Port Charlotte Village
Port Charlotte itself offers many amenities for the visitor including The Port Charlotte Hotel with its bar and restaurant featuring local produce and seafood . The Lochindaal Hotel is friendly pub with great bar meals and Yan’s Kitchen (formerly The Croft Kitchen) which specialises in tapas, seafood and grills. Within the village there is also a well stocked general store, post office and petrol station. The Port Mor centre, on the edge of the village, offers an excellent campsite with shower facilities, a cafe and football pitch.
Port Charlotte’s History
This best-preserved and most attractive village on Islay, was founded by Walter Frederick Campbell in 1828 and named after his mother. The village was built as a planned village around 1830 and included the Lochindaal Distillery which opened in 1832 becoming one of the main sources of employment for the villagers. The first licensee was Colin Campbell, but he owned the distillery for only two years and many owners followed him.
The Port Charlotte distillery closed in 1929 but its buildings still remain and some are now in use by the Youth Hostel and Islay Natural History Trust.