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Scotland: Go west for whisky galore

Now renamed the Whisky Coast, Scotland’s west coast is worth sampling.

November 27, 2008 09:43
Picturesque Portree on the Isle of Skye, a ‘supremely wild and beautiful island’

By

Anthea Gerrie,

Anthea Gerrie

5 min read

As if the west coast of Scotland, with its dramatic Highlands and romantic islands, needed any added incentive for visitors beyond its grandeur and beauty, it has recently been officially named the Whisky Coast, presumably to entice aficionados of the wee dram for which the country is even more famous than its lochs.

Many of the finest single malts are made in esoteric spots such as Islay and Kintyre, and distilleries - taking their lead from European wineries - are now laying on informative and entertaining tours.

These provide a new incentive to hop on and off ferries to the further-flung islands, though Scotland virgins will be wowed just by a mere meander up the spectacular west coast mainland, now joined by bridge to Skye, arguably the most beautiful island of them all.

With astonishingly low cost flights - less than £50 return from London - which have finally made Scotland affordable for southerners, late autumn or early spring are great times to fly into Glasgow and mosey up the coast in a hire-car before returning from Inverness. Formerly, Sassenachs were faced with much more expensive plane or train fares, now levied only on those who don't book well ahead, or a two-day slog by car.