Facts of the Day:
Date: 08/July/2002
From: Port Charlotte, Islay
Via: The Oa, Islay
To: Port Charlotte, Islay
Miles: 55
Midges: 25 (Estimate)
Weather: Showers and Sunshine
Mood: Fantastic
Having arrived on the Isle of Islay the previous afternoon it was now time to rediscover a place I first visited a few years ago: The Oa on the south east of Islay. Past Bowmore I drove towards Port Ellen and just before reaching it turned off to The Oa. The road then becomes a single track road, winding over the hills for a few miles. The weather was fairly cloudy with occasional showers at this time, but the sun started to come through. I soon reached the small car park at the end of the road and left the car there. From here I started to walk to the American Monument when a strong shower set in. Luckily I had brought my waterproofs and was wearing my hiking boots as the ground was quite boggy as well. Arriving at the monument and the cliffs the rain was still quite strong with the cliffs almost disappearing behind the rain. But then I only had to wait for a few more minutes and the sun came out again. I spent a few minutes at the monument, which was erected by the American Red Cross for the dead of the Otranto and Tuscania. They both sank near Islay in 1918, for more details you can read a page I wrote about it after a previous visit to Islay. Apart from the monument and the plaque there's not much to see, so I started to look at the cliffs around it. Whereever you go, you are quite likely to see the monument somewhere in the distance at some point though. I spent a couple of hours just walking around the hills and along the cliffs. A few impressions of the area without much of a comment below. Moving your mouse pointer over a picture should give you a comment about the picture. I hope these pictures can give you an impression of the beautiful landscape on The Oa:
After a couple of hours on the hills and with a sunburn starting to develop I returned to the Port Charlotte Hotel, where I had a very nice oven roasted duck for dinner before going to bed. Tired but also relaxed after a great day out.
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