Isle of Gigha Scotland
United Kingdom
3
Cruises availables
At departure or passage at this port
Frequently Asked Questions
Ships, mostly small ones, anchor off Ardminish, the island's only village, and tender their passengers ashore. The landing is in a quiet bay lined by a few white houses, a school, a hotel and a general store that doubles as a café.
Off the Kintyre peninsula on Scotland's west coast. It is the southernmost of the Hebrides, a strip of land ten kilometres by two that the Gulf Stream treats with surprising gentleness: palm trees grow here at the same latitude as Labrador.
Achamore Gardens, a kilometre and a half from the landing, deserve a good hour plus the walk. With more time, head north to the Twin Beaches at Eilean Garbh, about an hour on foot from the village — or twenty minutes by bicycle.
Some twenty hectares created from 1944 by Sir James Horlick, who devoted his fortune to this work of greenery. Rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas and subtropical species thrive thanks to the warmth of the current. From the garden's western ridge you can see the hills of Islay and Jura across the sea.
Two crescents of pale sand meeting back to back on a narrow isthmus in the north of the island, facing clear water. Allow about an hour's walk from Ardminish on a quiet road; bicycles, hired near the shop, save valuable time.
Its residents. Since 2002 the roughly 160 islanders have owned their land collectively, bought out at the end of a campaign that made its mark on rural Scotland. Community projects are proudly on display, from the rebuilt pier to the wind turbines nicknamed the "Dancing Ladies", which fund local life.
It is a nickname inherited from the Vikings that the island's microclimate has ended up justifying: the Gulf Stream softens the winters enough to grow subtropical species. That microclimate also explains the reputation of Achamore Gardens, among the finest in western Scotland.
Yes, for families who enjoy walking or cycling. The Twin Beaches are superb, the gardens are easy going, and there is even a modest nine-hole golf course where you pay into an honesty box. There is, however, no organised attraction.
The general store, which also serves as a café, the hotel and bicycle hire — that is about it, and all of it is in Ardminish. Bring a little cash and something warm: there is nowhere to shelter on the island's roads.
Spring and early summer, when the Achamore rhododendrons turn parts of the woodland into tunnels of colour. From May to September the days are long and tendering ashore more reliable. The currency is pounds sterling and the language English.
