I visited Scotland's best island independent bookshop - and found it hard to leave

The skies were slate-grey and threatening rain when I arrived in Bowmore, the biggest settlement at the heart of the Isle of Islay for what was meant to be a fleeting visit to pick up a few bits and pieces at the Co-op.

But I should have known better. For as long as I recall, no daytime visit to Bowmore has been complete without a visit to The Celtic House.

It has a bustling upstairs cafe, but I never normally get past the ground floor, thanks to the tantalising treats to be found on its bookshelves.

The towering “to be read” bedside pile I have at home does nothing to deter a trawl through some of the latest releases and in-house recommendations, as well as reissued classics.

Like my favourite bookshops elsewhere in Scotland, particularly in Aberfeldy and Ullapool, there is always something comforting about retreating inside The Celtic House.

I found myself lingering even longer than normal on my most recent visit and it was nothing to do with the gloomy weather.

The Celtic House stirred a lot of thoughts, about Scottish literature and bookshops, but also about the part the links they can provide between the disparate worlds of tourism, heritage, culture, retail, food and drink.

I’ve written extensively about the funding travails of Scotland’s biggest book festivals this year. But there is little doubt in my mind that there is something of a golden era going on for Scottish literature at present.

The new releases on display on the table inside the front door of The Celtic House were a reminder of how prolific writers like Val McDermid, Alexander McCall Smith, Jenni Fagan Andrew O’Hagan, Denisa Mina and Chris Brookmyre have become.

The latter three were all guests at this month’s Islay Book Festival, an event I’d sadly just missed, which also featured appearances from Clive Myrie and Sue Lawrence. Islay’s celebration of literature is one of around 60 book festivals now being staged across Scotland.

It is surely no coincide that many of these are happening in towns and villages which boasts thriving independent bookshops. In my home city of Edinburgh, it has become increasingly difficult to keep track of new openings, with the new literary hubs in Leith, Portobello, Stockbridge and Bruntsfield helping to keep these areas thriving.

Given that all this has happened at a time when our day-to-day lives seem dominated by new technology and social media, bookshops have almost become sanctuaries.

I was also struck on my visit to The Celtic House by the huge array of books about Islay and the islands across the wider Hebrides. Some of these were novels, some were about ferries, farming, sailing and whisky. Some were dedicated to local history, folklore and superstitions, and some were simply about how to navigate your way around.

The Celtic House, which has been running since 1959, is located across Bowmore Square from the island’s long-running tourist information centre, which will be closing within the next year in common with all other such facilities which are operated by VisitScotland.

It can only be hoped that many of those visitors who pass through Bowmore every week will find their way into The Celtic House, which seems destined to at least partly plug the gap that will be left behind when the visitor centre shuts. It would be almost criminal to walk on by.