South Skye offers some of the best coastal and hill walking anywhere in the UK. You won’t find any better scenery anywhere in the UK than on the walk from Elgol to Loch Coruisk coastal path (guide here) and other routes in the locality make for great days out.
Loch Coruisk in the heart of the Cuillin Hills
Camusunary Bay – on the way to Loch Coruisk
Try Elgol to Strathaird Island and the shore between Elgol and Glasnakille offers high cliffs and sheltered inlets to explore. Other options include the walk from Kilbride, near Torrin to Suishnish which is full of historical, geological and botanical interest. This one of the best areas in south Skye botanically due to limestone outcrops. Most of this coastline is part of the Skye Trail long distance path.
Over in Broadford, a walk from Ashaig to Arnish is flat and takes in a large area of Broadford Bay.
Ashaig shore in Broadford Bay
A little bit further afield is the excellent day out to Sleat Point which rewards you with one of the best sandy beaches on Skye – a hidden gem.
Sandy beach near Point of Sleat
If its’ the hills you’re after then you’ve come to the right place. All of the land in the area is owned by conservation charity The John Muir Trust so offers unrivalled accessibilty. You can access this wild land direct from the garden at Springbank Cottage. The cottage has immediate access onto free-to-roam common grazing land that stretches all the way to Camasunary Bay and the Cuillin Hills and beyond offering coastal and hill walking combined.
Take a boat trip from Elgol across Loch Scavaig to get a more direct route into the Cuillins and walk as far and go as high as your legs will take you. The Blaven group of Black Cuillins is accessible from the Elgol road near Torrin and offers some really challenging routes across all grades of climbing and scrambling. For those more interested in a more gentle ascent try the stunningly situated mini Cuillin, Sgurr na Stri or the Red Cuillins accessible from Torrin on the Elgol-Broadford road.
Loch Slapin and the snow covered Red Hills
A visit in winter can be very enjoyable. High pressure weather systems bring cold, often dry, weather. Which creates a lot of possibilities from snowy ascents to low level walks. There’s some ideas for winter walks here. The Cuillins can be dramatic and dangerous in winter so take good advice before tackling anything major.
There are several walking guide books and plenty of OS maps in the cottage. The reference collection also has information that will appeal to those interested in more serious scrambling and climbing. There is also a comprehensive collection of OS maps for the whole of Skye and there’s plenty of information here about the wildlife you might encounter as well as identification guides in the cottage.
Remember it always makes sense to check the weather forecast before deciding when and where to go.
What’s latest weather forecast for hill walking on Skye? – click here
So, thereâs plenty to do during a trip to Skye and Springbank Cottage, located in Elgol situated in south Skye is a great base to explore from. If you want more than just a standard holiday cottage, then take a closer look. We hope you will be surprised by how much is on offer during a stay at Springbank Cottage.
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