The raised beach at Kilchattan, beyond the bus turning area (NS 108545), can justifiably claim to be botanically the most species-rich site in the whole island.   In the space of a short walk (about half a mile) you encounter a whole range of habitats: acidic marshy ground and lime-rich flushes, dry rocky outcrops and boggy mires, shingle shore and woodland fringe.  The walk is probably best known for the abundance of its orchids, but there is just so much more; the flowers, grasses, sedges and rushes take full advantage of the diversity of ground conditions that this area offers and it can feel as though at every turn a different set of species comes into view.

Take time to have a good look at one or more of the small rocky outcrops (or even the hump of a former anthill!) – they are all miniature gardens in their own right, with an array of flowers such as Wild Thyme, Common Eyebright, Lady’s Bedstraw, Common Birds-foot-trefoil, Yellow Rattle and English Stonecrop, to name but a few.  On one small outcrop I counted no fewer than 27 different flowers and grasses!

It’s a good place to look at heathers, since all three of the species that are found on the island are present in close proximity:  Heather (Ling), Bell Heather and Cross-leaved Heath.  An easy way to distinguish Cross-leaved Heath from Bell Heather is to note that on the former the leaves are arranged in groups of four and are hairy (use a 10x lens).

The species list below shows many of the flowers that can be seen by going as far as the cave at the end of the raised beach.  Since this walk forms the first section of the West Island Way, it can, if desired, be incorporated into a much longer, more arduous walk by continuing along the rocky coastal section to the lighthouse and returning to Kilchattan Bay via Glencallum Bay and St Blane’s.