Waternish Head Circuit

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Summary

The Waternish Head circuit is a tough and challenging coast walk with excellent sea views. Note that the walk crosses croft land and the crofter has requested that dogs should be kept on a lead.

Grade (key)

Bog Factor (key)

Rating

Terrain

Easy walking to Waternish Point; much tougher return walk across pathless ground with bogs, knee deep heather and some steep slopes, before the finish on minor roads.

Public Transport

None to start.

Start

Car park at Trumpan Church. Open in Google Maps.

Hillwalking in Winter

Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. All route descriptions and difficulties given here are for summer conditions. See our Winter Skills page for basic information on the essential skills, techniques and knowledge needed for winter hillwalking.

Walk Statistics

Distance: 21.5km / 13.25 miles
Time (summer conditions): 6 - 8 hours
Ascent: 490m (Profile)
Start Grid Ref: NG224613

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Walk Description

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Stage 1

Take the minor road through Waternish to the ruins of Trumpan Church (where the road turns back south). There is a car park and picnic table here. The sad remains of Trumpan are a reminder of one of the bloodiest episodes in Skye's history. On the first Sunday in May 1578 the local MacLeods were gathered for worship in the church. The Macdonalds of Uist, of whom 395 had been massacred in a cave on Eigg at the hands of the MacLeods the previous year, were mooring their ships in Ardmore Bay. They barricaded the packed church and set fire to the thatch. All the Macleods within were burned to death, save for one girl who escaped through a tiny window. The girl ran to Dunvegan and raised the alarm, whereupon the famous Macleod totem the Fairy Flag was unveiled and an army of Macleods came and massacred the Macdonalds in turn. The bodies were buried in a dyke nearby, giving the battle the name 'The Spoiling of the Dyke'.

Stage 2

Walk northeast along the road, past some houses, to the sharp bend half a kilometre away. The road bends right here; instead turn left on the landrover track. After a couple of kilometres, a cairn is reached on the left commemorating the death of a man who died in an earlier local battle between the Macleods and Macdonalds in 1530. A little further along the track, a large ruinous stone structure is visible above on the moor. This is Dùn Borrafiach, an iron-age broch. It is worth a visit as it is one of the best preserved on Skye, with its great stone walls still standing to ten feet or more. Return to the track and continue northwards. Another broch becomes visible on the right, Dùn Gearymore on a grassy mound. This appears much more ruinous than Dùn Borrafiach but a careful examination reveals a hole in the ground and a short section of passageway remaining with roof intact.

Stage 3

Again return to the track. After cresting a low hill the Waternish lighthouse becomes visible a couple of kilometres away. Bear left off the track as it bends right near two posts and through a gap in a grassy dyke, keeping on along a very faint path towards a gap in a drystone wall. Beyond, the firm grass above the coast gives a superb clifftop walk all the way to the lighthouse, which is automated and powered by solar panels. This is Waternish Point, a place of sweeping seascapes dotted with islands. Apart from Rubha Hunish in Trotternish, clearly visible to the east, this is the best place on Skye for spotting whales and dolphins.

Stage 4

Follow the cliffs round to the craggy cliff of Creag an Fhithich. From here the character of the walk changes as the going becomes much tougher - there are no paths to help across the boggy ground and tough heather. After a few hundred metres there is a fence to climb. Beyond, small detours inland are required in places to cross streams or to pass safely above steep slopes leading down to the cliff edges. After a couple of kilometres of tough going, the bulky sea stack of Caisteal an Fhithich comes into view ahead. After passing above a steep section it is best to keep closer to the fence which gives marginally easier going through otherwise impenetrable heather.

Stage 5

Some distance beyond Caisteal an Fhithich another stream is crossed. Keep close to the coast round the next headland, but when a tree-filled gorge comes into view ahead bear right up the hillside to reach the edge of the gorge higher up. Continue alongside the fence beside the gorge until you reach some old corrugated iron sheep pens, where there are gates and it is easy to cross the stream. Once across, head up the boggy slope opposite - after a couple of hundred metres you should be able to pick up a boggy track. Follow this track to a gate by the first croft in Geary. Go through the gate and continue along the tarmac road.

Stage 6

Geary is a typical crofting settlement with a mix of scattered houses and wonderful views of the Ascrib Islands. After a couple of kilometres, bear right on the road by a bus shelter. The road then climbs past a remote school before crossing to the other side of Waternish. Turn right at the T junction, and after a couple of kilometres bear left where the road forks just beyond a white bungalow. The road then gives excellent views of the strange Àrd Mòr peninsula before returning (with one final climb) to Trumpan church.

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