Island Do Two - Islay 20-23rd July
 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are pleased to announce the

Island Do Two

The venue this time is Islay – one of the southernmost of the Hebrides. Well known for its seven distilleries, it’s also quite a bit larger than Barra. There’s a Loganair service into Islay airport – the one Prince Charles crashed at for those interested – from Glasgow. Unfortunately, not such good tier point opportunities – but it is on a Saab 340, so we will not be so limited for seats as when we were going to Barra. Oh, and it’s pronounced Eye-la

Dates – 20-23rd of July

Timetable of activities

Friday:
15:30 - Tour of Ardbeg distillery
19:30 - Dinner at Harbour Inn, Bowmore

Saturday:
Tour of Bowmore distillery
20:00 Dinner at Machrie Hotel

Sunday:
To be decided!

Do website, including downloadable pdf:
http://web.mac.com/jenbel/iWeb/Islay/Welcome.html

Weekdays there are 3 flights per day – weekends one flight.

GLA-ILY
Friday 20th July – 0830, 1420 and 1700
Saturday 21st July – 0830
Sunday 22nd July – 1700

ILY – GLA
Saturday 21st July – 0940
Sunday 22nd July – 1815
Monday 23rd July – 0940, 1530 and 1810

If you want to come up on the Saturday from London, you will need to night stop in Glasgow – there’s not an early enough flight up to allow a connection through…

Prices – From London:

Arriving Friday (on the early flights, so you arrive on Islay on the Friday), returning Sunday or Monday – currently around £116
Arriving Saturday, returning Sunday or Monday - £160

Do check out booking through AA, it may be possible to get a cheaper fare.

Accommodation:

There’s only one hotel on the island big enough to take a group this size – the Machrie Hotel (www.machrie.com). It’s located close to the airport, but is pretty remote from everywhere else – currently, there are 10 twin rooms, five doubles and nine lodges available for this weekend.

Rates:
Per person for rooms:
1 night £59
2 nights £112
3 nights £165

If you are travelling alone and wish a room to yourself there is a £12.50 per night single supplement.

Another option would be the lodges – these sleep four in two twin bedded rooms. Rates per night for the lodge are:
1 night £110
2 nights £199
3 nights £285

If you want to get groups together to share lodges, I’m happy to act as a lodge consolidator, to form groups (randomly) together. Let me know if you’d be happy to be in a lodge, and what dates you intend to be there for, and I’ll let you know as and when groups are formed, so you can go ahead and book.

Please note – it will be up to you guys to book your own flights and accommodation for this trip. Please let me know if and when you’ve booked – I’ll try and keep track of the rooms available. And yes, the hotel does take Amex. However there is an interesting note on the hotel website about requiring a £50/person deposit – it’s unclear if this is for lodges only or for rooms as well.

Activities:

Obviously, we’ve got to do one distillery tour… and possibly two if we can fit them both in on the Saturday. It may be possible to either hire a people carrier on the island (at about £60/day) or possibly bring a minibus over from the mainland to provide transport. We obviously have a number of distilleries to chose from – I’m intending visiting Bowmore, which a more middle of the road Islay malt, distilled in the main centre of population for the island (which also gives those interested in sight-seeing a chance for a look around – it’s got a completely circular church for example, built so that the devil cannot hide in the corners). Unfortunately, the most distinctive malts (Laphroaig and Lagavullin) are either closed in July/August or don’t have tours on a Saturday – but that does still leave us Ardbeg, Kilchoman and Bruichladdich to choose from!

Sunday is likely to be a lot less organised. There’s some good walking on the island, and anyone who wants to go wildlife watching, I’ll have a look around to see what there is at that time of year – seals are guaranteed anyway, and I’m perfectly willing to see what else I can find you. The hotel is in an area of machair, does have a golf course, and is close to a fabulous beach… so suggestions welcome!

So who’s interested then?

Other links:

www.ba.com - for flight booking
www.americanairlines.co.uk - also for flight booking
www.machrie.com - for hotel information
http://www.scotland-inverness.co.uk/islay.htm - general island information
http://www.isle-of-islay.com/map/index.html - map of Islay

Attendees

Jenbel (+ Sheep)
Moomba
Prospero
AJLondon
Swanhunter (but may not acknowledge us ;))
jhm
Traveloguy
studio76
phaleesy
monitor + Franny
RestlessinRNO
Aerotec (possible)
Steady-EDI
lots@LHR

Yes Please :D

Outbound on Fri early afternoon arrival
Back Sun evening

Thanks as ever for organising Jenbel you are a:-:

Flights:

Outbound

20th July

LHR-GLA 1496
jhm
phaleesy

LGW-GLA 2958
Moomba

LCY-GLA 8730
studio76
Traveloguy

GLA-ILY 8925
Jenbel/Sheep
Moomba
Prospero
RestlessinRNO

GLA-ILY 8927
monitor
Franny

21st July

GLA-ILY 8921
jhm
AJLondon
studio76
Traveloguy
phaleesy

Return

21st July

ILY-GLA 8922
Prospero

22nd July

ILY-GLA 8928
Moomba
jhm
AJLondon
studio76
Traveloguy
phaleesy
RestlessinRNO

GLA-LHR 1497
Moomba
jhm
studio76
Traveloguy
phaleesy
RestlessinRNO

23rd July

ILY-GLA 8922
monitor
Franny

ILY-GLA 8926
Jenbel/Sheep

GLA-LHR 1483
monitor
Franny

I'm definitely up for this - Island do's rock!

Thanks Jenbel ^ ^

Heads up: Loganair bookings do not incur BA's £15 offline fee or the £3 credit card surcharge.

online they incur the £3 credit card surcharge :( :mad:

Sorry! You are absolutely correct - I phrased that terribly. I'll try again. :)

Book offline at BA and you won't incur the £15 booking fee or the £3 credit card fee.

Hi Folks,

Years ago I spent a whole month on Isaly and stayed at the Machrie Hotel. It was fantastic. The selection of whisky behind the bar is very good and the breakfast is well worth the trip.

I will not be going as I will just be back from my holiday in the USA which is a pity as I live in Glasgow and so easy for me to travel.

Hope you all enjoy it.

regards

Ohhhhhh. Islay. Island of Bunnanbhain and Port Ellen. Very tempting, if only as a chance to show those who like JW Blue what real whisky tastes like. ;)

Put me as very interesting but not confirmed owing to being too close to my birthday (and my mothers). :)

You might just spot a well known radio personality on the island at the same time and a "friend"... ;)

I hope you all pay attention to the safety briefing... questions may be asked in the Friday evening quiz!

Off to swat up on airline colour schemes of the Orient.

Spottie

PS And this time, when I say that I will be bringing a load of fruits with me on my flight ....

Scurry away to look up flight options. With the flights to Islay being from GLA it is gonna be a lot of connections.

If I leave on 19th I can get to Islay 36 hours & 5 flights later, Sunday return flight is too late to connect, return instead on 23rd and get back home 40 hours & 4 flights later. Dang - not enough leave to pull it off :(

When in Glasgow, do not mention BA and Connect in the same sentence to the ground staff...

How exciting - would TOTALLY have been there, alas have a wedding in Inverness that Saturday, so not possible for me this time:(

Have fun!:D

Having read about and watched the Barra video, I've been looking forward to such a Do! Many thanks to Jenbel :-: for organising. I'm booked:

BA1496 - Fri 20 July
LHR 20:20
GLA 21:40

BA8921 - Sat 21 July
GLA 08:30
ILY 09:15

BA8928 - Sun 22 July
ILY 18:15
GLA 19:00

BA1497 - Sun 22 July
GLA 19:50
LHR 21:15

When I selected a multi-city itinerary on ba.com, it wouldn't book the last two flights (claiming a MCT of 90 mins) so I booked through aa.com for the same price - £131.

I currently have a flexible reservation on Fri night at the Hilton Glasgow hotel unless anyone has any better suggestions. (No SPG!)

The Crowne Plazza Glasgow. Fantastic views. You can visit the "Yen" resturant and have a great meal.

Also if there are a number of you the "Yen" is great but you can also go across the river to Masala Jacks (nice new Indian resturant).

regards

Well I am in, will book up for the three days methinks. Nice one Queen Jenbel ^ ;)

I would loved to have gone to this DO but I'm afraid I can't as I am going to live in Barcelona at the end of May and will hopefully have a job at this point! It sounds a wonderful DO, and it's a real shame as I've hardly visited any of the islands in this beautiful country. I'm sure you'll all have a charming time :)

I also have my flights booked: out on Friday's BA8925 and back on Saturday's BA8922.

Apologies in advance for not engaging fully in the island experience - I must keep Sunday free for the moment and may be able to amend this closer to the date.

Fabulous stuff :-: Jen:-: !

Have just booked flights: GLA-ILY-GLA/x-LHR on BA.

GLA-ILY on Sat morning
ILY-GLA/x-LHR on Sun evening

Haven't yet booked LHR-GLA for the Friday, as still not sure what time I'll be free!

Looks like it will be a fabulous Do! ^

Tragically i'll be supervising my best friend's wedding over this weekend. Sounds like an awesome one at a great time of year. Enjoy, everyone!

Just to mention that there's a typo in the above room rates - 1 night is £59/person including breakfast (for a double room).

I've just booked a double room at the Machrie - they did require a £50 deposit (for the room - not per person) which they took from my Amex.

oops, thanks for the heads up. I've corrected :)

Put me down as a possible. Just need to sort the dates with work etc.

Will there be a repeat of the locals doing a wee song and dance routine for us? Oh I do hope so!

B;)

I think we can hope... but not expect.

Now curb your disappointment everyone! :D

Do we also expect one of the locals to take out one of those 5 legged burberry coloured half lifejacket half musical instrument things. Kept on having to blow into the tube to keep it inflated. Funny, could not see a whistle and a light that comes on if you pee on it.

There may also be some wireless bluetooth additional keyboard feature for all those Mac laptop users available on the trip. The "whizz key" may be looked at and admired by many on the trip. Unlike a conventional computer mouse, this one must have fur, as apparently in summer we are likely to see it leave hair everywhere as it is in full "malt".

All we have to do now is work out which band is named after the runway. The first "Do" had "Wet, Wet, Wet" as its sponsor.

I'm going to try for this, but unlikely as I've not usually got many weekends available and I have already got some leave booked shortly after that weekend. This makes being unavailable at work before then less than ideal. Will know by Monday at the earliest.....

Well my fingers are crossed for all those on the trying and maybe list... those listed on here and who have contacted me off board as well :)

updated flights and attendence list.. if I've missed you off, let me know :)

Jenbel, I hope you show the others a good gelly..........!!!!!

Noticed this:-

GLA-ILY-GLA: £59.00 fare + £27.00 taxes = £86.00

LGW-GLA-LHR: £30.00 fare + £54.40 taxes = £84.40

LGW-GLA-ILY-GLA-LHR: £89.00 fare + £53.30 taxes = £142.30

:D

Our LCY-GLA-ILY-GLA-LHR is just under 130 per person INC tax and the dreadful BA.con booking fee.

Yes, I know the LCY fares are lower at the moment.

What made me laugh was the fact that the total taxes for the composite trip as far as ILY and back were lower than the taxes for the same LON-GLA-LON flights alone.

Go to ILY and get a tax discount :D

Please put me down as a definite.

Flights are the same as jhm's but cost £17.50 more! :( Talk about the early bird catches the worm...

Fantastic - welcome aboard! :)

My flights the other day:

Fare - £77; taxes etc - £54.50; total - £131.50

The same flights today:

Fare - £115; taxes etc - £33.50; total - £148.50

Perhaps I'm being very ignorant but how can the taxes etc go down on the same flights ? :confused:

maybe the damn fuel surcharge has finally been reduced?

I'm interested, and I hope to be able to confirm in a few days. :)

BTW I don't think booking on aa.com saves any money. Even considering exchange rates and credit card fees, it is slightly more expensive.

Nope, sorry count me out of this one too, I can't get away that weekend :( Wot a pain in the donkey.

:( :( :(

We'll have to catch some midges and send them to you special delivery ;)