Bowmore is a little town rather than a large village, the administrative capital of Islay. It has a better Co-op than Port Ellen, along with a hardware shop, butcher, fish van, a general touristy sort of shop (the Celtic House) which has an excellent selection of books, particularly sticking-in books for small children, and so on.
The town was laid out as a grid in the mid 18th century and is one of the few attractive towns on the west coast (along with Tobermory and Oban). The mostly 19th century distillery which was founded in 1779 (with tours, ph 01496 810441) dominates the bottom of the main street by the harbour while God dominates the top in the remarkable form of Kilarrow parish church, built in 1767-9 and described by 'Pevsner' as "powerfully architectonic in conception and resolutely urban in its rural setting" (The Buildings of Scotland, Argyll and Bute. Frank Arneil Walker, Penguin Books, London, 1992). It is indeed a striking round shape (a shape with no corners for the devil to hide in apparently), and inside it is beautifully elegant with splendid pine pews, and curved stairs up to the 19th century gallery. The central pillar holding the roof up is wooden although it doesn't look it. Sadly it may be yet another Church of Scotland church up for sale.
The MacTaggart Leisure Centre (ph 01496 810767) contains Islay's only swimming pool in a rather nice 1991 conversion of a former distillery warehouse right by the harbour (it is owned by the people of Islay and Jura.). You swim under a curved wooden ceiling and can look out to the bay through windows at the end of the 25-metre pool. There is a small launderette there too.
The Lochside Hotel has a dining room that looks right on to the harbour, and the food is fine — the range of Islay whiskies in the bar is legendary and it seems to be the place for music in the evenings (ph 01496 810244). Peatzeria appeared in 2017, it looks good but I have yet to try it (ph 01496 305171), Italian of course. And since 2024 there is a chippie in the main street.
Notwithstanding the very shallow anchorage, Bowmore is not a bad place to take a break, and change crew, rather than at Port Ellen which, although it has pontoons and is a bit nearer the airport and more convenient for the ferry, is not such a good place to linger in.
