November 2006 - Canoeist Magazine

Guide Isle of Skye - Southwest Coast
Looking up Loch Brittle past Creag Mhòr towards the Black Cuillins.
remains of crabs suggest it is a feeding area for other
wildlife. Rubh’ an Dùnain has long proved of interest
with a horned chambered cairn underground dwelling
and other cairn and cave activity. A galleried dun was
used by the MacAskills, the Lieutenants of the Coast,
to watch out for storms and for attacks by Clan Ranald
from the Small Isles on behalf of the MacLeods, who
stationed galleys on the landlocked Loch na h-Airde in
order to have them quickly available. The Small Isles
are visible from the Point of Sleat onwards but the
view from here is as good as from anywhere.
Camas a’ Mhûrain is the start of Loch Brittle, where
the intruders from the Small Isles these days are white
tailed sea eagles, larger than the local golden eagles,
which tend to perform their aerobatics when there is
enough wind. Foxes are also present.
The view up the loch is to the Cuillins again. These
offer some of Britain’s best climbing and Glen Brittle is
the main climbing centre on Skye. It is surprising how
many different superlative views there are of the
Cuillins from the water.
Stac an Tuill with Stac a’ Mheadais just visible beyond.
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The Cuillins again, this time above Loch Eynort.
CANOEIST November 2006
Magnificent 150m cliffs, some of the best basaltic
coast cliffs there are, follow to Loch Bracadale with
lava flows and sills so that they look like stratified
rocks. Southerly or southwesterly winds can produce a
lot of swell. Flows are northwestwards from an hour
and twenty minutes after Dover high water and
southeastwards from four hours forty minutes before
Dover high water to 2km/h. The highest point on this
peninsula is 435m An Cruachan. Rubha Theama Sgurr
is the noticeable projection from the cliffs, perhaps as
the result of rockfalls, but the unique feature is Stac an
Tuill, shaped like a handbell but with a hole through
the middle.
Stac a’ Mheadais beyond Loch Eynort.
A cave by Stac a’ Mheadais, one of many on this coast.