Day 33: Broadford to Glen Brittle Forest, Isle of Skye

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

6th February 2021: 97.05km walked today taking the total to 3302.49/8854km. 13% of 108 entries submitting 746.56km.

Today we start our adventure on Skye! Walking an old, deserted village trail to the west coast, then following the rugged coastline through Elgol before returning to the east coast through Strath Mhor Glen. We then head up the coast to Sligachan before heading west yet again to take a dip in the Fairy Pools in the shadow of the Black Cuillins.

Route 10: Isle of Skye

After a further 9.8 kilometres we reach Broadford is Skye’s second-largest village sitting in the shadow of the Red Cuillins on the banks of the Broadford River which flows into Broadford Bay. Its name is of Old Norse origin, Breiðafjorðr, meaning ‘wide bay’. Broadford became the place in the late 1700s to bring cattle to market and throughout the 19th century marble was quarried at the foot of a nearby hill, then transported to Loch Cill Chriosd where it was dressed and polished prior to being taken to Broadford pier where ships waited to transport the marble further afield: Iona Abbey’s altar is made of Skye marble. The marble industry closed here in 1914 until more modern techniques were developed; it is quarried today by Skye Marble.

We take a south road on the village outskirts towards Elgol past the Kilchrist church ruins, we join the Boreraig Walk which will take us into the Strath Swordale area. Through the grassy hills, passing the old marble quarry (some of the track we walk is from the small train that transported the marble) then onto hilltop moorland. We continue along the footpath through hilly moors, over stiles, past Loch Lonachan to climb up to a summit where we glimpse our first view of Loch Eishort.

We head downhill into fertile grazing land and come across an overgrown grassy wall. This is the outer boundary of the Boreraig settlement that once existed here. We follow the path into the deserted ruins, wandering through different houses, taking care not to dislodge their stones. Once a thriving community of crofters, labourers, servants, fisherfolk, and craftsmen, it was forcibly cleared by the laird in 1853 for sheep grazing; many of the families emigrated to Canada and Australia from here. Today much of this land is owned by the Scottish Government. To the left of the village is a waterfall, Allt-na-Peighinn, which drops down into a pool on the shore, an ideal place for us to take a dip and rest before moving on around the coast.

We proceed along high cliffs, looking out over Loch Eishort, to arrive in another Highland Clearance settlement, Suisnish. Sheep are the occupants of the land today, but you can still see remains of the homes that once stood here, razed to the ground like Boreraig, to prevent their inhabitants from returning. We have nice views of the Isle of Rum here and the beach is great for fossil hunting. Once around the headland we are on Loch Slapin and we follow the clear track over streams and moorland, enjoying more beautiful views of the landscape including Blà Bheinn, ‘Blaven’ (Blue Mountain), the only Munro on Skye that isn’t part of the Cuillins.

We follow the road inland to pick up the road to Elgol at Kilbride. We walk the B8083 around the head of Loch Slapin heading inland for Kilmarie. Here we return to the coast, passing nearby Dun Ringill, an Iron Age broch, to join the coastal path to Glashakillie before we turn inland across moorland to Elgol. Elgol is a small fishing harbour on Loch Scavaig with spectacular views and amazing sunsets (as has anywhere on the west of Skye). You can pick up boat trips here to go wildlife-spotting and visit the freshwater Loch Coruisk in the heart of the Black Cuillins. In fact, it was on Loch Coruisk in the 1870s that Annie MacLeod heard rowers singing a tune which she wrote down as best she could remember it, and a few years later it would become the Skye Boat Song tune! Turner painted this Loch and Sir Walter Scott described it in his writings; as a result, many retrace their steps here. It is also believed to be the home of a water horse or kelpie.

If you follow the headland southward from Elgol, along high cliffs and boggy moor, you will find your way to a small tidal bay and Prince Charles’ Cave. During his last days on Skye, the Bonnie Prince hid here before escaping by boat.

We head north along Loch Scavaig, via a hair-raising cliff path, to arrive in Camasunary Bay, ‘Bay of White Shieling’, where there is a bothy and guesthouse. It is only accessible on foot from either Elgol or Sligachan. You can access Loch Coruisk from here, but it is not recommended for the average walker as it involves crossing the ‘Bad Step’, but there is great access to the Black Cuillins. There is a walk which you can pick up at the bay which leads you through Glen Sligachan to the village of Sligachan itself. Care must be taken if you make this walk as there are small tracks with steep drops. The Black and Red Cuillins are separated by Glen Sligachan, which runs south from the village to the bay, both of which were formed from magma which burst through the earth's crust at the dawn of time, then forged into what we see today by glacial action. The Black Cuillins consist of 11 Munros connected by a 12-kilometre ridgeline that many believe is one of the UK’s best mountaineering challenges; there are 16 other peaks also within the range. They have a dramatic Alpine mountain range classification so are only for those with good climbing and scrambling abilities; Sgurr Alasdair is the highest peak at 992 metres. The Red Cuillins, so named for their granite which glows red in certain light, are more sloped in nature and suitable for the more experienced hillwalker but still has some challenging terrain; its highest peak is Glamaig, a Corbett of 775 metres.

From the Camasunary Bay Car Park we walk the track back to Kilmarie where we rejoin the B8083 and retrace our steps to the head of Loch Slapin. From here we turn left onto a hill walk for 6 kilometres through Strath Mhor Glen, the narrowest point between the north and south part of the island. Full of wildlife and grazing livestock, we follow the Strath Mhor River running through the glen, passing 3 lochs, crossing a ford after Loch na Sguabaidh, before following the Luib Burn into the village of Luib itself: a fishing and crofting village on Loch Ainort.

We walk the coast along Loch Ainort for a time, enjoying more fabulous views, then follow the road across land northwards to Loch Sligachan with the Red Cuillins to our left. Passing the Isle of Skye Golf Club, we arrive in Sconser, a crofting village on the Loch shore. It is here you can catch the ferry to the Isle of Raasay, meaning ‘Isle of the Roe Deer’.

Just 25 minutes sail from Skye, Raasay was voted ‘Best Island to Visit in 2020’ by Conde Nast Travellers. The island is known to have been part of the kingdom of Dalriada in the 6th century, became Norse and was returned to Scotland in 1266. Initially ruled by Clan MacSween, Clan MacLeod certainly ruled the island at the time of the Battle of Culloden, after which Bonnie Prince Charlie hid here for a few days. Government troops burned Raasay House (rebuilt and now a recently reopened hotel) and the other dwellings as a result. The island was owned by a series of individuals after that time with different objectives for the island; today, it is for the most part publicly owned. The island has much to offer; you can climb the conical Dun Caan (444m), enjoy its natural beauty and wildlife, explore its history and, of course, visit the Raasay Distillery. Sorley MacLean, a major Scottish poet of the 20th century, was born on the island. We won't be visiting the island today so press on alongside Loch Sligachan to the next village.

We reach Sligachan, a small village we pass by on our route to the Black Cuillins. As we cross the Old Sligachan Bridge we see a new bronze sculpture facing the Cuillins. It is a tribute to Professor Norman Collie and John Mackenzie, local men who created most of the walking routes across the Cuillin Range. John MacKenzie was also Britain's first professional mountain guide. The statue was unveiled in September 2020 and is the work of local sculptor, Stephen Tinney. The bridge is also worth a mention, built by Thomas Telford 1810-1818; legend has it that if you dip your face in the river water here, then leave it to dry naturally, you will be granted eternal beauty! Form a queue to the left please, lol! If you want to know why, you'll find the story online. Faeries are involved, of course!

After crossing over the Old Sligachan Bridge we follow the Glen Brittle Path. Walking along Allt Dearg Mor (Great Red River), rough underfoot at first, the path soon opens out to a path. We have streams, rivers, and ditches to cross, but nothing too challenging if the weather stays dry. We are here to visit a series of waterfalls and crystal-clear pools called the Fairy Pools at the foot of the Black Cuillins; the pools are great for wild swimming whilst enjoying the fantastic views! The pools are fed by the River Brittle whose source is in the mountains. The water is bracing so if you are taking a dip a wetsuit is highly recommended! There is definitely an enchantment about them, so the word ‘fairy’ is appropriately used, but ‘fairy’ is used numerous times on Skye. Folklore states that one of the MacLeod Chiefs married a fairy princess on the island, hence the popularity of the word in local place names.

We head north from the Fairy Pools through part of Glen Brittle Forest and hilly moorland en route to Carbost, on the Minginish Peninsula.