These directions will guide you along the route of the Finlaggan audio walk. Why not print out this page and take it with you?

The walk will take about 1.5 hours if you’re listening to the audio. Wear wellies or decent walking boots because the area can get muddy if it’s been wet.

The mound (point 1) is a bit steep, and there are kissing gates, so the walk will present wheelchair users with some difficulty. However, the visitor’s centre has a wheelchair-friendly viewing area which overlooks the site.

Start

1. Finlaggan Trust Visitor's centre
2. Loch Finlaggan
3. Off the A846 (near Ballygrant)
4. Islay
5. Argyll
6. Scotland

 

Go through the kissing gate to the right of the visitors centre. Turn left and climb the big mound. Look down towards the island.

Point 1: The mound

 

Walk down to the island, following one of the paths. Cross the bridge onto Eilean Mòr, and just to your right is a clear undulation of the land.

Point 2: The old fortifications

 

Follow the path heading further into the island, and then follow it to the right, towards the right side of the island. The jetty sticks prominently out into the loch, and there is a marker there to identify it.

Point 3: The jetty

 

When facing the jetty the great hall sits behind you. Walk around the ruin, going back along the path and then following it to the right. Stop when the gable end of the stone ruin is on your left, and the great hall ruin is on your right- there is a gap in the foundations which was once the doorway.

Point 4: The Great Hall

 

Follow the path from the great hall further on, going through a gap in the cross wall. The ruined outline of the hall sits at the end of the island.

If you walk through the gate you can see at the back of the abbey, on the right, you can find the remains of more buildings that were associated with the abbey.

Point 5. John of Islay’s house

 

Follow the path to the end of the island.

Point 6: Council island

 

Turn away from the Council island and follow the right hand path and come back round past the great hall. The paths from the jetty and great hall meet here.

Point 7: The crossroads

 

Follow the path back towards the way you came from, then follow it to the right, up to the ruined chapel.

Point 8: The chapel

 

 

Map

The following map shows the points on Eilean Mòr, the large island.

Where now?

 

Content last updated: 24/11/2008