About Islay Pictures

So what in the heck is all this?

This is my ‘photoblog’ or ‘photographic web log’ with daily pictures of the Isle of Islay on the west coast of Scotland. As the name implies I will post pictures here, typically of the large variety (1000px wide or high, depending on the format). The pictures will mostly be from the Isle of Islay, on occasion I might stray to the neighbouring islands of Jura, Colonsay and Gigha.

About me

I’m Armin Grewe, the blogger posting the pictures on this blog. I was born and grew up in Germany before moving to the UK in 1995, where apart from a short interruption from 1998-2000 I’ve lived ever since. I work in the IT industry, probably part of the reason I got involved in the web, building website and ultimately blogging. For the time being I live in southern England, currently in Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire.

In late July 1998 I booked a holiday for a week in Scotland. I can’t remember exactly why and how I picked Islay as one of the places to visit, it might have been a report in The Independent and an awakening interest in Single Malt Whisky. Whatever the reason was, on a rainy morning in August 1998 I arrived on Islay for the first time.

I have returned to Islay again and again ever since.

At least once a year, the last few years two or even three times a year, I’ve returned to Islay for yet another visit. Discovering new places, meeting new people, revisiting well-known places, meeting old friends, making new experiences, deepening my knowledge, you name it.

In 1999 I started my first website under www.armin-grewe.com (which is still going strong), information about Islay and travelogues from my visits to Scotland including to Islay are a large part of its content. In 2006 I added a blog about Islay to my collection, not surprisingly it can be found at www.islayblog.com. December 2008 saw the addition of the daily Islay Pictures photoblog (that’s this blog).

You can find more about and from me on my Armin Grewe Google profile and on my personal website.

Usage of these pictures for your projects

Under the following conditions you can use individual pictures from this blog in your non-commercial projects:

  1. Please contact me and let me know where / for what you’d like to use my picture(s). I expect to grant permission in most cases, but reserve the right to refuse permission if I feel the usage would be inappropriate.
  2. Please credit me through a clickable link to this photoblog if your project is online, i.e. a link that looks like this: <a href=”http://www.islay.org.uk/” title=”Islay Pictures – Pictures from the Isle of Islay, Scotland”>Islay Pictures Photoblog</a>. For ‘offline’ projects you should ideally print the website address, i.e. www.islay.org.uk
  3. Please do not ‘hotlink’ the picture(s). Instead download it/them and copy them to your server.
  4. Please make a donation to a cancer research charity in your country. I’ll leave you to decide the amount depending on your financial situation, but would like to suggest something between £20 and £50 (or your local currency equivalent). Please find an incomplete list of cancer research charities below:

For commercial usage please contact me to discuss your project.

Links

For more information about Islay you might want to try these great sites:

426 thoughts on “About Islay Pictures”

  2. My name is Dr Koichi Inatomi, ex-Suntory of Japan but during the last 13 years I have been a Honourable Researcher at The Centre for Business History, University of Glasgow, having carried out a research project on history of distilling technology. As a side line work I have been writing interesting and educational articles in series at Ballantine whisky Japan website titled Dr Inatomi’s Scotch Note. Although the website belongs to a commercial company my writing is intended to be quite neutral and publication right belongs to me. The series has been running for over 15 years and I attached the website back number page shown below. Sorry it is in Japanese but I think you will understand the contents of my writing from the pictures. The reason I am writing to you is that I wish to seek your permission to use your picture of Lomond still for my next writing. I will pay you a fee to use the picture within the budget I have but if I can suggest the amount of £100 and hope you can kindly accept this. Best regards. Koichi

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  3. My name is Dr Koichi Inatomi, ex-Suntory of Japan but during the last 13 years I have been a Honourable Researcher at The Centre for Business History, University of Glasgow, having carried out a research project on history of distilling technology. As a side line work I have been writing interesting and educational articles in series at Ballantine whisky Japan website titled Dr Inatomi’s Scotch Note. Although the website belongs to a commercial company my writing is intended to be quite neutral and publication right belongs to me. The series has been running for over 15 years and I attached the website back number page shown below. Sorry it is in Japanese but I think you will understand the contents of my writing from the pictures. The reason I am writing to you is that I wish to seek your permission to use your picture of Lomond still for my next writing. I will pay you a fee to use the picture within the budget I have but if I can suggest the amount of £100 and hope you can kindly accept this. Best regards. Koichi

    Reply ↓

  110. Hi Armin,
    Thank you so much for putting these wonderful photos and stories of Islay together. Many years ago, I first heard of Islay when I found it scrawled on my Great Great grandfather’s death certificate. His name was John Johnston. The other thing which attracted my attention was his father’s occupation…”Distiller”. As a writer and storyteller, my antennae went up and thus began my love affair with a small island on the other side of the known universe. I live in Sydney, Australia. In lieu of geese, we have flocks of sulphur-crested cockatoos which love dive-bombing vehicles, and nibbling away on just about anything wooden they can get their beaks on, while smiling ever so sweetly for the camera.
    Much of my research into my Islay heritage was done before much information was available online and all I’ve had is one or two photos. I have had young kids and getting to Islay has been prohibitive, which has been incredibly frustrating. So, once again, many thanks.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

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  146. @islayblog. Not being overly familiar with the amazing thing that is the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, I’m curious to know just how private the Ardfin Estate (with its private golf course) is?? Totally out of bounds? Or any Islay/Jura estate for that matter.

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  189. So glad I didn’t book a trip abroad this week. Why bother? Islay is nicer than anywhere I’ve been on the continent when it’s weather like this. The sea is warm, the breeze is just cool enough and the sun is glorious!
    The dogs are loving their wee paddle too!@islayblog

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  199. You can walk the same beach 100 times and still be amazed at how different it is each time. Tidal erosion has brought a new sandbank and revealed even more of the wreck on Kilchoman (Machir Bay) than the last time I was there!@islayblog

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  235. Almost three months ago I posted a short video June evening in Lossit Bay, promising there was more to come. I’ve already posted a few pictures in recent weeks, this week I’m planning a series of Lossit Bay pictures on my Islay pictures photoblog, starting with the original of the cover picture of the video. Talking of video, here is the very much extended 10x longer director’s cut of the footage I shot in Lossit Bay, I hope you enjoy it:
    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbjjhBgWsRs?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent&w=840&h=473%5D
    No music, just the sound of the waves breaking and the birds calling, in particular the noisy oystercatchers. It’s the way I like it. Just like it is when you’re there.
    PS: Assuming I can work out how to edit and upload it I’m hoping to share a 360º video of Lossit Bay some time over the coming weeks. Fingers crossed…

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  352. So, a zoomer posts this image 1⃣ which purports to show a new motorway sign in Holland being erected for a new ferry route

    Then @islayblog proves that it’s a fake 2⃣, which is backed up in 3⃣

    Whats disappointing is the audience to 1⃣ (275/533) compared to the truth in 2⃣ (2/7)

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  356. Is it still standing? I heard a suggestion recently that it had been knocked down, which would be a pity as it is such an early example and in such a surprising location. I have only managed to visit once, I know that the ironwork for filling and emptying is beyond repair but the concrete itself seemed remarkably sound.

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  357. Back in December 2008 when I first launched the Islay Pictures photoblog the number of 3,333 wasn’t really on my mind. The journey was the goal, not hitting any numbers. I don’t really watch the number of posts on it, but on Friday evening when preparing the post for Saturday morning I noticed by chance that said post was going to be the 3,333rd post. After posting it on Saturday morning I took a screenshot for posterity:

    3,333 posts on the photoblogSo how did I get to 3,333 posts?

    As I said it all started in December 2008 when I first launched the photoblog, back then using the “Pixelpost” CMS. My original goal was to post a picture every day and see where it would take me. It worked really well, people seemed to like it and I enjoyed the daily posting. Unfortunately in November 2012 “disaster struck”: Because of some server changes the Pixelpost CMS (which wasn’t maintained any more by that time) stopped working. With a heavy heart I had to delete over 1,300 posts and start from scratch.

    For the second incarnation I decided to go with the popular WordPress CMS, my reasoning being that I could be quite confident it would be supported for quite some time. The layout I’ve kept largely unchanged since going live in December 2012, main change I think was adding the header banner, a picture my sister Imke took of me taking pictures in Saligo Bay.

    Islay Pictures Photoblog screenshot Oct 2020I continued posting daily, initially even twice daily to “repost” the pictures from the original blog. There were a few breaks, mainly when I was travelling (to Islay) but also when I was too ill to post through an injury and when I had my heart operation. But overall I’ve kept it up. While most of the pictures are taken by me there are also guest pictures. The majority of them by my sister Imke from her Islay visits, also a few from my late mother and some from Keith Wood.

    Not having been to Islay this year due to the Coronavirus pandemic I’m currently heavily relying on my archives from over 20 years of Islay visits. I’m hoping to be able to visit again at some point in 2021 to restock my supplies. As long as I can find something I think is worthwhile posting I’ll continue posting.
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    Author: Armin Grewe

    I blog about Islay.
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  362. So there we are, New Year’s Eve 2021. Another year coming to an end. Might as well take a look back at the year, what it meant to me, Islay related and a few other areas. The year brought both good and bad things and events:

    In particular the first half of the year was of course still dominated by the Covid-19/Coronavirus pandemic, even though the ramp up of the vaccination efforts brought some hope. My second dose came too late for me to book anything for the first half of the year (I had decided I wasn’t going to travel until my second dose had taken full effect). Still, I managed to continue with daily posts on my Islay pictures photoblog by digging into my archives and plundering some other resources (mainly pictures taken on my phone). Also the belated online Islay Sessions 2020 took place early in 2021.

    Then the first bad news struck when Ian Brooke unexpectedly passed away in June. I still miss him, my daily visits to the Islay Birds blog are not the same without him (that’s not to diminish the sterling job the team continuing it in his memory is doing, it’s just different). Also missed seeing and catching up with him at his bird hide when I finally managed to return to Islay in September, at least I had a good catch up with Margaret.

    At least September brought my first return to Islay after 22 months without a visit. As you can read in that post it was magical. Being back on the beaches was just brilliant. Rediscovering some old haunts and exploring a few new places was just what I needed. And I had booked my next visit even before I left for my September visit, returning for a week in October. This time I stayed at Ballitarsin Lodge, which was another new experience. Some fantastic views from up there, also a few morning walks along the Glen Road instead of a beach. I got to meet some old friends with their latest addition to the household (and some homemade Spaghetti Bolognese on great evening), followed by some brilliant October night skies (I still need to process the pictures from that…).

    Then the end of the year arrived with some bad news, but also a lot of opportunity for 2022: Earlier this afternoon I shut down my work laptop for the last time as a Verizon employee. Or in other words, from next week I’m looking for opportunities for the next stage of my career. If you know of any good jobs in the Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) area or similar, positions as a Finance Business Partner or similar please get in touch. Remote work or in the Greater Reading / West Berkshire and around area. You can learn about my skills and experience on my LinkedIn profile. Onwards and upwards, and after I’ve settled into my next career step it will be time for another visit to Islay.
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    Author: Armin Grewe

    I blog about Islay.
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  363. A1: Well, with my Twitter handle this should be obvious, of course @IslayandJura That’s why I write/run not one but two blogs about it:
    islay.org.uk
    new.islayblog.com

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