Day 7: Isle of Skye – The Clearances

Our first hiking day was an eight-mile trip along Cuillin Sound. But first we had this view outside our hotel with bright sunshine today.

This is our hotel in the background. Cozy, well-worn, and comfortable. Miss Marple might have stayed here.

The group gets ready to go in the van.

We drove to Broadford where we had a view of the Black Cuillins with Blaven front and center. It’s the tallest with the cloud at the top. At just over 3,000 feet, it’s one of the Munros.

The hike started by the ruined 16th century church of Cill Chriosd. This is in one of the abandoned areas from the Highland Clearances. These forced displacements occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries after the clan system was decimated and land owners ousted tenant farmers in order to use the land to raise more sheep. The evicted families emigrated to the Lowlands, England, or North America and particularly Nova Scotia, which means “New Scotland” in Gaelic.

The trail then climbed to the the route of a narrow-gauge railway line that operated between Broadford Pier and Kilchrist Marble quarries. The quarries operated for 100 years closing in 1912 and produced high-quality marble used in buildings in Great Britain.

Eventually the path descends to the coast toward an abandoned village called Boreraig.

This photo shows Boreraig ruins from the Clearance. Residents were told they were being removed because they didn’t live close enough to a church.

Crossing one of many brooks.

Time for a little climb.

Our picnic lunch spot overlooked the peninsula where our hotel was located.

Lunch break!

At lunch we could see two islands. Eigg, the smallest, has 150 people and Rhum is unpopulated.

We continue hiking around the decaying cliffs.

Then the Cuillins came back into view.

We descend a stoney path to the van now parked near the beach at Camas Malag. This was an interesting hike on a beautiful day and a good introduction to the south of Skye.