Many roads on Islay as well as roads in other parts of Scotland are single track roads. It is very well possible that you use these single track roads for the first time when you arrive on Islay and most people from abroad have to get used to these somewhat 'strange roads'. Thats the reason the Strathclyde Police gives advice on how to behave on these lonely and narrow roads and some of the paragraphs from the Highway Code below give some good advice which will help everyone to keep safe on Islay's country roads.

The Highway Code, section 132: Take extra care on Islay's country roads and reduce your speed at aproaches to bends, which can be sharper than they appear, and at minor junctions and turnings, which may be partially hidden. Be prepared for pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists walking or riding in the road. You should also reduce your speed where country roads enter villages. In general, driving on country roads needs to be taken steadily, and drivers must be being prepared to stop at any time to avoid unexpected hazards and give slower road users the time and space needed to keep themselves safe.

The Highway Code, section 133: Single-track roads. These roads are only wide enough for one vehicle. They may have special passing places. If you see a vehicle coming towards you, or the driver behind wants to overtake, pull into a passing place on your left, or wait opposite a passing place on your right. Give way to vehicles coming uphill whenever you can. If necessary, reverse until you reach a passing place to let the other vehicle pass. In Islay, passing places are marked by black and white poles at the roadsides. Some passing places are not marked. Drivers must be prepared to reverse, sometimes more than a metre or two. Trying to avoid reversing by driving on the verges can end up with getting your car stuck in deep roadside ditches.

The Highway Code, section 134: Do not park in passing places. Parking your car in passing places to view birds, photograph the scenery, or to leave your vehicle while you go for a walk can prevent other road users from using the passing places as intended. If other drivers, cyclists or horse-riders cannot use the passing place to allow vehicles to move by, dangerous situations can occur. Similarly, parking at the entrances of farm tracks, in field gateways or at cattle grid gates makes access very difficult for farmers and others who live and work in the countryside. Frequent access is usually required, often for large farm machinery. It may not be easy to see that these access points are in regular use, but that is usually the case.

Single Track Road at Kilchiaran Bay on the west coast