Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
615km²
Area
318km
Coastline
491m
Highest point
Beinn Bheigeir
3,228
People
14°C
Warmest sea
September
697km
To the mainland
When to go to Islay
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in September (14 °C) and coolest in March (8 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Southernmost island of the Inner Hebrides in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK
Islay is an island in United Kingdom. It belongs to Inner Hebrides. It covers 615 km², with 318 km of coastline. Its highest point, Beinn Bheigeir, rises to 491 m. About 3,228 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 697 km away.
Getting there
- Islay Airport (ILY)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at LDY airport (Derry, Derry and Strabane)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesPort Askaig - Feolin, Port Askaig - Colonsay, Kennacraig - Port Askaig, Kennacraig - Port Ellen
- 697 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Islay.
- 63beachesTràigh Nòstaig, Tràigh nan Cisteachan, Tràigh Mhòr and 60 more
- 4viewpointsLoch Indaal Viewpoint, Jura Viewpoint and 2 more
- 5lighthousesLoch Indaal Lighthouse, Rhuvaal Lighthouse, Carraig Fhada Lighthouse and 2 more
- 3ferry terminalsPort Askaig Ferry Tetminal, Port Askaig Ferry Terminal, Port Ellen Ferry Terminal
- 41named peaksBeinn Bheigeir, Glas Bheinn, Beinn Bhàn and 38 more
- 5waterfallsEas Forsa, Eas Mòr and 3 more
- 1castles and fortsDunyvaig Castle
- 1,341ruins and archaeological sitesGreat Hall, Standing Stone, Kilchoman Cross-slab and 1,338 more
- 2waymarked walking routesThree Distilleries Pathway, Loch Indaal Way
- 2campsitesKintra Campsite, Port Mòr Campsite
- 68hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 20restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Islay in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Islay, each with its own numbers.
14mountainsPeakyas
16lakesLakeyas
4waterfallsCascadyas
Highest point
491m
Beinn Bheigeir
prominence 491 m · according to Peakyas
Largest lake
2.6km²
Loch Gorm
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
20.4°C
Loch Càrn a’ Mhaoil
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
14 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Beinn Bheigeirprominence 491 m491m
- Glas Bheinn472m
- Beinn Bhàn471m
- Beinn Uraraidhprominence 55 m456m
- Sgòrr nam Faoileann429m
- Sgarbh Breac364m
- Beinn Sholumprominence 60 m347m
- Beinn na Caillich332m
6 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
16 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Loch Gorm2.6km²
- Loch Finlaggan0.55km²
- Loch Kinnabus0.42km²
- Loch Skerrols0.23km²
- Loch Ballygrant0.22km²
- Loch Beinn Uraraidh0.19km²
- Ardnahoe Loch0.17km²
- Loch Leathann an Sgòrra0.12km²
8 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
4 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Eas Lathan
- Eas Mòr, lower
- Eas Mòr, upper
- Eas Forsa
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 90 m above the sea. 89 % of it is below 200 m.
- 38 %0–50 m
- 51 %50–200 m
- 10 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Isle of Islay3,457 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 |
| Night low (°C) | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Sea (°C) | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Rain (mm) | 165 | 122 | 112 | 79 | 94 | 98 | 113 | 134 | 119 | 162 | 160 | 167 |
| Wet days | 23 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 22 | 23 | 23 |
| Sun h/day | 0.3 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 |
| Wind (km/h) | 34 | 31 | 29 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 26 | 29 | 32 | 32 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.3 | −0.1 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.5 |
| 2021 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.1 | ±0.0 | +0.1 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +0.8 | +0.6 | +0.8 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| 2023 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.3 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +0.8 |
| 2024 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.1 | ±0.0 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.1 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 |
| 2025 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +1.4 | +0.8 | +0.7 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Jura
United Kingdom363 km²785 m43 km away
Isle of ArranUnited Kingdom428 km²874 m61 km away
ColonsayUnited Kingdom41 km²135 m34 km away
Isle of MullUnited Kingdom883 km²966 m77 km away
Rathlin IslandUnited Kingdom14 km²136 m53 km away
IonaUnited Kingdom8.5 km²97 m65 km away
Isle of ButeUnited Kingdom121 km²278 m69 km away
UlvaUnited Kingdom18 km²313 m79 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q273) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit