Kintra Farm Campsite (CLOSED

Kintra Farm Campsite is closed, following a closure update in 2025, and is no longer an option for overnight stays on Islay. Just outside Port Ellen, it formerly welcomed tents and campervans to semi-wild pitches among the sand dunes beside a broad sandy beach. Toilets and showers supported an otherwise simple style of camping, with dogs welcome and campfires permitted. These facilities and arrangements relate to the former campsite, rather than services visitors should expect to find available now.

The coastal setting is at the southern end of the Big Strand, the long sweep of sand bordering Laggan Bay. Backed by dunes, the beach stretches north towards Laggan Point, with views towards the Oa peninsula and the Rinns of Islay. It offers scope for beach walks, although river crossings interrupt the shore: the Machrie and Kintra rivers can be difficult after heavy rain, while the River Laggan is not easily crossed.

For exploring this part of Islay from alternative accommodation, the Three Distilleries Path links Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg outside Port Ellen. Elsewhere in south-east Islay, Kildalton Cross provides a different focus: carved in the eighth century, it still stands in its original location beside the medieval church, whose burial ground contains further carved stones.