Islay House Square is developing as a good shopping venue on Islay.

Not only can you get some excellent coffee here but the environment is pleasant and the shops there are developing and provide good quality goods.

To get to the square drive north out of Bridgend towards Port Askaig and there is a well marked track to the left. The brown coloured signs reads Liz Sykes Batiques and Islay Quilters.

In the centre of the square you will find Liz Sykes shop. Her coffee is great.

She sells original batiques, framed and unframed prints, silk scarves made to her unique designs and sundry other crafts.

Also in the shop are CDs of her daughter’s flute music, a great buy for anyone with a taste for good music.

Also in the square you can find Sophie Younger’s Textile Conservation workshop and the Islay Quilters shop, exhibition and workshop.

Tucked away in a corner, Islay Cards and Gifts does exactly what it says on the tin. What it doesn’t say is that they specialise on hand made candles and related goods.

There is also quite a nice cannon.

I have heard stories that there will be brewery opening in the square soon, it turns out to be true and I, for one, am looking forwards to the first Islay beer to complement our great malts. Paul and Liz Hathaway and Paul Capper are responsible and they are currently painting the interior of the building and hope to be in production by early January. They are constructing a website which I will link to in due course.

These are simply images around the square. The square was originally the stables for Islay house and some workers’ houses.