“A proper adventure rather than a stroll — this remote coastal walk from Kintra climbs past an abandoned 19th-century township to a dramatic, little-seen sea stack on the Oa's wild south-west coast.”
A dramatic coastal walk from Kintra to a striking sea stack at the southern tip of Laggan Bay.
- A dramatic sea stack at the turnaround point
- Sweeping views over Laggan Bay
- Often very quiet
The walk to Soldier's Rock crosses the site of Grasdale (also spelled Ghrasdail), one of several townships abandoned on the Oa as Islay's population shifted toward planned villages like Port Ellen — around 1,500 islanders lived in townships like this one in the 1830s, before the building of Port Ellen saw them abandoned over the following thirty years. A ruined lime kiln is one of the few structures still recognisable among the remains. The rock itself is a genuine sea stack, cut off from the headland by wave erosion; how it earned its name isn't recorded in any source we could find, and the stack stays out of sight until you're almost on top of it.
The route out from Kintra Farm has become one of Islay's more committing coastal walks — climbing past Grasdale's ruins, fording a burn above a ravine, and crossing rough, often boggy moorland before the rock comes into view on a dramatic stretch of cliff coastline near sea caves and a small waterfall.
Wild goats are regularly seen on the cliffs, along with shags and cormorants around the rock itself; buzzards hunt overhead, and golden eagles are occasionally spotted over the moorland — though sightings of either aren't guaranteed.
This is a genuinely tough walk, not a gentle coastal stroll — expect boggy, largely pathless moorland, a burn to ford, and minimal waymarking beyond a signboard at the start. Independent walking guides rate it 'Tough', with a published Grade of 3/5 and a separate Bog Factor of 4/5 from walkhighlands; expect around 5 miles / 8km, roughly 180-200m of ascent, and 3-4 hours. Livestock graze the route, so dogs are best left at home, and it's worth having a map or GPS rather than relying on the path.