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The Celtic House in Bowmore, a white front trimmed in blue, its name above the door.
Isle of Islay

The Celtic House

A bookshop and gift shop in Bowmore since 1959, with Hebridean books, Islay gifts and a coffee shop.

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Welcome

The Celtic House stands on Shore Street in Bowmore, near the distillery, a long white building on a corner, trimmed in blue, with its name and the words gifts, books and coffee shop lettered across its front.

It has been in business since 1959, and today it is an independent Scottish bookshop, known for its choice of Hebridean books, rare Scottish titles and works by local authors.

Alongside the books are Islay gifts and apparel inspired by the island and its heritage: whisky glasses and pipettes for adding a drop of water, hand-painted stoneware, jewellery, calendars and prints of the island and its distilleries. And, as the lettering outside promises, there is a coffee shop too. The Celtic House is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5pm and closed on Sunday, and it also sells online. It makes an easy stop between the distillery and the Round Church, and a good place to find a book about the island before you leave.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A little further outCaol 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.19 min by roadSee itCaol Ila Distillery
Before you go

Open Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 5pm; closed Sunday.

Phone 01496 810304.

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.
Hours
Mon to Sat, 9.30am to 5pm.
Also
A coffee shop.

Opening hours

Monday
9.30am–5pm
Tuesday
9.30am–5pm
Wednesday
9.30am–5pm
Thursday
9.30am–5pm
Friday
9.30am–5pm
Saturday
9.30am–5pm
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

Shore Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay, PA43 7LD.

Close byIn Bowmore.
  1. BowmoreBowmoreIslay's main town, a planned village of 1768 whose Main Street climbs from the pier to the Round Church.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Bowmore DistilleryBowmore DistilleryThe distillery on the shore of Loch Indaal in the middle of Bowmore, with tours, tastings and a whisky bar.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Harbour Inn and its neighbours by the harbour in Bowmore, the loch beyond.Harbour InnBowmore Distillery's small guest house by the harbour in Bowmore, with seven rooms looking over Loch Indaal.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Peatzeria's whitewashed building on Shore Street, Bowmore, with its belfry and pointed windows.PeatzeriaAn Italian restaurant and takeaway on the seafront in Bowmore, with pizzas topped with Islay crab and scallops.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. The whitewashed front of the Bowmore Hotel on Jamieson Street, its name across the gable.Bowmore HotelA family-run hotel on Jamieson Street in Bowmore, with Lucci's Whisky Bar and some 1,800 Islay and Jura malts.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. The long bar at the Ballygrant Inn, stools along the counter and shelves of whisky behind.Ballygrant InnA family-run inn near Port Askaig with rooms, home cooking and an award-winning whisky bar.8 miles 12 min by road
Directions
White-washed Bruichladdich Distillery buildings with turquoise-framed windows and a tall chimneyAttractionsBruichladdich Distillery3.0 miles as the crow flies
The bar of the Port Charlotte Hotel, whisky bottles lined up behind a carved wooden counter.RestaurantsPort Charlotte Hotel3.7 miles as the crow flies
The dark green hide at Loch Gruinart, set low in the grass.AttractionsLoch Gruinart9.3 miles
Two crumbling stone gables of a ruined castle rise beside a lochAttractionsFinlaggan Castle9.4 miles
FinlagganAttractionsFinlaggan9.5 miles
Masked woman packs boxes in a pottery studio lined with unglazed ceramics and paint bottlesShoppingPersabus Pottery, Ceramics and Art9.9 miles
White cottages line a clifftop row with a lighthouse in the distanceAttractionsIsle of Islay (pronounced Eye-la)10 miles
Whitewashed terraced houses and a church spire overlook a seaweed-strewn beachAttractionsPort Ellen10 miles
Black rigid inflatable boat moored before white cottages along a wooded shorelineAttractionsPort Askaig11 miles

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