Isle of Skye is a majestic island in the northwest of Scotland that remains broadly untouched in its existence. With its unusual yet surreal landscape often wrapped in mist, it‘s nicknamed in Gaelic as Eilean a' Cheò, which means the Isle of Mist.
Last week, me and my partner took this spontaneous trip to Isle of Skye in winters and it felt like a beautiful dream. When exploring Skye, there are two main routes you could take once you arrive in Sligachan. You could either drive towards west or go straight up north.
Part I: The drive towards the west.
February 5, 2023
A serene sunrise in Sligachan.
After a rejuvenating rest day in the Isle of Skye, we decided to explore the western part of the island.
We started at 6:53 am from our base in Torrin. Winter is an off season in Skye, so we doubted if we could find enough places to eat. We packed some sandwiches for breakfast and lunch. Sipping some hot coffee, we set off for an adventure at the break of the dawn.
One thing to keep in mind is that Skye has very irregular network. At most places, you will find yourself with no access to maps. However, there aren’t many ways that could go wrong as usually there is just one. As we made our way to another passing town called Broadford, we saw many highland sheep sleeping on either side or even the middle of the road. It was a full moon night and hence, we could easily spot the lit waters of the Lochs. Soon a panoramic view to our right triggered the excitement by spreading the first pink rays of the beautiful sunrise we were about to experience.
We were heading to Fairy pools but instead decided that the trail to the pools might not leave enough time to experience the sunrise. Hence, we stopped at the famous old Sligachan bridge which provided a beautiful view of the pink skies around the snow covered tips of the Black Cuillin hills. These hills are called Black as these are mainly composed of dark rocks called gabbro. There were lots of cars parked in the parking near the Sligachan bridge and we thought it might get a bit crowded a sunrise. So, we decided to go a bit further to Sligachan waterfalls which is a few minutes drive further west but has a better view of the Black Cuillin hills. The trail walk to the waterfall from the main road is around 0.4 miles and you will find it completely flat. We could see reflections of the pink sky in the flowing water on the left of the trail.
The morning was unexpectedly calm and clear. There was a white cottage house at the base of the Black Cuillin hills which added another beautiful element to our view. Once we spotted the waterfalls, the marshy trail only allowed me to get close enough to the waterfalls as I had my waterproof wellies on. So, I would really advise to carry long waterproof boots to Skye to stay dry on the trail walks.
After the sky was lit enough, we set out our drone in the calm sky and captured a beautiful sunrise. The video can be accessed on my Youtube channel below:
After the golden hour had passed, we went to the Sligachan Hotel near the Sligachan Bridge to get some hot coffee with our packed sandwiches. Weather in Skye can change any moment, and we could see a cloud cover building up and winds pacing up. We walked down to the old Sligachan bridge and took some beautiful shots of the clear water running underneath. Legends say that eternal beauty can be attained by dipping your face in the waters near the Sligachan bridge. For this one must get on their knees and dip in the chilled waters and let it dry naturally. I didn’t try that but one could do it for fun if not to attain beauty.
Next to the bridge, you can spot a fairly new monument celebrating the friendship and achievements of two pioneering mountaineers: local man John Mackenzie, and the mountaineer Norman Collie. Most of the places in Skye have been given names by them.
Well, this was all for Sligachan and we were off to next stop towards the west: Fairy pools of Glenbrittle.
Coming up: Fairy Pools of Glenbrittle.
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