Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring
The last series of photos from our Skye spring 2024 trip.
The last series of photos from our Skye spring 2024 trip.
There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to post these, because it concludes in a way that we’re no longer on Skye.
And that is always painful.
For this post, I’ve assembled a rag-tag of photos taken from around Skye’s Trotternish peninsula that didn’t really fit in with other posts. This includes:
Duntulm Bay, with the epic ruins of Duntulm Castle perched on top of cliffs of volcanic sill
The ridiculously clear views we got from near the Flodigarry coast, across the sea to the Torridon mountains on the mainland
I hope you enjoy these photo as much as I enjoyed seeing and taking them.
All photos shot on my Sony α7ii using my Pentax SMC 28mm F3.5 prime lens and Vivitar “Series 1” 70–210mm f2.8–4.0 zoom lens. RAWs developed in Lightroom, then edited and finalised in Photoshop.
Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The epic ruins of Duntulm Castle, perched on top of basalt cliffs nearly 100ft above the surf. Southwest of the ruins, the coast is made of volcanic sill intrusions, criss-crossing joints that make for wonderful compositions.
Further west away from the castle ruins we could even spot across the sea here, known as the Little Minch, the islands of Lewis and Harris. I couple of crystal clear rock pools helped me create some sort of coherent composition from the chaos of rock joints.
Closer to the castle ruins, the sun broke out from the clouds above the Quiraing, giving fantastic side light to this scene. These ridged tufts of grass made for a nice compositional leading line into the scene.
From Flodigarry, above Loch Langaig, a small ruin made for a nice composition, mimicking the shape of the distant mountains.
We were astounded when stopping at Flodigarry to see crystal clear views across the sea towards the Torridon mountains on the mainland. So clear you almost felt you could reach out and touch the mountains.
Further along the mainland, the unmistakable shape of Slioch (“the spear”), above Loch Maree, is immediately apparent, standing 3,219 ft above the sea.
Did you enjoy these photos?
The Quiraing, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring
It’s so hard to ignore the Quiraing when you’re on Skye.
It’s so hard to ignore the Quiraing when you’re on Skye.
Comprising the northernmost aspect of the Trotternish peninsula landslip, the Quiraing is a true marvel. It features sheer cliffs 150 m tall, emotive and otherworldly geological formations such as the Prison, the Needle, and Table, as well as individual peaks formed from ancient landslips such as Cleat and Bioda Buidhe.
We approached the Quiraing from two separate sides. On one day we took the short and steep route into the Quiraing via Flodigarry, the eastern side. On another day we returned and hiked the more conventional tourist route. Both offer equally astounding scenes.
One day, we’ll be able to walk the entire Quiraing, in all its treacherously steep glory.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Rokinon 14mm f2.8 ED AS IF UMC and Pentax SMC 28mm F3.5 prime lenses. RAWs developed in Lightroom, then edited and finalised in Photoshop.
The Quiraing, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
The Quiraing from Flodigarry
At Flodigarry you can find a small car park, fit for 5 or so cars. From here it’s a simple walk to the first loch you’ll come across, Loch Langaig. Above the loch are the block-shaped crags known as Fingal’s Pinnacles, which includes Leac nan Fionn, or “Fingal’s tomb”.
Beyond Loch Langaig, the trail starts to quickly ramp up and you soon arrive directly beneath the impressive Fingal’s pinnacles. Below the pinnacles is Loch Hasco, which I cautiously clambered down to for this breathtaking composition.
We returned to the trail as it began its steep pull towards the cliffs of Meall na Suiramach, the highest peak of the Quiraing. From the side, the Pinnacles reveal a more slender profile that I couldn’t ignore.
Above Loch Hasco and beneath the cliffs of Meall na Suiramach, we took some rest and explored more fascinating rock formations. I found this weird nubbin of rock as the sun crested above the cliffs of the Quiraing.
The conventional Quiraing route
The more “tourist-friendly” way around the Quiraing has seen a lot of infrastructure improvements over the years, including a new car park at the top and better road surfacing. There’s also a new viewing platform, giving people an easy way to get these views.
Along the trail north, chunks of the edge of the Quiraing have been cordoned off due to unstable cliffs and to protect rare flora. From one vantage point, as the sun emerged, I nabbed this composition looking straight down to the valley floor, a mountain sheep looking back at me.
One of the classic views of the Quiraing. It’s been done numerous times, of course, and often better than what I can manage. Nevertheless, I refuse to let another opportunity pass by. It’s such a wonderful scene.