June 23 Speed Bonny Boat ....!

In the shadow of the dark watchful Black Cuillin mountains, we explored Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye. It was a moody, misty morning as we walked through the steep valley that cradles this loch. This is a freshwater loch deeper than the surrounding ocean and linked to the sea by Scotland’s shortest river, Scavaig River. The setting was absolutely breathtaking. 

We tramped over rocks and through sucking peat, bogs, over rivulets and through tangled heather and gorgeous flowers, kneeling to inspect wee carnivorous plants surviving on insects in the depleted soil. Some, most of us, stopped before we reached the end of the loch which is almost 3 km long. A bit too far, particularly given there was a huge grey cloud slowly advancing on us. We made a slow retreat and got back to our zodiacs and landing-spot before the mist engulfed us. It was a dreamy morning, albeit rather precarious, disembarking and reboarding our zodiacs as we were walking in great clumping gumboots over slippery, seaweed-covered rocks. 

That afternoon we togged up again to visit Rubh’ an Dunain, a peninsula south of the Cuillin mountains on the Isle of Skye.  Although this peninsula is no longer inhabited, people once lived here in rock houses and were sustained with a cattle-based economy. Here we were able to walk beside a 1000-year old man-made canal used by the Vikings to pull their boats into safety during bad weather - and to hide! This canal joined into a wee loch which we were to explore.

We climbed through clumps of wild yellow iris to the remnants of an Iron Age fort on the headland high above the sea - it was a shocker of a climb and a bit scary! All I can say is thank goodness for walking poles - I’d have been lost without mine. In the meantime, Lindsay was off looking for birds.  Once regrouped, we walked past the ruins of Neolithic longhouses and tomb-chambers, the entrances of which were aligned with the position of the sun at the winter solstice. In the surrounding hills, we saw burial caves dating from just after the Ice Age. It was a rather special place to experience, particularly with our archaeologist telling us about what we were seeing. 

The mouth of Scavaig River. The kayakers pulled their craft up the waterfall to then paddle on the loch.

Wild and beautiful

Wild foxgloves and many more pretty flowers dotted our way

Lovely Ragged Robins

Ground-hugging Heather - such tangled roots. Boot-traps!

Delicate Cotton-grass

The loch was stunning and even more so with the advancing grey cloud

Part of the canal built by the Vikings to hide their longboats, or for repair, or because of bad weather.

Above the Viking canal, we climbed through wild yellow iris to the top of the headland

The sea way below the Iron-age fort and stretching to the horizon - a great lookout location

Remains of the Iron Age fort on the top of the Rubh' an Dunain. Excellent vantage point

With the birders back with us again, we set out to walk around the loch

The entrance to one of the tomb chambers

We collected rubbish blown in to the loch, mainly from fishing trawlers during the huge storms. 

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