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| The round church of Bowmore where the devil has nowhere to hide. |
Travelling by ferry from Mainland Scotland the Island of Islay is fast approached.
Whitewashed cottages illuminate the landscape, grey of the mist and rain. Then the orange Coast Guard boat and the dock.
Three rams with long and curled horns will probably observe you dragging your luggage up to your B & B.
After getting rid of your burden, you should walk along the beautiful beach near Bridge End and walk along the road until you reach a church in which the devil just can not hide. You will be in Bowmore.
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| Arriving at Islay by ferry. |
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| The Harbour at Ardberg |
Why the Devil cannot hide in Bowmore Church?
Very simple: because there is nowhere to hide!
At the village of Bowmore on the Iland of Islay the church is round and someone has thought of this trick of building a round church so to deprive the devil of every corner or crevice for refuge.
At Bowmore on the Isle of Islay, however, perhaps a round church was not needed, the devil, if really had to get here, definitely would go to hole himself up at the famous Bowmore Whisky Distillery.
The Bowmore Distillery was established in 1779 by a local merchant, John P. Simpson, before passing into the ownership of the Mutter family, a family of German descent.
Today there are twenty Japanese hidden in the famous Bowmore Distillery.
The distillery is owned by Morrison Bowmore Distillers Ltd, a holding company owned by Japanese drinks company Suntory. Morrison Bowmore also own the Auchentoshan and Glen Garioch distilleries and produce the McClelland's Single Malt range of bottlings.
Islay is the southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Known as "The Queen of the Hebrides".
Today, Islay has over 3,000 inhabitants and the main commercial activities are agriculture, malt whisky distillation and tourism.
Islay has eight Malt Whisky Distilleries, most of them located close to Islay's seashore, and they produce some of the finest Malt Whiskies in the world.
If you leave the church on the hill overlooking the main street of Bowmore that descends to the sea and walk for a while you can reach Port Ellen and it's worth it.
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| Port Ellen on the Island of Islay |
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| The large Bay at port Ellen |
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| The beautiful coast of Islay |
Of course with a little 'bit of sunshine all would look even better, but those colored cottages of the little village of Port Ellen on the Island of Islay have their own charm and the White Hart Hotel looks like a nice place to rest for the visitors of this hidden corner of the world.
The bay narrows along an imaginary horseshoe.
On top of the bay a man of stone, with the Scottish kilt and bonnet, bows his head on his rifle and remember those young men who have left the island and in the battlefields of France and have reached prematurely the immense glory of God.
It is the monument dedicated to the young men of the island who fought and died during I World War.
It stands in front of the open sea.
No more tears to cry, thirty years later, when even the children of those men have left and have not returned fighting the II World War.
Port Ellen could not build another stone man. So someone added another list of names at his feet and asked the sea to bring to the dead soldiers a little 'flavor of the Islay whiskeys, which may cancel the war and alleviate his pain!
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