Portnahaven

View Over Portnahaven

Portnahaven and its close neighbour Port Wemyss lie at the south-western tip of the Rhinns of Islay, the peninsula that wraps around the north side of Loch Indaal as it takes its huge bite out of the west side of the island.

Lighthouse on Orsay Harbour Cottages Slipway and Boats

Portnahaven and Port Wemyss are very much the end of the road in this northern part of Islay. Getting to them takes a little more effort that most places on the island. The last seven miles from Port Charlotte are along single track roads, though good quality ones.

Port Wemyss from Portnahaven

Village Church

Seals in the Harbour

Rest assured, though, that the small effort this takes is well worth it. What you find at Portnahaven is a magical village of whitewashed cottages wrapped around the two steep sides of its harbour. Port Wemyss lies a little to the south and is harbourless. Instead it looks squarely across a narrow sound to the Isle of Orsay, complete with the Rhinns of Islay lighthouse built here by Robert Stevenson in 1825.

Orsay and its smaller neighbouring island of Eilean Mhic Coinnich shelter the harbour of Portnahaven from the weather coming in from the south and west. This was an major factor in choosing this site for these settlements when they were set up to house people cleared from the interior of Islay in the early 1800s, and provide them with an alternative living. There had been an earlier fishing settlement on Orsay dating back to the 1300s. The ruins of its chapel are still visible on the skyline of the island to the north of the lighthouse.

The importance of the shelter afforded by the islands to Portnahaven's harbour is amply demonstrated by the area's main claim to third millennium fame. Since 1989 the tip of the Rhinns of Islay has been the site of an experimental wave powered turbine generating electricity. In 2000, Wavegen Islay started commercial power generation here, using the air compressed by waves in a large underground concrete chamber to power a turbine. This, in turn, makes a significant contribution to the power supply of the island.

The abundant fish stocks that drove the early history of Portnahaven and Port Wemyss declined over the years, though the harbour still boasts a number of small boats. There must still be fish available however. If the tide is right, visitors today can have close encounters with Portnahaven's non-human residents: the seals who seem completely comfortable pulling themselves out onto the rocks in the centre of the narrow harbour.

Above the head of the harbour is the church. White-painted like just about every other building in the area, it is particularly interesting for having two doors. One was intended for the use of residents of Portnahaven, the other for the residents of Port Wemyss.

The villages today can be quiet outside the main season, when the many old fishing cottages converted into holiday homes are not in use. But whenever you visit you find a wonderful atmosphere and a stunning location. There is nothing more relaxing than spending a little time simply watching the harbour seals watching you watching them...