Isle of Skye Walks

Favourite family walks

There are so many wonderful places to visit on Skye that I’d be hard pressed to recommend one location over another, it would be like choosing which colour of sunset is best! That said, here are three short family walks that my family and I have especially enjoyed.

•   Favourite short walks

Walk One - Fairy Glen
Not a point to point walk, more an exploration of a remarkable geological area. At the southern outskirts of Uig a minor road branches east towards Balnaknock. After a mile, the landscape changes dramatically into an area of small peaks, gullies, lochs, and burns that has been described as a ‘Highlands in miniature’. This is the Fairy Glen, a magical area seemingly custom-made for children to scramble and adults to ramble about. Ordnance Survey map for this walk (external link) >>

Walk Two – Coire na Creiche and the The Fairy Pools
Take the road to Talisker, then branch off on a minor road towards Glenbrittle. After a couple of miles the road passes a forestry plantation, then dips down to the valley floor, where a parking area on the right makes a good starting place for our walk. Across from the car park a trail leads off across the valley, following the course of Alt Coir' a' Mhadaidh. After a hundred yards or so the path splits. Take the right fork along the watercourse. The ground rises into the foothills of the Cuillins, until, after about 10 minutes, it reaches the Fairy Pools, a series of tumbling waterfalls and clear, cold pools. The location at the foot of Sgur a Ghreadaidh is stunning, and if you are brave, and the weather warm enough, you can bathe in the waters for an experience you will never forget. Ordnance Survey map for this walk (external link) >>

Walk Three – The Quiraing
Take the road from Staffin towards Uig, and after a mile or so it starts to climb through the Quiraing, an extraordinary area of volcanic peaks and tumbled rocks. At the top of the climb is a parking area to the left of the road. Stop there, and cross the road to join a signposted path that runs along the slope of the Trotternish Ridge back into the Quiraing. The going is moderately easy, with a few places where agility is needed, but the views are spectacular.

After 30 minutes or so you will reach the foot of The Prison, a rock formation that resembles a ruined castle. Climb up the loose scree to reach The Needle, a striking pillar of jagged rock, and continue up the slope, following traces of a trail that skirts a low plateau until you emerge on The Table, a magical flat-topped area where clans used to shelter their cattle in days gone by. The views south across the Quiraing to Staffin, and further, to the Scottish mainland, are magical. Ordnance Survey map for this walk (external link) >>

See also: Favourite Drives

Isle of Skye

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