This is a walk to the southernmost point of Skye. The route is around 8 Km in total, partly on a good vehicle track and partly on rough paths. There is an excellent beach on the way and, at the point itself, some wonderful rock formations, a lighthouse and great views to Eigg, Rum and the mainland.

Point of Sleat Lighthouse

Begin from the end of the public road at Aird of Sleat - NG589007 - where there is space for parking. From there, follow the track that continues straight ahead across the moor until you reach a bridge over the burn at NG567004. There you will find a sign marking a path that climbs steeply uphill to the left. It claims that you are now half a mile from the point, and a quarter of a mile from the beach. Add 50% to each of these distances and you'll be about right.

The misleading sign

Despite that inaccuracy, the sign does point out the correct path. It is quite rough in parts, but easy to follow along the line of a fence and down towards the sandy beach at NM566997. Whatever the weather, the beach at Camas Daraich is worth a visit. If you have a hot and sunny day, this is possibly the best spot on Skye to enjoy it.

Camas Daraich

To continue to the lighthouse you need to pick up the path that heads off uphill to the right just before the beach. It is not immediately obvious, but it is marked by a post on the hillside at NM567998. The next section follows an indistinct route along the top of the cliffs until it joins a clearer path and decends steeply (down some very helpful concrete steps) to reach sea level again at NM561994. A simple grassy walk from there takes you to the lighthouse. The rocks around here are amazing. Go down beyond and around the lighthouse to see them properly. These schists got their platy composition as a result of extreme shearing, and have since been fairly heavily metamorphosised to end up in the wildly contorted strata-like patterns we see today. They are perfect for a bit of fun scrambling too.

Return by the same route.

The track heading back towards the start