Hiking in Skye - The Great Adventure

The southern facing hills of the Quirang

typical hostel dorm

Skye is one of the most beautiful islands in the world.  With its high mountains and cosy villages, it's a tourist Mecca for both hikers and cultural bloodhounds (we are both), so inevitably it is hard to find a place to stay during the summer.  We were lucky enough to get a couple of nights at the Broadford hostel.  Tip:  if you do not have booked accommodation, there are Visit Scotland offices in many towns and cities which have lots of accommodation information, and if they have time, they will call accommodations in the places you want to stay to help you get a room for the night.  Caution:  don't expect them to find you something if it is July and it's last minute.  They can't work miracles!

the sign

For those people with fixed images of what a 'youth hostel' is like, you might want to rethink what you think you know.  First, at least in Scotland, France and Italy, where we have used youth hostels, most of the people staying in them are not teens or 'young'.  In Broadford, as in many Scottish hostels, the clientele were mostly older or families, often middle income, from a wide variety of countries (this time around, Americans, French, Germans, Scots and English, and of course, Canadians) , hikers and regular tourists and sightseers.  The rooms are comfortable, with bunk or single beds, mostly, and nice and warm.  This hostel, like many, did not have much storage space for your gear, but most people arrive by car, so keep things in the trunk.  The kitchen in Broadford was well stocked with all the usual cookware and crockery, but you might want to carry your own can opener (because theirs was seriously old).  

Southern view

the view south east from the path

Roads in Skye a really narrow, often single lane with passing places. Many of them 'dead-end' on the coast, while there are a few loops on the north end of the island.  The east coastal road takes you past some of the best scenery in Scotland, so do not give it a miss.  We drove up the east coast of Skye, past the Old Man of Storr  (site of some of the best scenes from the Hollywood movie (Prometheus), to the Quiraing, which is a mountain hike with the most stunning views.  

 The narrow road to it is on the left hand side just past the village of Stenscholl.   Tip:  get there early, as the small parking lot gets full quickly.  It's on a one track road, so you might need to walk a distance if the lot is full.  One unfortunate lady tried to park on the side of the road and managed to get both of her drive wheels submerged in about a foot of bog.  So, be very careful if you are pulling off the road to park. The Quiraing hike is a loop which takes you up past multiple towers of rock onto a long cliff top that doubles back down to the parking lot. The locals say it should take about two hours, but if you plan on taking lots of pictures, you might want to plan for 3-4 hours.  It is also very picnic friendly. 

The path is mostly clear and easy to walk, although there are a few spots where you are required to scramble up three foot rock slopes.  It's not that difficult for anybody, but just make sure you have good soles on your shoes.  We had hiking poles and boots, so it was probably a bit less bother for us than some.  There are also a few spots where there is a few inches of watery muck to get through, but that didn't seem to bother people wearing running shoes etc. The scenic vistas are absolutely amazing.  Here's a few pictures to wet your appetite.

After the Quiraing, you probably have lots of time to visit the 'capital' of Skye, Portree. Lots of coffee shops and gift shops line the store, in between the pubs.  It's a seaside town, so expect lots of fresh fish.