A SCOTTISH "party island" has been named one of the coolest places to live in 2025.
Port Ellen, the biggest town in Islay, is one of eleven places to be named in the Sunday Times' list of the coolest postcodes to live this year.
The isle's dramatic scenery and plethora of distilleries make it the perfect place to visit.
Port Ellen is the only place in Scotland to be named on the Sunday Times' "coolest postcodes" list. Other places include:
- PA42 Port Ellen
- B9 Digbeth, Birmingham
- BT56 Portrush, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
- CH2, Hoole, Cheshire
- RH20, Fittleworth, West Sussex
- LS28, Farsley, Leeds
- GL14, Newnham, Gloucestershire
- TR18, Newlyn, Cornwall
- SA42, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Wales
- SE20, Penge, southeast London
- HU1, Hull, East Yorkshire
Islay is a 25-mile long Inner Hebridean island. It has been described as a location for “party islanders,” with newly refurbished watering holes to dip in and out of.
These include the recently resurrected Port Ellen distillery. After being closed for more than four decades, the cult whisky spot has now reopened, boasting stunning views of the island’s coast and to Carraig Fhada lighthouse.
There is also the Three Distilleries Pathway for visitors to build up an appetite before grabbing a fish and chip supper from SeaSalt, a bistro and takeaway, or the Machrie, a Michelin Guide-approved hotel and restaurant.
If drinking isn't necessarily your thing, there are still plenty of other things to do. Visitors can head to the Machrie's spa to get a seaweed-infused facial, or The Blue Letterbox, a gift shop and post office which stocks works by more than 40 Hebridean crafters and ice cream from the isle of Arran.
