The Skye Guide

The walk to the lighthouse on Neist Point, the western extremity of Skye, is a popular one. There are good views across Moonen Bay, along the cliffs of the Skye coastline and out across the Little Minch to the Outer Hebrides. It’s also a great place to spot seals, minke whales and basking sharks.

Neist Point Lighthouse

Designed and built by one of the "Lighthouse Stevensons" - in this case David A Stevenson, the light and its associated dwellings cost £4,350 when they were built in 1909. The station was converted to automatic operation in 1990 and the lightkeepers were withdrawn. The foghorn at the front left corner is no longer in use.

The walk is on a tarmacadamed path for most of the way, 

The ruins of Armadale Castle

Just north of the Armadale ferry terminal in Sleat is the Clan Donald Centre. Here can be found forty acres of gardens surrounding the ruins of Armadale Castle, a selection of waymarked walks and nature trails, and the excellent Museum of the Isles.

The museum is small, modern, simple and very effective. There is no sense of a building full of whatever old stuff is to hand. Instead, it is a well organised chronology of the islands of the west of Scotland, from Viking times to the present day. Unless you are a real expert on the history of this area, you can learn a lot - some of it surprising.

Ornamental pond in the Castle Gardens

The gardens are well looked after in an unfussy way, and take full advantage of the mild climate to grow a selection of trees and shrubs from around the world.

 There is a restaurant and a gift shop on site too, but you may find better down at the pier.

Spar Cave is an astonishing, cathedral-like structure, some 150ft long, with a marble-like flowstone staircase and huge columns formed from the centuries of water dripping through the limestone. In places the roof of the cave has been discoloured by the candles and torches of visiting Victorians, who also removed as souvenirs many of the stalagmites and stalactites. They didn't manage to destroy the magic though.

The cave was visited by Sir Walter Scott in 1814. He later described it in “The Lord of the Isles” as:

The glittering pools inside the cave are amazing. Take a really good torch to see them at their best.

The cave is near Elgol, at Glasnakille on the western shore of Loch Slapin - NG538128. Park just south of the road junction in Glasnakille by the old (uninhabited) house on your right.