IslayBlog.com —> 2014 —>
Dihaoine, 25/Apr/2014
Friday Islay picture #324 - Torradale and Laphroaig
Sorry it's been a bit quiet the last two days, I was a bit too tired after a dram too many on my birthday on Tuesday and long days in the day job in the office. But of course there will still be a fresh Friday Islay picture today, taken during a very interesting walk near Laphroaig distillery on the south coast of Islay last week:
This is what remains of Torradale Farm right above Laphroaig (if you look closely you can see the warehouses in the background). The Johnstons, founders of Laphroaig distillery, leased land here and stayed here during the startup phase of the distillery. The farm buildings are all in ruins now, but some of the old machinery is still there. The wheel you can see just left of centre belonged to a threshing machine, it is connected to the contraption on the right (unfortunately I don't know what they are called). Horses were pulling a beam attached to it, walking in circles, to power the wheel driving the thresher.
We visited Torradale and several other places during a very interesting walk led by James Cameron and Pat McGrann. Part of the walk was along the new coastal path Pat was instrumental in getting built. James provided some fascinating local knowledge and history, leading us to a number of places including Torradale. This is one of the main reasons why I enjoy the Islay walking week so much, the opportunity to learn about the local history and visit these places.
With that I'll close for today, of course I'm enjoying a wee dram of Laphroaig Triple Wood Islay single malt while finishing this entry (and the music is provided by the Pixies, EP2 to be precise). Have a great weekend!
PS: I'll post a larger version with a better view of the Laphroaig warehouses on the Islay Pictures photoblog on Saturday morning.
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