Keil Point – Sea Caves and St Columba's Footprints
A few hours.
The route
At the very foot of Kintyre, near Southend, a row of sea caves opens in the red cliffs of Keil Point, where people have sheltered for thousands of years.
Beside them are the ivy-covered ruin of St Columba's Chapel and two footprints in the rock, where the story goes the saint came ashore from Ireland. A short walk away, Dunaverty Bay curves round below the rock where a castle of the kings of Dalriada once stood.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The day
Southend
Caves in the red rock, a saint's footprints and a ruined chapel at Keil Point, then a stroll on the sand of Dunaverty Bay below its castle rock.
About two hoursAbout 2 miles on foot
Keil Caves
An attraction
There's room to park by the shore road at Keil Point, near Southend at the foot of Kintyre. The caves are a row of openings in the red cliffs, among them the Great Cave, the Hermit's Retreat and the Piper's Cave. People have used them since prehistory, Roman pottery has been found here, rare in Scotland, and the 1881 census found a tinsmith's family living in one. A couple of hundred yards east, in Keil cemetery, the ruined St Columba's Chapel is almost lost under ivy, with medieval carved slabs inside. Between the caves and the chapel, stone steps climb a rocky knoll to St Columba's Footprints. One was carved by a local mason in 1856; the other is far older and may have been used when the kings of Dalriada were made. On a clear day you can see across to Northern Ireland. The rock is uneven and slippery when wet, so watch children by the cliff. Allow about an hour.
15 min on foot
Dunaverty Bay
An attraction
From the caves it's about 15 minutes' walk to Dunaverty Bay, a crescent of pale sand curving round towards Southend, with the links of Dunaverty Golf Club behind it. At its western end is Dunaverty Rock, joined to the land by a narrow neck. A fort stood here in the days of Dalriada, Robert the Bruce is said to have sheltered here in 1306, and the castle was dismantled in 1685; only fragments are left. Walk the sand as far as you like, then come back to the car at Keil Point. Bring a flask and something to eat.
If it rains
The caves give shelter from a shower; in heavy rain the rock is slippery, so keep to the caves and the chapel and leave the bay for another day.
Make it a weekend
