Seil
Seil is an island connected by bridge to the mainland of Argyll on the west coast of Scotland. It has limited accommodation and is usually visited as a day trip from Oban 12 mi (19 km) north.
Seil is the closest to shore of the Slate Islands, all formerly quarried for that product, and in 2011 had a population of 551. It's the access route to the islands of Luing (population about 200) and Easdale (population about 60), both reached by short ferry rides and described on this page. Others include Shuna, Torsa, Belnahua and Scarba. Kerrera is sometimes included in this group but it lies so close to Oban that in this travel guide it's described as a district of that town.
Get in
For long-distance routes see Oban, which has buses and trains from Glasgow, and ferries to several Hebridean islands.
By road from Oban follow A816 south to Kilninver then B844 west to cross Clachan Bridge. An alternative scenic route from Glasgow is via Inveraray and Lochgilphead then A816 north to Kilninver.
West Coast Bus 418 runs five times M-Sa from Oban, taking 50-60 min to the tiny villages of Clachan, Balvicar, Cuan (for ferry to Luing) and Ellenabeich (for ferry to Easdale).
Get around
- "Ther runnes ane streame, above the power of all sailing and rowing, with infinite dangers, callit Corybrekan. This stream is aught myle lang, quhilk may not be hantit bot be certain tyds."
- - You can kayak around the islands, but beware the Corryvreckan whirlpool, as described in 1549.
- "Ther runnes ane streame, above the power of all sailing and rowing, with infinite dangers, callit Corybrekan. This stream is aught myle lang, quhilk may not be hantit bot be certain tyds."
You need wheels to explore Seil and Luing. A bike will do, the terrain is not rugged but the breeze and rain can be vexing. On tiny Easdale just walk.
Cuan ferry links Seil and Luing and carries five vehicles at most. It sails M-Sa from 8AM and Su from 11AM, every 30 min with a lunch-break around 1PM. Jun-Aug it sails M-Sa until 10PM; Sunday and Sep-May it sails until 6PM with an on-request foot-passenger service continuing to 10PM. In 2023 fares are £4.70 per car, £1 per passenger including driver, bikes and dogs welcome. No booking, just turn up and go. The crossing is only 310 yards (285 m) and takes most of three minutes. No facilities on board, most travellers just remain in their vehicle.
Ellenabeich ferry links Seil and Easdale and only carries foot passengers and bicycles. It sails year-round every 30 min M-Sa to 9PM and Su to 6:15PM, with breaks around 1PM and 6PM. In 2023 return fares are £2.50 adult, £1.40 child, no booking, and the crossing is barely 200 yards in an open motor launch.
These ferries are run by Argyll and Bute Council. Calmac also displays them on its website but their info is not definitive.
There are no ferries to the other Slate Islands, but boat trips visit.
See and do
- 1 Duachy Stone Row is a line of megaliths by Loch Dubh along the road to Seil. Most have fallen over.
- 2 Clachan Bridge
spans the narrow channel from mainland Argyll to Seil island. It's a single-arch hump-backed bridge built in 1792 and still used by traffic. It's sometimes dubbed the "Bridge over the Atlantic" though its 72-ft (22-m) span suggests that continental drift has a bit of catching up to do here. - Golf: Isle of Seil GC is at Balvicar, a nine-hole loop, and twice around is £15. They have club hire.
- 3 An Cala Garden in Ellenabeich is open Apr-Oct: daily 10AM-6PM.
- Seafari are based in Ellenabeich and offer boat tours to Corryvreckan, Iona and Staffa. They wrap you up in waterproofs for the spray-lashed Rib ride.
- Slate Islands Heritage Centre, Ellenabeich PA34 4RQ (by ferry pier for Easdale), ☏ +44 1852 300735. Apr-Oct: Su-F 11AM-4PM. Exhibition on slate quarrying and nineteenth century life.
- Easdale has an attractive little village square: your first sight coming off the ferry is the parking lot, a colourful line of upturned wheelbarrows awaiting their owners return laden with goods from the mainland. Crushed slate trails lead to viewpoints and flooded quarries: they were inundated by a storm in 1850 and never recovered.
- 4 Easdale Island Folk Museum, Easdale PA34 4TB, ☏ +44 1852 300173. Apr-Oct: daily 11AM-4PM. Excellent local history museum.
- Stone-skimming world championships are next held on Easdale on 24 Sept 2023.
- 5 Kilbrandon Church, Cuan Ferry PA34 4RA. This mid-19th-century church is named for St Brendan the Navigator of Clontarf, who made many real journeys and several fantastical legendary trips. Its five stained glass windows by Douglas Strachan, installed in 1938, show scenes on the Sea of Galilee that any traveller might reflect on. Church of Scotland services are held on alternate Sundays at 11:30AM.
- 6 Ballycastle or North Fort is the ruin of a prehistoric hillfort on Luing.
- 7 Cullipool is an attractive small fishing village on Luing. Atlantic Islands Centre has a small display on island life but is basically just a cafe, open Apr-Oct: W-Su 11AM-4PM.
- 8 Torsa is a tidal island just off Luing. You can wade across at low tide, or splosh ashore from a dinghy — there's no landing jetty. The island is slate but has not been quarried and remains farmland. Caisteal nan Con - Dogs' Castle - is the remains of a tower house on an outcrop on the northeast shore. Torsa has no permanent residents but the farmhouse is available to let.
- 9 Leccamore Dun is a substantial hillfort ruin, better preserved than Ballycastle. Access by the farm track east side of Luing island.
- 10 Kilchattan Old Parish Church is the ruin of a 12th-century church, abandoned when a new one was built on Seil in 1765. The kirkyard has several medieval graves and that of Alexander Campbell (d 1829) who rejected and fulminated against the established church and just about everything else he could think of. He founded his own sect but expelled everyone else from it for their spiritual laxity.
- Toberonochty just beyond the old church is the end of the public road on the east coast of Luing. A branch leads to the west coast, and an unpaved farm track continues south for a couple of miles to nowhere in particular.
- 11 Shuna island is private farmland; cottages at its north end may be available to let. Shuna Castle is a derelict villa built in 1911 in mock-castle style.
- 12 Fladda, meaning "flat", is an uninhabited islet a mile west of Luing, with a lighthouse built by David and Thomas Stevenson in 1860.
- 13 Belnahua island has been almost eaten away by slate-quarrying. In 1914 its workmen marched away to war and their families were relocated; the quarries were abandoned and Belnahua has been uninhabited since.
- 14 Lunga island is uninhabited. The outdoor activity centre folded in 2013 when its owner was convicted of sex offences against young boys attending there. The channel to the south has the "Grey Dog" tide race, reaching 15 km/h, and dubbed "Little Corryreckan".
- 15 Scarba island is uninhabited but sometimes used by shooting parties.
- 16 Corryvreckan is the notorious whirlpool in the channel between Scarba and Jura: see Isle of Jura for explanation.
- 17 Eileach an Naoimh is one of the uninhabited Garvellach isles. Its monastery was founded circa 542 AD by St Brendan the Navigator. It was abandoned in the 800s after Viking attacks but later was a site of pilgrimage.
Buy
- 1 Balvicar Stores and Post Office, Balvicar, Seil PA34 4TE, ☏ +44 1852 300373. M-F 8:30AM-6PM, Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 9:30AM-2PM. Friendly helpful store with good selection, including GF and vegan food. They can deliver.
- 2 Isle of Luing Stores and Post Office, Cullipool, Luing PA34 4TX, ☏ +44 1852 314114. M-F 9AM-3PM, Sa 11AM-2PM. This bright prefab bungalow operates as a post office to 11AM then as a general store. It has fresh sourdough bread from Luing Bakery on Tu and F, and butteries on Sa.
Eat
- Tigh an Truish: see Sleep for this excellent restaurant by Clachan Bridge, serving Su-Tu noon-3PM, W-Sa noon-2:30PM, 6-7:30PM.
- The Puffer on Easdale serves food F-Su noon-3PM, and the bar is open Th-Sa 4PM-midnight.
Drink
- Tigh an Truish bar is open from noon, M Tu to 5PM, W-Sa to 10PM, Su to 8PM.
- Oyster Bar & Restaurant, Ellenabeich, Seil PA34 4RQ (next to pier for Easdale ferry), ☏ +44 1852 300121. Daily 11AM-10PM. Welcoming place for light bites or full meals.
Sleep
- Sheiling, Seil PA34 4QZ (by Clachan Bridge), ☏ +44 1852 300507. Friendly B&B, only two guest rooms, by the bridge. Dogs welcome. B&B double from £110.
- Tigh an Truish, Seil PA34 4QZ (by Clachan Bridge), ☏ +44 1852 300242. Chic small hotel, the restaurant gets rave reviews. B&B double £130.
- Oban Seil Farm a mile south of Clachan Bridge no longer offers B&B but has self-catering.
- 1 Garragh Mhor, Ellenabeich PA34 4RF, ☏ +44 1852 300513. Great reviews for this welcoming B&B near the ferry pier for Easdale. Two nights minimum. B&B double £120.
- Sunnybrae, Luing PA34 4TU, ☏ +44 1852 314274. Eight self-catering lodges (sleeps 4) in static caravan units, north end of Luing by the pier for the ferry from Seil. Two nights minimum, some units are available all year. £180 / night.
- 2 Wild Luing, Luing PA34 4TU, ☏ +44 7765 870111. Eight self-catering pods, sleeps 2. £220 / night.
Connect
As of May 2023, there is no mobile signal on these islands. You might pick up O2 on the A816 from Oban, but there is otherwise no signal on the main road.
Go next
Back over the Atlantic you go, then either turn north to Oban or south via Arduaine Gardens to Lochgilphead.