The Oa - Islay

About trip

• Circular walk: 2-1 miles
• what3words address for parking: 
• ///boast.debit.thumbnail

Just a short walk starting from the RSPB car park.

The paths are well marked – presumably the RSPB don’t want people wandering off-piste and  disturbing nesting birds. We followed the path through Upper Killeyan and then looped towards the American Monument on the coast. On previous occasions we’ve seen interesting birds here: distant golden eagles (they nest in the area to the south-west) and linnets mobbing a hawk near Upper Killeyan. But this was a bird-free walk on this occasion and the only wildlife we really encountered was herd of goats and some photogenic highland cows. It was a beautiful afternoon though and the views were terrific.

The American Monument is a memorial to American soldiers and  sailors lost from two troop ships that were sunk off Islay in 1918 just a few months apart: the Tuscania and the HMS Otranto. British servicemen were also lost. The American Red Cross built the memorial in 1920.

This is only a short walk but the scenery is stunning and there’s lots of reward for very  little effort.