Kilchoman Cross & Church

📌 Kilchoman, Isle of Islay
★★

Head west on the narrow road above the south shore of Loch Gorm on Islay, and you’ll find three real gems. Assuming you’ve managed to avoid colliding with any of the sheep / cows / geese that share the roads with the occasional car around here, you’ll first reach Kilchoman Distillery. Second, and the subject of this page, is Kilchoman Cross and Church, reached by keeping left at the various junctions beyond the distillery. The bare shell of the church dates from the early 1800s, and was only abandoned in the late 1970s as the parish consolidated – Islay’s exposed climate has since taken its toll. But the elegantly carved cross in the church grounds is much more interesting. 600 or 700 years old, carvings of Jesus on the cross (on the cross head), saints and angels (below and to the sides), Latin text and elaborate knotwork are all remarkably clear to see. Oh, and the third gem? Wonderful Machir Bay, easily seen from the vicinity of the church.