Trotternish Coast, Isle of Skye, Autumn
For obvious reasons most people focus on the Storr or the Quiraing when it comes to the Isle of Skye’s Trotternish Peninsula.
But there is so much more to see.
South of the Quiraing and north of the Storr, there is a stretch of coast on the eastern side of the Trotternish peninsula that drops suddenly into the sea. Not only can one explore some fine cliffs and all the views that come with them, there’s also a surprising number of waterfalls along this section of the Trotternish coastline.
Just south of Staffin one can find the famous Kilt Rock, a cliff named for its patterned resemblance to Scottish kilts (Kilt Rock is made from columns of basalt rock, much like at the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland). A well-known viewing station here allows for a sheer perspective along the cliffs towards Kilt Rock, with a waterfall plunging straight into the sea too, known as Mealt Falls.
Further south of Kilt Rock there’s another series of waterfalls called Lealt Falls, which drop in two main stages from the Trotternish landslip. There are incredible views taking in both waterfalls with the otherworldly forms of the Storr high above in the distance.
Closer to the Storr, you can stop off at Upper Tote for ridiculous views all the way down the Sound of Raasay towards the Red Cuillins, too.
All in all, there’s so much to see around the Trotternish Peninsula alone.
All photos shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with both my Samyang 35mm f/1.2 and Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lenses. I used a customised Pro Negative Standard film profile.
The clear photo to take at the Kilt Rock Viewing Station is looking north, which features Mealt Falls dropping straight into the sea with Kilt Rock in the distance. It is also, inevitably, busy with people. Instead I made my way to the view south, taking in the wonderful Bhaltos cliff formations.
South of Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls there’s another viewing platform, with ample parking, at Lealt Falls. The weather was extremely changeable that day, and I managed a 35mm shot of the upper waterfall with some brief sunlight on the land and the Trotternish landslip in the distance. The prominent peak featured is Sgùrr a’ Mhadaidh Ruaidh (pronounced SKOOR ah VAT-tee ROO-ah, meaning “Peak of the red fox”).
My lovely Lisabet, taking in the views around Lealt Falls, with some wonderful sandstone geology behind her.
A tighter composition of Lower Lealt Falls, the last of the Lealt Falls before merging into the sea.
And now a much wider composition, which manages to capture both of the Lealt Falls with the Trotternish landslip and Sgùrr a’ Mhadaidh Ruaidh in the distance. A squall was also closing in on the peaks and started to obscure them.
A panoramic view of the gorge that the Lealt Falls have cut, whilst a heavy storm drenches the peaks of the Trotternish landslip.
Later, we stopped off further south for this frankly ridiculous and wonderful vistan from Upper Tote, looking all the way down the Sound of Raasay towards the Red and Black Cuillins.