Wheelchair Access on the Three Distilleries Pathway, Islay

When looking for wheelchair-friendly days out in the Inner Hebrides, I always thought that you couldn’t beat taking an accessible stroll through the unique landscape each island offers. I was wrong! In Islay you can wheel past stunning coastline, through woodland, and visit not one, but three famous distilleries along the way. I’m talking about the Three Distilleries Pathway that runs from Port Ellen for 5.5km (3.4miles) all the way to Ardbeg. It’s a linear path that connects the Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg distilleries, where you’ll find some of Islay’s best single malts. All that piercing, fresh coastal air between each of the distilleries will cleanse the palate and clear the head before your next dram.

The route is entirely paved, and everything I read before visiting said the path was suitable for walkers, cyclists, push chairs, and wheelchair users. So how did I get on?

The Pathway

The path starts just left of the primary school entrance in Port Ellen here. On-road parking is available nearby, and your nearest accessible toilet is in Port Ellen here - not all of the distilleries have accessible toilets, so you may want to go before you go!

The entire Three Distilleries Pathway is paved, and mostly runs parallel to the A846 with a wall between (though there are some areas where there is only a low grassy mound between the path and the road). Be warned, there is a very steep hill down at the beginning of the walk, and a few other short steep sections along the way. I was worried at first, but most of the path is fairly flat. I did need help getting up the slopes though, even with my tri-ride power attachment. For anyone walking, there are plenty of benches dotted along the route, ideal for taking a rest.

You’ll eventually sense the coastline coming in to meet you at the Sròn Dubh (Black Nose) inlet. We stopped here a while and enjoyed the waves crashing against the rocks. Further along the walk, your eye is drawn inland to gently rolling agricultural land and curious sheep. And further still, you’ll find yourself amongst trees watching finches and great tits flitting from branch to branch above your head.

It’s a varied path, but isn’t all stunning scenery, though. This is an area of industry - an industry that has shaped Islay for hundreds of years. You will pass large warehouses and hear the occasionally beep-beep-beep of a reversing forklift. This is all part of the magic, though, and gives you an idea of the scale of the operations, ticking away like clockwork on the shores of a beautiful island. This is where your whisky is first imagined, distilled, matured, and then bottled. This is Islay life.

The Distilleries

Laphroaig

Laphroaig is the first distillery you’ll arrive at, and you’ll take a little detour off the main pathway to get there. Don’t worry, it’s all signposted! As with many distilleries, tours at Laphroaig involve lots of stairs, so sadly they aren’t accessible to everyone. There is wheelchair access to the visitor centre, bar, shop and museum though. Tastings all happen in the bar area, and that’s the important bit, right? Assistance dogs are welcome. If you need more information ahead of your visit, I recommend calling rather than emailing as I didn’t get any response to my emails. You can contact the visitor centre on 01496 302418.

Lagavulin

Sadly, accessibility at Lagavulin is challenging. They have accessible parking and a ramped entrance, but they say, “There is no disabled access to the distillery buildings and therefore we are only able to offer places on tastings rather than tours to disabled persons.” The bar isn’t accessible either, but Lagavulin do offer to make alternative arrangements for serving drinks in another, accessible, area of the building. They also say some tastings can be adapted to the visitor’s needs, and people are encouraged to contact them in advance. Assistance dogs are not allowed in the distillery or warehouse, but they are allowed in the shop and bar. There is no accessible toilet available. More info here.

Ardbeg

Ardbeg has wheelchair access to the ground floor of the visitor centre, where the shop and bistro are, and there’s a wheelchair accessible toilet, too. Some of their tours aren’t wheelchair accessible due to stairs, but some are. A lift has been installed in the new still house, for example. It’s best to contact Ardbeg ahead of your visit to discuss what will work for you. All dogs are allowed in the shop area, and assistance dogs are welcome in the tasting spaces and Bistro too. More info here.

At the end of the road…

Once you’ve visited the three distilleries if you don’t fancy the wheel back (or if you’ve had a few too many drams) there’s a bus service from Ardbeg back to Port Ellen. The buses running at 8:10am, 10:52am and 2:13pm all have wheelchair access, but please do check with the service operator just in case there have been changes since I wrote this blog. You can call them on 01496 840273.

We really enjoyed the Three Distilleries Pathway, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it too. I’d set aside a day for this activity so you can take the path at a leisurely pace and enjoy some time in each distillery. It would be wise to book any tours or tastings in advance because they are incredibly popular, particularly in the summer.

Have you visited the Three Distilleries Pathway, or are you planning some distillery tours for your next visit to Islay? Let me know in the comments!