Short, easy walk to the dramatic remains of Dun Scaith Castle. Great views north to the Cuillin and Suisnish coastline.
Summary
Short walk on a track then grassy path.
Terrain
NG600118
Grid ref
1.5km/0.75 miles
Distance
Grade
Tokavaig bay between Tarskavaig and Ord
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No direct public transport. Nearest bus stop at Sabhal Mor Ostaig approx. 12km away. Buses 51 & 52 from Portree and Broadford.
Open Traveline Scotland
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Pronunciation
and meaning
1. Park off the road at Tokavaig bay. Walk along the road away from the two houses. Just past the cattle grid a track branches off to the left. Follow the track across the head of the bay passing a prominent rock outcrop on your right.
2. The track leads to a derelict house and outbuilding. Follow the path to the left of the house which rises onto the small headland.
3. The grassy path continues to the remains of Dun Scaith castle, possibly 13th century. Occupying an older fortified site, the castle, perched on a rock above Loch Eishort, was a stronghold of the Macleod before it became the principal seat of the Macdonalds of Skye in the 15th century. Among the many legends associated with Dun Scaith are those recounted in Macpherson's 'Ossian' concerning the adventures of the Irish folk hero Cu Chulainn, who came here when he first landed in Skye. One tradition tells how he came here to learn the marshal arts of war from the warrior queen 'Sgathaich', whose home this was.
4. The castle is reached over a gully bridged by two walls which flanked a drawbridge, whose pivot holes are still visible on the far side. With the drawbridge missing the dangers of entering the castle can be clearly seen. On the far side of the bridge a door would have opened onto a flight of steps leading up between walls to the castle. Parts of the curtain wall (one of the earliest surviving examples in the district of lime-mortared construction, being random rubble with smaller infill bound with lime) still cling to the cliff edge, but what survives of the internal structures (which probably included a tower) are identifiable only by grassy mounds. In the courtyard is a well, and at the south east angle are remains of a stair within a tower leading to the parapet walkway.
5. To the right of the castle great views of the Cuillins can be seen on a clear day. Immediately across the water are the remains of the cleared villages of Boreraig and Suisnish. Return to the road along the same outward path and track.
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