Quiraing

In a way, the photos say it all and there is little to add! Yes, this is an extraordinarily beautiful and interesting place.

The Quiraing area is part of a lengthy (10 mlle?) escarpment formed by the collapse of a vast chunk of basalt, which has left a long line of dramatic cliffs with weird formations at its feet,  from 100ft spires to great suspended grassy platforms to strange lumps of rock. From further away, you can see enormous areas of landslip.

But this is about much more than geological oddities. On a clear day, you can see across the sound to the mountains of the mainland, and north-west to the Outer Hebrides.

The Quiraing is best walked as a circuit, heading northwards from the pass on the beautiful road across the Trotternish peninsula, below the great cliffs and close up to the extraordinary formations at their base. 

After approximately 1.25 hours, you climb above a lower, broken section of the cliffs, and turn back southwards and climb, quite steeply at times, towards the top of the hill above the heart of the Quiraing, now above the huge cliffs and with even bigger and more dramatic views. On a good day, this is stunning walking.

The final steep and occasionally slippery descent to the beginning is a bit of a bore.

This is a bit over 7 km walking, and took Walkopedia 2hrs 50 including lengthy view-admirations.

Skye has notoriously fickle and often bad weather, and conditions on top can be appalling, and it is easy to lose your way in cloud/mist. Always come fully prepared.

For more information and photos, including detailed practical information, see our Isle of Skye walk page.