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After a week of mixed weather with blustery showers, prolonged heavy rain and gale force winds, the day we were leaving was one of those gorgeous days when there's nowhere better to be than the Isle of Skye. I'd suggested to Moira she come over on the Friday so we could climb one of the Munros on the Cuillin ridge, but after a busy week the drive plus climb sounded a bit much and she decided to stay put. Pete had things to do when he got back and couldn't hang about all day waiting for me, so a compromise was reached. The dogs would need a walk so I suggested I take them up Ben Tianavaig (which we had seen on an earlier walk across the water from Portree) while he spend some time in the Aros Centre.
Ben Tianavaig from Scorrybreac walk
I'd heard that white-tailed and golden eagles nest on the cliffs of Tianavaig and the possibility of spotting one would give an extra edge to the walk........ always provided I could keep the dogs from going over the edge in their enthusiasm for all things feathered!
So a happy deal was struck. We left the cottage an hour and a half earlier than we had to and headed down past Portree, turning left at the sign for the tiny settlement of Camastianavaig. We found the parking spot by the stony beach near the picnic tables, and I took a quick photo before Pete drove me the 50 yards along the road to the red post box where the walk up the hill begins.
View from Camastianavaig's stony beach
I was thankful for WH's instructions or it wouldn't have been easy to find the start of the path, as the sign for 'Hill path' wasn't visible, giving the first clue this might be a walk the locals want to keep for themselves. Just beyond the post box on the right the path starts after a hop over a ditch on the left and heads up alongside a fence.
Pete might have come with me for the first part of the walk but had been put off by reports of the first section up through the bracken being the worst. To be honest it wasn't bad; the bracken wasn't all that high and there were just a few muddy patches which could be easily avoided. We kept to the right, skirting round the hill and as we gained height the views opened up to the south and west.
Path through the bracken
When the path levelled off there were two rocky knolls ahead which we passed under and headed towards the third heathery one.
Passing two rocky knolls
Heading for third heathery knoll
Tianavaig Bay
View south to the Red Cuillin
Raasay and Dun Caan straight ahead
This part of the path was narrow and on the edge of a steep drop so would be a place to hold on to small children.
As the view ahead opened up I saw them. Two eagles, which from the immense wing span I took to be white-tailed or sea eagles, soaring near the cliff. I whipped out the camera but in the process of zooming in on them they disappeared out of sight round the corner. I'd already seen white-tailed eagles on Mull and had a brief encounter with one at the summit of Cul Beag but the only time I managed to capture a few images was at the summit of Seana Bhraigh earlier this year and I was keen to get a better one!
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=64735Blurry image showing the white tail, in this case a one to two year old bird so the white tail feathers not fully developed.
Eagles disappeared behind that cliff
I reckoned for a better chance of seeing them I needed to gain some height so left the path and climbed to the top of the nearest high point, which was good for views...... but there was no further sign of eagles. The only other sign of wildlife was a tiny pygmy shrew lying dead on the path. I don't think I've seen one of those before.
Black Cuillin appearing
Once we left the bracken-covered lower part of the hill for the higher grassy part I noticed a change in Jack's behaviour; he pricked up his ears and trotted ahead with purpose. I'd been scanning the hill ahead for any sign of sheep and hadn't seen any but his nose would tell him long before they were visible and within a few minutes I saw them so called him back and put him on the lead, where he stayed until we were well down the hill again. Apart from anything else he's too old to be wasting his energy on a pointless chase so it's in his own best interests for that lurking sense of canine obligation to be taken away - and I think he and I have reached an understanding on this matter.
Whenever we had a view down over the cliffs we stood still and watched for eagles.
Watching for eagles
They were still around and I got a few fleeting glimpses, but a cohort of raven terrorists were harrassing them which didn't help them to stay in the same spot for long and for such apparent lack of effort they do move fast. I thought I got a zoomed in shot but when I checked the camera later there was no sign of it. Funny how that happens with the shots you really want.
The only evidence I have that I'm not making this up is a faint image of an eagle shape gliding over the hillside far below. I suspect if I'd had time to stand and wait I might have done better but I knew Pete had to get back and it wasn't fair to keep him waiting longer than I had to.
The eagle-eyed will spot something left of centre, two thirds of the way down
So we continued along the cliff edge towards the trig point at the summit of this beautiful hill. For a Sub 2000 it must be one of the most attractive and have some of the best views.
Nearing the summit
The Storr appearing in the north
Summit dogs
Still keeping an eye out for those eagles
Portree
Zoomed to the Storr which I climbed with Tess the day before
Hills to the south
The descent was lovely - easy walking on a good path with wonderful views and the sun was shining. What more could I ask for?
I have to admit my first reaction to seeing figures in the distance was that I wanted to keep the hill to myself, which was strange.... but it does help me understand why the locals might prefer not to share it with too many.
Two figures and a dog
The two figures and a dog turned out to be locals - an older lady, a teenage girl and a beautiful black labrador. We stood and chatted about hills and dogs for five or ten minutes before I remembered I was meant to be in a hurry. They were the only people I met.
When I got within sight of the parking area I could see Pete was already there, after spending a pleasant hour and a half reading and watching a film about St Kilda in the Aros Centre. As I put the dogs into the car I turned round to look back at the hill and noticed on the beach a sign which stated "No dogs on hill". I'm glad I hadn't seen it earlier as it would have put me in a quandary about what to do. I'm not sure about the legalities of a sign like that. If there have been problems with sheep-worrying I can understand it, but I know my dogs did no harm and I'd met a local with a dog up there. But if I'd seen the sign I think I'd have felt I had to respect it and would have missed out on a great wee hill. I'm glad I didn't see it at the start, although I think ignorance of the law doesn't remove guilt for breaking it.
What would others have done?
