The beach at Lower Killeyan is the third beach on the Oa very much worth visiting. The other two are Port an Eas and The Singing Sands. It’s not as “beachy” as the former two, as it’s somewhat rocky, and it’s smaller too with a width of just a few hundred yards. But this beach has a cave where allegedly Illicit whisky distilling took place, and there is a waterfall nearby, which is not directly visible from the beach.
Lower Killeyan beach is facing west and is situated one mile north from the American Monument. Lower Killeyan is not a village, just a wee settlement with a few houses and a farm. Mind you, there is no parking space here so to get here you’d best park at the RSPB parking which is one mile away left on the t-junction towards the American Monument. From Port Ellen it’s a 7 mile drive, around 20 to 30 minutes, to the RSPB car park.
Access to the Beach
If you are in Lower Killeyan you’ll see two houses on your left. Go straight ahead and when the track stops, it turns into grass, cross the gate on your right and traverse the field while heading right and walking down towards the lower part of the field and to the sea. It’s a bit difficult to explain how you can access the beach from here but the good thing is that you’ll see it down below. You’ll have to find your own way down, there are several options, you just need to find the most suitable descent.
Lower Killeyan Beach
This is a great beach to do some beach combing, wandering around the rocks and admiring the sometimes bizarre rock formations. Make sure to have a look in the cave and try to discover the waterfall. Hint: you can see it best from the north side of the river, on the cliffs. This is quite an interesting place to watch wildlife as well. I’ve seen seals on several occasions, eagles and chough, and plenty of gulls and waders. The rocks in the water make it a very scenic place, but don’t go swimming here!!
