who visited Skye on his tour of the northern lighthouses in 1814. At the same time the first ‘mountaineers’ turned their attentions to the Island, concentrating almost exclusively, but with immense success, on the Cuillin. Once the whereabouts of the single greatest range of mountain peaks in Britain became common knowledge, tourism gained a momentum it has never lost.
Geology
Almost certainly it will have been the geology of Skye that has brought you to the Island. Not necessarily the study of geology, but the consequences of the processes of tectonic creation that fashioned the profile and landscape of Skye.
Man has probably inhabited Skye for at least 4000 years, but that is a brief moment of Skye’s history, a history shaped over unimaginable years with many tools, the workings of which were at times cataclysmically violent, at others well-nigh undetectable.
As with the rest of Britain and Europe, the geological history of Skye dips back to the Pre-Cambrian era of about 2500–3000 million years ago, although millions of years would elapse before Skye became an island. Quite what the landscape was like in those distant times is only guesswork, but on the basis of geological and topographical studies Skye can be divided into three distinct sections.
Heading for the Quiraing (Walk 6.4)
First, the southernmost part of the island, Sleat, is composed of Lewisian Gneiss, Torridonian sedimentary rocks, Moine Schists and Cambro-Ordovician sedimentary rocks. The already complex interrelationships of these basic rock types is further complicated by extensive thrusting and the transportation of large areas of all these rocks. The present landforms are the product of massive glaciation which over most of the island flowed westwards, but along the east coast flowed northwards.
North Skye, including Trotternish, Waternish and Duirinish, consists of a plateau-like topography punctuated by sea lochs, as at Snizort, Dunvegan and Bracadale. Here, Jurassic sedimentary rocks occur, capped by lavas and pyroclastic rocks from the Lower Tertiary period. Because these rocks dip at a shallow angle to the west, they give rise to steep scarp slopes on the east side, and it is quite easy to pick out the different and distinctive lava layers. One spectacular feature of these rocks is the incidence of landslipped material which developed during Quaternary times; the Storr and the Quiraing are by far the best examples.
The most dramatic scenery, however, is formed from Lower Tertiary intrusive rocks, of which gabbro and granite are the most significant. It is from these rocks that the Cuillin are formed, and the distinction between these rocks and the intrusive acid rocks of the Red Hills is most noticeable as you walk through Glen Sligachan.
During the Tertiary period many parts of Skye were subjected to massive volcanic activity, probably the most violent in Britain. To the north-west of Kilchrist you can still see the vent of an ancient volcano; it has a diameter of about 5km (3 miles). When all that ceased, the island enjoyed about 50 million years of relative calm, until the ice came. The Pleistocene period, the Age of Ice, started about two million years ago, and is largely responsible for producing the landscape we see today. Massive ice sheets covered most of Britain, and huge glaciers flowed across the landscape, moving, plucking, breaking, scratching at the rocks below the ice. When finally they left, they had created a fascinating land form, one that was to be further shaped as sea levels fluctuated, forming raised beaches around Skye, and the agents of erosion got to work.
For a simplified study of these events you should read The Geology of Skye, by Paul and Grace Yoxon; for something vastly more in-depth you need An Excursion Guide to the Geology of the Isle of Skye by B R Bell and J W Harris.
Flora and fauna
In many respects the flora and fauna of Skye does not differ significantly from the rest of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, but on a few counts the Island does stand out rather noticeably. Here you will find up to 40 percent of the world’s grey seals, a high density of breeding golden eagles, an increasing number of white-tailed sea eagles, and a more diverse flora and birdlife than any other comparable area in size in Europe.
And, famously, Skye boasts its own ‘wee beastie’. The midge is renowned worldwide, and can reduce the strongest of folk to tears. Sadly, this scourge of visitors from June to late summer has an accomplice, the cleg, a large horse-fly with a nasty bite. Proprietary defences are available in outdoor shops, and most work, up to a point, for a while. Scientists are working on developing midge-free areas, and on producing a repellent cream based on bog myrtle. A sprig of bog myrtle behind the ear is a traditional remedy of dubious success, while a dab or two of oil of lavender (or, dare I say it, Avon’s ‘Skin so Soft’) has been known to keep the midges at bay for a while, and raise an eyebrow or two if you forget to wash it off again before going into a confined public place, like a bar! Thankfully, midges hate wind, cold and heavy rain, and they should not normally cause a problem on coastal walks or among the high mountains; the theory is that they opt for the easier pickings on campsites.
Adder
How to get there
From any direction, the drive to Skye travels through some of Scotland’s most extravagantly beautiful landscapes.
For all public transport timetable enquiries, call Traveline on 0871 200 22 23 (24 hours, seven days a week). A Skye and Lochalsh Travel Guide is available from tourist information centres or direct from the Highland Council at Public Transport Section, TEC Services, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness IV3 5NX; tel: 01463 702660; email: [email protected]. The Council also produces a full map showing all public transport routes in the Highlands.
Cars, bicycles and taxis can be hired locally – ask at the tourist information offices.
By car and motorcycle
Access to the Island by road, without having to resort to ferries, became possible in October 1995 with the opening of the toll bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin. After the bridge opened, hundreds of protesters from Skye and all over Britain faced criminal prosecutions for refusing to pay the toll, which was the highest in Europe. Now the crossing to Skye is toll free.
The distance from Glasgow to Portree is around 220 miles and the journey time four to five hours, and from Inverness around 115 miles and three hours: these are driving times, and make no allowance for stops en route.
Sunset, Portree Bay (Walk 6.15)
For up-to-date driving information in the Highlands, call 0900 3401 363 (Highland Roadline), 0900 3444 900 (The AA Roadline) or 0900 3401 199 (Grampian Roadline). For road-based journey planning, have a look at the AA or RAC Route Planners online.
By bus and coach
Skye and Lochalsh can be reached by coach from Inverness and Fort William, which have good links to other parts of Scotland. Local buses also operate within the area:
Rapsons Coaches Tel: 01463 710555, [email protected]
Scottish Citylink Coaches Ltd Buchanan Bus Station, Killermont Street, Glasgow G2 3NW, Tel: 08705 50 50 50, [email protected], www.citylink.co.uk.
By ferry
There is an element of romance about reaching Skye by ferry. There are two car ferry services from the mainland: Mallaig–Armadale
