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Waternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye
About Waternish & Dunvegan
Part way between Dunvegan and the pretty village of Edinbane,
the B886 minor road branches off past the old Fairy Bridge, and strikes
north into the Waternish peninsula, one of the prettiest regions of
Skye. The peninsula is narrow, no more than a few miles separate east
coast from west at its widest point, and it reaches less than 8 miles
in length. Waternish consists of mostly rocky shoreline, with high ground
down a central ridge of land. On that high ground are numerous reminders
of the area’s rich heritage, with several hut circles and at least
two Iron Age brochs.
 Fairy
Bridge
At the foot of the Waternish peninsula, where the B886 branches north
from the A850, lies an abandoned bridge beside the modern road. This
is the Fairy Bridge, and like many places on Skye, the Fairy Bridge
has a story associated with it; in this case the bridge is said to mark
the place where a fairy wife of a MacLeod chief said her final farewell
to her husband before she left him to live amongst her own people. The
story goes that the chief of the MacLeod’s wanted to marry a Fairie
princess. The king of the Faeries, Oberon, agreed to the match, but
only on condition that after a year and a day had lapsed the princess
must return to her own people. So the marriage took place, and a son
was born of the union, but after the allotted year and day was over,
the princess had no choice but to return to the Land of Faerie. She
parted from her husband and child at the Fairy Bridge. But the story
does not end there; one day the infant son began to cry, as children
do. The Faerie princess, upon hearing her child’s cry, returned
from the Land of Faerie and comforted him, wrapping the child in a Faerie
shawl. This shawl was preserved; it is the famed Faerie Flag of the
MacLeod clan, which can be seen today at Dunvegan Castle.
 Dunvegan
Castle
The premier attraction on the Isle of Skye, Dunvegan Castle has been
the home of the MacLeod clan for 800 years. The castle is built on a
rocky spur of land overlooking Loch Dunvegan, where a colony of seals
can frequently be found sunning themselves on the rocks. The earliest
buildings here date to the 9th century, but much of the older parts
of the castle are 12th century, making it the oldest continually inhabited
castle in Scotland.
Mementoes of Clan MacLeod are on display inside the castle, including
a lock of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s hair, and the famous Fairy Flag,
This tattered fabric has been identified as Persian in origin, and dates
to sometime between the 4th and 7th centuries. The origins of the flag
are shrouded in myth; some tales tell that it is of faerie origin, others,
that it was a crusader’s banner, or the battle flag of King Harold
Hardrada of Norway.
The castle is set within an attractive formal garden area, originally
laid out in the 18th century. The gardens now include a water garden
and walled garden, with enjoyable wooded walks to the edge of the loch.
 Coral
Beach
Another of Skye’s undiscovered treasures, the Coral Beach is located
at the north west tip of the Dunvegan peninsula Take the road to Dunvegan
Castle, but carry on past the castle parking lot. At this point the
road becomes narrow, as it winds across moorland to a signposted parking
area just beyond Claigan. From here a rutted path leads along the coast
before turning inland. At this point you need to be wary, as the actual
path departs from the roadway and follows the line of the coast over
a rise and down to the first of the coral beaches. This fiorst beach
is very small, and gives only a taster of what is in store. Carry on
over the next small hill to the proper coral beach. The beach is an
extraordinary sight; a bit of tropical paradise landed by mistake in
the Inner Hebrides. The beach is composed of uncountable bits of broken
coral. Children will love exploring in the sand and finding oddly shaped
pieces of coral, and shells with coral embedded in them. The best time
of day to visit is the evening, when the setting sun lights the top
of MacLeod’s Tables across Loch Dunvegan.
 Trumpan
The ruined church of Trumpan is located in a lovely location, looking
out over the western shores of the Waternish peninsula. The beauty of
the site makes it all the more poignant to remember that this isolated
church was the scene of one of the bloodiest and most terrible events
in the sad history of clan warfare in Scotland. It was here on the first
Sunday in May, 1578 that a group of MacDonalds from Uist trapped the
local MacLeods in the church. The MacDonalds set fire to the church,
and burned alive all those inside. One small girl escaped from the church
and ran for help to Dunvegan. MacLeods from Dunvegan massed quickly
and marched to Trumpan, where they trapped and killed the MacDonalds,
who had been stranded by the receding tide. The ground is peaceful now,
the churchyard well kept, the graves neat and tidy, but it is hard to
stand beside the tiny, roofless church and not hear the distant echoes
of those tragic events long ago.
Isle of Skye
Introduction to Skye - Getting
There - Favourite Drives - Favourite
Walks - Photo Gallery
Regions of
Skye
Broadford & Strathaird - Cuillin
Hills - Portree & Minginish
- Sleat - Trotternish
- Waternish & Dunvegan
Accommodation
Self catering - Bed
and Breakfasts - Hotels
Isle of Skye Maps
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