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Inside Shop in the Box: prints and cards on racks, wooden signs asking visitors to pay.
Isle of Islay

Shop in the Box

A red telephone box on the Oa road turned into an honesty shop of island prints and cards, raising money for good causes.

Welcome

Shop in the Box is a classic red telephone box on the single-track road across the Oa, west of Port Ellen, that has been turned into a tiny shop, with THE SHOP lettered in the panel where TELEPHONE used to be.

A chalkboard by the road says when it is open. Inside, on racks against the black-painted walls, are handprinted cards and notebooks and prints of the island's birds and beasts and landmarks, with key rings and small gifts.

It works on trust. Wooden signs inside say that the money goes to Port Ellen Primary School, the RSPB and South Islay Development, that the shop trusts you to pay, and where to put the money. It is a cheerful stop on the way out to the Mull of Oa and the American Monument, on a road with long views over the moor. Bring a few pounds in coins.

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The Daily for 13 November, from Scotland with love. A waterfall tumbles over mossy rocks into a woodland pool, autumn leaves scattered on the water.
Not farCaol Ila DistilleryThe distillery on the Sound of Islay near Port Askaig, the Islay Home of Johnnie Walker, with tours from £21 and views to Jura.17 milesSee itCaol Ila Distillery

Before you go

The box is by the Oa road at Risabus.

Google gives it as open daily from about 10am to 3.30pm (11am on Sunday); the chalkboard by the road says when it is. Bring coins.

Getting there
CalMac’s ferry from Kennacraig sails to Port Askaig while Port Ellen is closed for upgrades (from 2 June 2026, expected to reopen in 2029); Port Askaig is about 20.8 miles from Port Ellen. Or fly from Glasgow to Islay Airport.
Open
Daily, about 10am to 3.30pm.
Pay
Honesty box; bring coins.

Opening hours

Monday
10am–3.30pm
Tuesday
10am–3.30pm
Wednesday
10am–3.30pm
Thursday
10am–3.30pm
Friday
10.30am–3.30pm
Saturday
10am–3.30pm
Sunday
11am–3.30pm

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Where it is

By the Oa road at Risabus, west of Port Ellen, Isle of Islay, PA42 7AX.

Close byOn the Oa, west of Port Ellen.
  1. 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.3 miles 9 min by road
  2. 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.3 miles 9 min by road
  3. A dark headland and a rocky cove at the Mull of Oa, the sea bright beyond.Mull of OaThe cliff-bound south-west tip of Islay, an RSPB reserve of sea cliffs and moor where golden eagles fly.3 miles 8 min by road
  4. 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.3 miles 8 min by road
  5. Port EllenPort EllenA village of white and pastel cottages on Islay's south coast, founded in 1821, with three famous distilleries along the road east.3 miles 8 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 1918.3 miles 8 min by road
Directions
Soldier's Rock rising from white surf below the dark cliffs of the Oa.AttractionsSoldier's Rock4.4 miles
Surf breaking on dark rocks at Laggan Bay, the dunes and white farmhouses beyond.AttractionsLaggan Bay4.4 miles
Laphroaig's white warehouses with the name in black across the bay, waves on the stony shore.AttractionsLaphroaig Distillery5.0 miles
The white front of Lagavulin with its name on the wall and the red chimney behind.AttractionsLagavulin Distillery5.8 miles
The broken tower of Dunyvaig Castle on its rocky point, the sea grey beyond.AttractionsDunyvaig Castle6.2 miles
Ardbeg distillery's whitewashed warehouse wall beside the rocky Islay shoreAttractionsArdbeg Distillery6.8 miles
Kildalton CrossAttractionsKildalton Cross11 miles
Bowmore, Isle of IslayAttractionsBowmore13 miles
The whitewashed front of the Bowmore Hotel on Jamieson Street, its name across the gable.RestaurantsBowmore Hotel13 miles

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