In September 2015 we visited the Hebridean island of Islay, famous for its many malt whisky distilleries. Our host at the Bowmore House bed and breakfast told us that the summer had been wet, grey and dispiriting and, indeed, on the day of our arrival a steady rain was falling from a blank sky. Yet as a new day dawned the sky was blue and the sun was shining and for the rest of the week we were blessed with the best weather of the year. While my focus was primarily on the whisky, we also took time to appreciate the beautiful skies that marked our passage round the island. These are some of those skies.