Scotland Excursion - Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye

Skye

Overnight in Kyleakin

Sligachan- The Cuillin- Faerie (Fairy) Pools- Portree- Old Man of Storr- Kilt Rock- The Quiraing

Blackhill Waterfall
-Drive 25 mins (27 km) west of A87, Blackhill Waterfall is just off the road
-Good spot for photography

Sligachan

-Provide a good location (Photography) to view Black Cuillin mountains
-From Kyleakin, drive north-west along A87 for 40km (33 mins) to reach Sligachan old bridge car park (on the left). Also, can park at Sligachan hotel car park.
-From the car park, walk for <5 mins to reach Sligachan old bridge.

Sligachan old bridge

-Walk further down stream (5mins) to reach a wooden bridge that crosses Alt Dearg Mor river before reaching Sligachan waterfalls

Wooden bridge overlooking Glen Sligachan

Sligachan Waterfalls

Cuillin

Cuillin viewed from Sligachan Hotel

-National scenic area (one of the forty in Scotland).

-Consist of Black Cuillin (composed of gabbro & basalt) and Red Cuillin (composed mainly of granite).

-Cuillin is an extinct volcano.

-The mountain has wide variation of habitats including a large population of golden eagles.

Fairy Pools
-Famous for its clear pools and water falls.
-It's at the foot of Black Cuillin and running through River Brittle.
-From the carpark (£5 for whole day, located at Forestry commission gravel carpark signposted 'Glumagan Na Sithichean' ), walk across the public road and follow the gravel path with 'Sligaghan' sign post. Car park gets very busy during summer, advisable to go there early. If can't find a car park, most likely have to park by road side. Try to get there as early as possible.
-The hiking path is rated as medium difficulty with 2 river crossings before getting to the first water falls.
-It's 40 mins (2.4 km) round trip from the carpark to the first water falls (largest and deepest).
-From the first water falls, can follow the river path to find more pools. Apparently the next pool is the biggest and famous one for taking a dip.

Old Man of Storr

-Location: North of Skye in an area known as 'Trotternish'
-Pinnacles of rock form by massive landslide
-'Old Man' is a large pinnacle of rock that can be seen for miles
-3.8 km round trip. Difficulty - medium. Average time - 1 hour 15 mins.
-From Portree, its a 10 mins drive to the car park. Car park can get crowded during mid summer, it's alright to park by road side
-From car park head towards the entrance (wooden gate) and advisable to take the right path of the gravel road to the top.
-It's a steep climb, passing a few wooden gate. As it gets higher, the gravel road will be rough especially when reaching 'Old Man'.
It takes 45 mins to reach the bottom of the 'Old Man'.

Neist Point Lighthouse

-Neist Point Lighthouse is about 1 hour drive (53 km) from Fairy Pool
-One of most famous lighthouse in Scotland
-The hike is 2.2 km (round trip), estimate it will take 45 mins average
-Going to lighthouse is pretty easy because it's down hill with proper steps, it will get tough on it's way back

Scotland Excursion - Glenfinnan Viaduct

Glenfinnan Viaduct

This is the location where the famous Harry Potter Hogwarts Express passes through. To view the steam train, one must be at the view point by 10.30 am on weekdays. Don't take the trail from visitor center. Right across the river from the visitor center, there is another free parking area just 50 meters away. Take the road trail from the back of the car park there. It's a 10 mins walk to the Glenfinnan Viaduct View Point.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenfinnan_Viaduct
- 21 arched
- Location for Harry Potter films
- Overlooks Loch Shiel and Jacobsite monument

How to get to Glenfinnan Viaduct?
From Portree, head out to Armadale Ferry Terminal (70km, 1 hour drive) to take a ferry to cross the straits to Mallaig.

Mallaig-armadale-skye-ferry-summer-timetable
To catch the 8.40am ferry and arrive Mallaig at 9:25 am.
From Mallaig, drive a further 42 km (36 mins) to reach Glenfinnan Viaduct Car Park.
From the car park, walk to the back to find a trail road and walk for 10 mins to reach the viaduct view point. Wait for the train to come.

When does train runs across the viaduct bridge?
Jacobite Steam Train schedule
The train runs from Fort Williams to Mallaig with stops at:

1. Banavie
2. Corpach
3. Lock Eil Outward Bound
4. Locheilside
5. Glenfinnan (stops here)
6. Lockailort
7. Beasdale
8. Arisaig (Britain's most westerly mainland railway station)
9. Morar (deepest freshwater loch in Britain, Loch Morar and shorted river, River Morar)

Steam train schedule
For 29-Jun-19, the morning train departs at 10:15 am to reach Mallaig at 12:25 pm with stops at Glenfinnan and Arisaig (by request). Expect the train to reach Glenfinnan viaduct at 10:45 am (30km).

Other information:
- The train track western extension from Fort Williams to Mallaig (fishing town) was commissioned back in 1897 and completed in 1901.
- The main contractor was Robert McAlpine and designed by Simpson & Wilson.
- It consist of 11 tunnels and 6 viaducts.
- The railway line built from concrete and that earns Robert McAlpine his nickname 'Concrete Bob'.
- Other famous viaduct includes Loch Nan Uamh Viaduct and Borrodale Arch.
- History has it that during construction of the railway a horse and cart accidentally felt into a pier at Glefinnan Viaduct. After some research and hearsay, it was finally revealed that the lost horse and cart was buried in the center pier of  loch-nan-uamh-viaduct.