Exploring Skye's northern peninsula - July 1993
Walks with a Camera © Geoff’s Pages 2011
Just a brief pause on Rannoch Moor - time for a bite to eat and a
few snaps.
We arrived on Skye during the late afternoon, so that we
approached Uig just as the ferry was arriving from the outer isles.
We couldn't actually see the outer isles - the weather had been
cloudy all day, and now had that sort of grey gloomy feel about it
- rain on the way...
Day 1: Northbound
Day 2: A wander in the rain
We were staying in the Kilmuir district, and took the opportunity
for a "car-less" walk, heading first across the moor to Loch
Sneosdal, nestling beneath the north-facing crags of Suidh a'Mhinn
and Creag Sneosdal. We had thought of heading across the ridge
towards the Quiraing, but the lowering sky suggested otherwise,
and when the rain began, we changed direction and headed for
the coast via the quiet Sgeir Lang slipway at Camus
Mor.
The north facing cliffs, like many other parts of
Trotternish, are formed of dark columnar basalt.
Much rock has fallen, making an extremely difficult
terrain for us to pick our
way along. Eventually we
rounded the corner beyond the crags,
where a plain stony shore marks the line of
the coast. Easy walking then took us back
to the main road.
Day 3: Beinn Edra
where the drama is - gradual slips over the years
have created a fine line of crags, beneath which
are the pinnacles and rocks towering over the
peaty wasteland below. The rock scenery is seen at
its best in the Quiraing and (see Skye '94) the Old
Man of Storr.
There are golden eagles on Skye. Knowing this,
visitors will often claim to have seen them, when what they have
seen is one of the many buzzards which inhabit the island. On this
occasion we were rewarded with the real thing - I'm sure one in
particular was studying us. As it soared high above us, we could
see it watching the ground below, almost like a pilot leaning out of
the window of his plane to get a better look.
The day had started out rather grey and dull, but
as we made our way back to the car, the day
brightened considerably, and ended with a fine
sunny warm evening - back to Camus Mor for a few
snaps...
From Uig, a minor road leads over the ridge to
Staffin. At the top of the pass, there is space for a
number of cars, usually well used by visitors taking
the deservedly popular path to the Quiraing, that
fantastic jumble of pinnacles beneath the crest of
the ridge. On this occasion, however, we would
head southwards towards Beinn
Edra, the fine peak which overlooks
Uig and Staffin.
There is a faint path to start off, but this soon
peters out. There is no problem with route finding,
however - the obvious way follows the crest of the
ridge. Almost throughout its length, the western
slopes fall gradually to the sea. The eastern side is
Day 4: Lealt Gorge, the Old Man of Storr
Another day of low cloud - so we
started with a short walk down to
the eastern shore, where the River
Lealt descends a rocky gorge to the
sea at Inver Tote. About three miles
inland, below the main Trotternish
ridge, the diminutive Loch Cuithir
was found to contain, on its bed,
commercial quantities of diatomite, which was brought by narrow
gauge railway to the shore here, to be processed
before shipping. The derelict workings still stand,
along with an old "Black House" which has seen
recent use as a fishermen's bothy.
Leaving the gorge, we travelled a little way down
the road towards Portree to take a walk up the Old
Man of Storr. There
is a wealth of crags and pinnacles
here; the Old Man, by far the
biggest, can be seen clearly from
south of Portree. Its height can be
gauged from the miniscule figures
seen (just) at its base in the misty
picture.
Day 5: Homeward
Via Rannoch Moor again, where some bright sunshine and a blue
sky made it impossible to pass without stopping for a few more
photos....
