Walk: Kerrera – jewel in the Firth of Lorne

📌 Isle of Kerrera, Argyll & Bute
★★★

Protecting Oban from westerly gales, the island of Kerrera has been described by the Scottish tourist board as “a jewel in the Firth of Lorne”. Despite its proximity to a popular holiday resort, the island doesn’t get overrun and is the perfect size for exploring in a day, with a handsomely restored castle and a monument to David Hutcheson (father to the CalMac ferry company) in addition to great natural beauty. If Kerrera is a jewel it’s an unpolished one: tracks don’t quite go all the way around the wonderfully varied coastline, which leaves a couple of boggy bits and a few inland detours to join the dots. Visiting in summer adds the possibility of refreshment in two seasonal cafes (one at each end of the island and both on the route) – look out for the random mugs and quirky signs pointing the way to the southern one.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at the southern ferry terminus, east side of Isle of Kerrera

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NM 830287

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.400112,-5.517960

🚢 Ferry to walk start point, departing from Gallanach (which has a bus connection). Alternatively, take a ferry from Oban to Oban Marina (which is, confusingly, on Kerrera), joining walk route at northeast end

🚗 Car park at Gallanach, then use ferry as above

📝 Key info

▶ 18 km / 11 mi | ▲ 400 m | ⌛ 5.5-6.5 hr

Features: 🌊 Kerrera coastline; 🏰 Gylen Castle; ⛵ Oban Marina; ✞ Hutcheson’s Monument

⬤ Moderate | Mostly good, fairly level tracks but some rougher or steeper sections, especially after Ardmore and after Barnabuck. Path is intermittent and briefly a bit wet after Gylen Castle.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Horseshoe bays – Lower Gylen – Gylen Castle – Ardmore – Barnabuck – track junction near Barr na Gile – Oitir Mhòr – Ardantrive – Oban Marina – Hutcheson’s Monument – return to Ardantrive – Port an Fhearna – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: Lots of sheep, wild goats, rabbits; geese at The Little Horse Shoe bay; Highland Cows near Oitir Mhòr.

Weather: Sunny with scattered clouds and a strong breeze where exposed; a few degrees above freezing. Ground partly frozen with snow on hills on the mainland and Mull.

February 2017