Location, Location, Location...
Ellenabeich - Easdale
Old Brewery Cottage is located within the very picturesque coastal conservation village of Ellenabeich which is delightfully situated on the Firth of Lorne some 16.6 miles south of the principal West Highland town of Oban on the Island of Seil, connected to the mainland by the famous 'Bridge Over The Atlantic' in an area of outstanding natural beauty, steeped in history and rich in flora and fauna and is renowned for its magnificent scenery, excellent sailing and fishing waters.
There is a thriving local community with the village hall being the focal point for many activities and groups and local services on the island include a well-stocked general store/post office, primary school, bar/restaurant, medical practice, and a 9 hole golf course.ption
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The Isle of Seil is the closest of the Southern Hebridean Islands and is the only one reachable by bridge. Seil retains all the characteristics of the island heritage of the West Highlands. Located circa 16.6 miles or so south of Oban, the diamond-shaped island measures an irregular 4.5 miles by 2 and nestles close into the mainland, separated only by a narrow sound, over which the famous “Bridge over the Atlantic” gives access. This bridge, built by General Wade in the late 18th century, opened the Inner Hebrides to the Redcoat garrison still occupying most of Argyll and Appin after the rebellion of 1745. The bridge, covered by fairy foxgloves in spring, remains the island’s link to the outside world.
Close by the west end of the bridge stands Tigh an Truish, the House of the Trousers, now an inn. After the rebellion of 1745, when the wearing of a kilt was banned, islanders would change here into trews (trousers) before wading to the mainland. The pub remains the centre of many island activities and serves excellent locally sourced seafood.
There are three centres of population on the Isle of Seil. The first, to the north, is Clachan Seil (literally the “village of Seil”), which stretches along the foreshore for a mile or so. Balvicar, in the centre of the island, has an excellent local grocery store, post office, professional boatyard and the 9 hole golf course. To the south is the village of Ellenabeich, gateway to another small island, Easdale, reached by a passenger ferry. Both have pubs (The Oyster Bar and the Puffer respectively). North Cuan, a couple of miles to the south-east, is the terminal for the car ferry to Luing.
Seil once had seven churches; most are now gone but an active congregation remains. There is an active Community Council and community newsletters are published regularly. The halls at Ellenabeich and on Easdale are venues for social events, clubs and sports. There is a primary school at Ellenabeich, while secondary schooling is at Oban High School. A school bus service operates.
The local wildlife includes seals, otters, roe deer, badgers, herons, buzzards, swans, seabirds, occasional sea eagles, and many colourful smaller bird species as well as a naturalised pheasant population. Porpoises, dolphins, basking sharks and minke whales are all seen regularly in the surrounding waters. Divers find some of the clearest waters in the UK off the shores of Seil and the Garvellachs.
Seil has excellent facilities for yachtsmen, both local and visiting, with anchorages providing shelter on passage from Crinan to the Sound of Mull. Inshore pleasure fishing is complemented by a variety of boat excursions, based at Seil Sound and Ellenabeich.
The local area is riven with slate beds and abounds with the resultant quarries, now disused. At one time Easdale slate was renowned far and wide. Museums to the slate industry are located in Ellenabeich and on Easdale. A former quarry on Easdale hosts the Annual World Stone Skimming Championships each September.
Warmed by the Gulf Stream, the Inner Hebridean climate can often be several degrees warmer than the mainland and it seldom freezes or snows in winter.
