Whisky galore

NO appointment, royal or otherwise, was necessary when Princess Anne called in at the Islay Woollen Mill to order tweed.

The York-born owner, Gordon Covell, 59, was not there when she turned up unannounced after a seven-mile hike from Port Askaig with royal minders in tow.

She had been cruising with motor racing legend Jackie Stewart who had charted the Oban-based Hebridean Princess to celebrate his wife's birthday. Other guests included the movie star Sean Connery.

Stewart and Connery left the ship to tour Islay's Bowmore whisky distillery to enjoy a wee dram or two, while the Princess Royal went on her textile trek.

Mr Covell's 31-year-old son Marcus showed the Princess Royal round the mill, which supplies gamekeeper tweed to the British aristocracy for their shooting estates, including Balmoral.

Mr Covell has also produced tartans for movies, including Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning Braveheart. Thus the tabloids dubbed him "the man who had his hand up Mel Gibson's kilt".

Mr Covell, who was born in Heworth during an air raid in December 1941, is proud of his Yorkshire roots.

Through his mother, he is a descendant of the pioneer road builder Blind Jack of Knaresborough and he sends his cloth to be finished by W.T. Johnson, of Huddersfield.

The Islay Woollen Mill is an industrial archaeologist's dream. It was built in 1883 and was originally powered by water.

It boasts two of the world's seven remaining Spinning Jennies and the world's sole surviving Slubbing Billy.

Adjacent to the mill is a derelict stone building that was used by a weaver in 1550. Mr Covell plans to open it as a heritage centre where he will demonstrate hand weaving to visitors.

Loch Finlaggan, lies a few miles south west of Port Askaig. It has three islands, two of which lie close to the north shore. These are Eilean Mor (large island) and Eilean Comhairle (council island), which was the seat of authority of the Lord of the Isles (Ri Innse Gall).

These warrior chieftains ruled the islands and parts of Scotland's west coast. Descended from Somerlad, a 12th century prince, these lords flourished in a strong Gaelic and Norse tradition.

Not much remains of the timber buildings amidst the reeds, water and peat, but the stone walls of the chapel and feasting hall still stand. Nearby are stunning stone effigies of warriors.

Stay there long enough and you may imagine a Celtic storyteller weaving his spell as the warriors celebrate another feat of arms with a magnificent feast.

Ann Kemp left Lancashire in the mid-1980s to farm on Islay, hand shearing her own rare breed sheep, spinning their wool into yarn, dyeing it with natural dyes and knitting it.

The venture has grown into Tormisdale Croft Crafts and visitors are welcome to look round her award-winning shop on the 150-acre croft.

Whisky is a spiritual experience for many inhabitants of Islay. The island boasts seven distilleries, plus one on the neighbouring Isle of Jura, where George Orwell, dying from tuberculosis, wrote his classic novel 1984.

The distilling process is like alchemy in that it succeeds in bottling the essence of Islay - its peat, water and barley combines with the wisdom and knowledge accumulated over centuries by its master distillers.

Bruichladdich is Scotland's most westerly distillery. It resumed production this year, under the guiding hand of Jim McEwan, after a gap of seven years and an investment of about £7 million.

Mr McEwan is a man of vision with 37 years in the whisky business. He wants to create a whisky academy plus a retail centre to promote the crafts and skills of Islay.

I also visited Bowmore, Islay's oldest distillery, which has stood on the shores of Loch Indaal since 1779.

The west coast of Scotland entered the popular consciousness in the mid-1970s when pop maestro Paul McCartney penned his international hit Mull Of Kintyre.

The beach, near the ancient ruins of Saddell Abbey, where the former Beatle sang the Christmas antidote to punk rock, with a little help from his pipe band friends, is a place of stunning beauty. It comes complete with its own romantic castle, made of stone from the abbey.

The coastline is full of quiet, secluded bays. Scottish freedom fighter Robert the Bruce is reputed to have landed near the fishing village of Carradale, on the shores of the Kilbrannan Sound, in 1308 after having his famous encounter with the spider while hiding from English soldiers in a cave on the Isle of Arran.

Carradale boasts its own gold foundry, which was set up by Yorkshireman Mike Hurst 26 years ago. He worked on excavations at York Minster during the massive engineering project to prevent its central tower from collapsing.

Marriage took him to Carradale where he makes quality jewellery. Nearby is an organic tannery at Torrisdale Castle, which was built in the 19th century from wealth generated by the East India Company.

Mary McAllistair-Hall believes that the old ways are best. She produces beautiful sheepskins in varied natural colourings, using tree bark instead of chemicals.

Campbeltown used to have more than 30 whisky distilleries. Now the only one remaining is the family-run Springbank Distillery.

Sales manager Ewan Mitchell says Springbank's traditional approach to making whisky is its strength. About two-thirds of the distillery's output is exported, thus helping the fragile local economy.

Campbeltown's colourful history is portrayed in the heritage centre, which is housed in the "Tartan Kirk", so called because of the former church's distinctive faade of alternating stone and red brick.

Fact file:

Travel: GNER from York to Glasgow Central. Prices start from £37 return.

Caledonian MacBrayne ferry from Kennacraig to Port Ellen, Islay. Five-day return ticket, based on two adults plus car, priced from £88. Cochrane Shipbuilders Ltd, Selby, built Hebridean Isles, a roll-on, roll-off car ferry.

Accommodation: Dunvalanree Hotel, Port Righ Bay, Carradale. Taste of Scotland award. Prices from £20 to £28, bed & breakfast. Tel: 01583 431226.

Machrie Hotel, Port Ellen, Islay. Prices from £60 to £80, bed & breakfast. Tel: 01496 302310.

Eating Out: Harbour Inn, Bowmore, Islay. Scottish Thistle Award for cooking. Tel: 01496 810330

Muneroy Licensed Tearoom, Southend, Argyll. Tel: 01586 830221

Carradale Hotel, Carradale. Taste of Scotland award. Tel: 01583 431223

Port Charlotte Hotel, Port Charlotte, Islay. Tel: 01496 850360

Information: Argyll, the Isles, Loch Lomond, Stirling & Trossachs Tourist Board, Stirling. Tel: 01786 445222