A Walk to Killinallan Point Islay

Thursday, 02 May 2013

Much like the Ardnave Point walk I did last Saturday, the Killinallan point walk is also one of the nicest walks on the island and is an excellent day out for a family too. There are beautiful beaches, dunes, wildlife and amazing colours to be seen and there is nothing so rewarding as having a wee picknick up in the dunes while overlooking the fabulous turquoise, green and blue colours of Loch Gruinart with the contrasting yellow grasses and white sands of the dunes and the deep blue skies, on the right kind of day of course. That's why this walk is highly recommended on a sunny day when the colours of the loch are most beautiful.

To get to the start of this walk you need to follow the sign to Killinallan on the east side of Loch Gruinart (see map). The name Killinallan by the way refers to the disused farm just beyond the gate at the end of the official road. When you pass Craigens farm, where you can buy excellent oysters, you need to follow the track all the way to the closed gate which is a few miles. The road may not be the best on Islay but the views of the loch and the birdlife makes well up for that.

View from Killinallan Point to Ardnave Point and Nave Island

When you park in the grass left of the gate you need to follow the track on foot until you see a rock with an arrow pointing towards the beach after 100 metres. If you follow it you can cross another gate and you're on the rocky part of beach. further towards Killinallan Point the beach becomes more sandy. If the tide is in you can also walk the first part over the dunes. As you follow the beach keep an eye out for the many birds as well as for the seals who often sunbath in the middle of the loch on a sandbank. I wish you a pleasant day out and when you're lucky enough to visit this magical place in the right weather conditions the views below are yours to enjoy!

Flying a kite