Active Pursuits

For Birdies & Ramblers -- Loch Gruinart cuts into the northern part of Islay, 11km (6 3/4 miles) northeast of Port Charlotte and 13km (8 miles) north of Bowmore. As the winter home for wild geese, it has attracted bird-watchers for decades. In 1984, the 1,215 hectares (3,000 acres) of moors and farmland around the loch were turned into the Loch Gruinart Nature Reserve.

This is another place for great walks. Beaches rise out of the falling tides, but they're too cold and rocky for serious swimming. This is a lonely and bleak coastline, but because of that it has a certain beauty, especially as you make your way north along its eastern shoreline. On a clear day, you can see the Hebridean islands of Oronsay and Colonsay in the distance.