of Islay, on the east side of Kilnaughton Bay. Islay Airport is 4.9 miles away.
Open
A village, open at any time; shops and the distillery keep their own hours.
Getting there
CalMac's Port Ellen terminal has been closed for upgrades since 2 June 2026 and is expected to reopen in 2029. Sailings from Kennacraig arrive at Port Askaig, about 20.8 miles from Port Ellen, and CalMac says there is no shuttle bus between the two ports. The 450/451 bus links Port Askaig, Port Ellen and Ardbeg, Monday to Saturday, between 7am and 6pm. Loganair flies from Glasgow to Islay Airport every day.
Food
Shops and places to eat and stay in the village.
Toilets
The RSPB names Port Ellen as the nearest toilets to the Oa reserve.
Distillery
Port Ellen Distillery, Kiln Square, PA42 7AF, takes visitors by appointment only, so book the date and time in advance on the distillery's page.

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Did you know

A row of white houses with tall chimneys faces a sandy beach in an Islay village.
Did you know

Named for Eleanor.

The laird, Walter Frederick Campbell, founded the village in 1821 and named it after his first wife, Eleanor.

Terraced houses and a dark warehouse building line the shore of an Islay village seen from a pebble beach.
Did you know

A distillery reborn.

Port Ellen Distillery was founded in 1825, closed in 1983 and reopened on 19 March 2024, and now welcomes visitors on pre-booked tours.

A narrow road passes whitewashed cottages behind a stone wall in an Islay village.
Did you know

Three famous neighbours.

Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg all stand along three miles of road on the south coast east of the village.

Terraced houses line an Islay village shore, seen across the water with people walking the beach.
Did you know

More distilleries once.

In the 1800s Ardenistiel, Malt Mill and Ardmore also made whisky along the same short stretch of coast.

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Where it is

On the south coast of Islay, about 4.9 miles from Islay Airport.

Close byOn Islay.
  1. Isle of Islay (pronounced Eye-la)Isle of Islay (pronounced Eye-la)The most southerly of the Hebrides, known for its whisky, its beaches and Finlaggan, seat of the Lords of the Isles.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Laphroaig's white warehouses with the name in black across the bay, waves on the stony shore.Laphroaig DistilleryA distillery on Islay's south coast near Port Ellen, founded in 1815, with its own malting floors and peat kilns.2 miles 4 min by road
  3. Carraig Fhada lighthouse on its rocky point under a dark sky.Carraig Fhada LighthouseScotland's only square lighthouse, built in 1832 at Kilnaughton Bay by the Laird of Islay in memory of his wife.2 miles 9 min by road
  4. The Singing Sands, a curve of pale sand below a brown headland, waves washing in.The Singing SandsA small sheltered beach near Port Ellen, by Carraig Fhada lighthouse, whose sand is said to sing underfoot.2 miles 8 min by road
  5. The broken tower of Dunyvaig Castle on its rocky point, the sea grey beyond.Dunyvaig CastleThe ruined sea fortress of the Lords of the Isles on a rocky point in Lagavulin Bay.3 miles 6 min by road
  6. The American Monument on its cliff top at the Mull of Oa, the sea breaking on the rocks below.American MonumentA cliff-top tower at the Mull of Oa, raised in 1920 for the American servicemen lost off Islay in 1918.7 miles 16 min by road
Directions
The white front of Lagavulin with its name on the wall and the red chimney behind.AttractionsLagavulin Distillery2.6 miles
The crown and the words THE SHOP on the red telephone box.ShoppingShop in the Box3.3 miles
Ardbeg distillery's whitewashed warehouse wall beside the rocky Islay shoreAttractionsArdbeg Distillery3.5 miles
Surf breaking on dark rocks at Laggan Bay, the dunes and white farmhouses beyond.AttractionsLaggan Bay3.8 miles
Soldier's Rock rising from white surf below the dark cliffs of the Oa.AttractionsSoldier's Rock3.9 miles
A dark headland and a rocky cove at the Mull of Oa, the sea bright beyond.AttractionsMull of Oa6.5 miles
Kildalton CrossAttractionsKildalton Cross7.6 miles
The whitewashed front of the Bowmore Hotel on Jamieson Street, its name across the gable.RestaurantsBowmore Hotel10 miles
Bowmore, Isle of IslayAttractionsBowmore10 miles

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