[Closed] Islay camping suggestions for bike tour in May

We were there on bikes in September and again a couple of weeks ago:

Not stealth - Por Mor centre was a wonderful community campsite we visited with ace cafe that served really nice food:
https://goo.gl/maps/RuVjA1oxnzP29DY58

Stealth:
Mull of Oa - a late arrival at the car park would work, there are picnic tables and (hard pitch) flat ground. Quite an out the way spot. https://goo.gl/maps/cZiA1YEz5jRQ3D8V9
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Singing Sands - a short (500m?) bike push, but there were lovely flat grass spots above the beach.
https://goo.gl/maps/RyWbexgvUN9oZg4K8
Behind here:
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Just past Bunnahabhain was an idylic camp spot next to the river - again a few metres of bike push to get there, but your own private beach, flat ground... https://www.google.com/maps/place/55%C2%B05 3'09.0%22N+6%C2%B007'50.4%22W/@55.88584,-6.1322505,478m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x0:0x79c1b5420eefabdc!7e2!8m2!3d55.8858402!4d-6.1306693
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Here:
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For travelling by bike and going for an approach where you arrive in the evening and leave reasonably early in the morning I don't think you will have problems finding places to camp.
You will be able to wheel your bikes off the road and pitch the tents out of sight fairly easily, so the chances of being disturbed are minimal.
Places that seem likely are Saligo bay in the north west (near Kilchoman distillery) and Finlaggan on the road over to Port Askaig.
Are you heading over to Jura at all? Be warned that the place is absolutely crawling with ticks, so I would be inclined to avoid wild camping. You can camp in front of the Jura hotel, it's pretty cheap.

Thanks all great info. I truely loathe ticks so will def look into that hotel. Not sure we will have time to visit Jura... I do fancy it.

Cheers

When staying at the Jura Hotel my wife and I did a walk to the point where you can look out on the Corrievreckan whirlpool. I had been bitten by over 20 ticks that I tweezered out of my legs after we got back to the hotel. Flicked dozens more off myself while we were on the walk too.

Not sure we will have time to visit Jura… I do fancy it.

I'd choose a couple of days on Jura over spending the whole time on Islay. It's different and you can see a lot of Islay in a few days.

Not stealth – Por Mor centre was a wonderful community campsite we visited with ace cafe that served really nice food:

We stayed there at Easter, great facilities and the Port Charlotte Hotel does good grub.

Also check out 'Labels' cafe in Bowmore for something a bit different!

I’d choose a couple of days on Jura over spending the whole time on Islay. It’s different and you can see a lot of Islay in a few days.

I would agree with that.

We had three full days on the bikes - and one was a blowout because Calmac broken down out to Colonsay. Even the evening ride from Ferry and morning back to the Ferry created a nice day out.

Jura is lovely - so wild and remote feeling. Worth a trip - and again we 'did' the trip from lunchtime on when it was clear the Colonsay run was not going ahead. We simply pedalled to Craighouse, sank a drink, wandered around, and pedalled back to the wee ferry then back to Bowmore where we were staying.

I know it's not what you asked but islay-colonsay-oban-mainland(down loch awe)-kenacraig loop is fantastic in a week if you can get the ferries to work.

Just wanted to add that our day trip to Colonsay was FANTASTIC(*to be fair weather was as good as it gets), lovely round the island loop, ice cream at the pier, sandwiches at Kiloran bay whilst watching cows paddling and sunbathing, the machair on the track to the beach at Croisebrig(NE) was so good that I lay in it to savour it, a truly fab experience.

Jura is very linear, and has lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of midges, we did a cheeky motorhome near the beach in a spot that was so tight I had to have the mrs back me in, the mrs now understands midges, it was so bad that that was the only time we got out.

Our first night on Islay last year we though we’d camp at Machir Bay, which is very pretty but as we had an easterly breeze, the midges were out in force, so we crossed over to Port Mor where the onshore breeze kept them at bay. As others say, Port Mor was really good and were happy for us to leave our tent up while we circumnavigated that peninsula, before moving on to Bowmore. It looked like there are spots further up the road beyond the Port Ellen distilleries (eg near Kidalton) but my tolerance for midges is pretty low so I’m not so sure.

Not on Islay, but had a great boat trip with Venture West out of Crinan along the coast of Scarba and by the Corryvreckan. Nice pootle on the canal from Ardrishaig to Crinan then a boat trip would be relaxing if you needed a chilled day.

Jura passenger ferry takes bikes. I prefer Jura to Islay, I'd definitely tie it into the trip (but don't be deceived into taking your bikes along the 'doubletrack' marked on 1:25000 OS maps in the north of the island).

... the jura-tayvalich RIB also takes bikes, poss what @montgomery is referring to too.