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.
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Staffin, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring
The sheer variety along Skye’s coastline is ridiculous.
The sheer variety along Skye’s coastline is ridiculous.
Basalt columnar cliffs? Billion-year old boulders? White sand? Knife-edge sea stacks? Waterfalls? Sea caves? Skye’s got it all.
And—at An Corran, Staffin—there is the “Jurassic coast”.
As I’ve mentioned on this site before, Staffin’s An Corran gained national attention in 2002 when a local couple walking along the coast noticed a large three-toed lizard-like footprint in a slab of rock. Further exploration uncovered additional dinosaur footprints. Turns out that were likely produced by a creature akin to a Megalosaurus. These fossils are estimated to be around 160 million years old, which makes them the most recent dinosaur relics found in Scotland.
This is the main draw of An Corran. But for us, we were more interested in the cliffs and the coastline.
All photos taken on my Sony α7ii using my Pentax SMC 28mm F3.5 prime lens. RAWs developed in Lightroom, then edited and finalised in Photoshop.
Staffin, Isle of Skye, Scotland, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Below the cliffs at An Corran, the rocky coastline is dotted with giant boulders, often situated on top of raised platforms. Millennia of coastal and wind erosion have carved them into fantastic shapes.
As the tide was out, we were able to fully explore the revealed geology of An Corran’s coastline. I enjoyed myself immensely, a veritable playground of geometry, leading lines, light and subjects to play with.
Beautifully sculpted and layered formations give a glimpse of time way before the dawn of humans. In the distance, Staffin island is bathed in golden light.
Picking my way around slippery slabs, moss, and seaweed, I lined up this composition of the raised boulder, with the basalt cliffs in the distance.
Even closer to the boulder, I was able to obtain a reflection of sorts in a rock pool.
This particular boulder I find amazing. No human intervention whatsoever. A chunk of rock broke off the nearby cliffs, rolled down onto the coastline. Over the course of aeons, water and wind washed and carved the surrounding rock, leaving this boulder sitting on its protected pedestal.
Amongst all the ankle-breaking fist-sized pebbles, this arrangement of stones caught my eye.
Further towards the northwest side of An Corran, the rocky coastline gives way to sand. I carefully navigate around, seeking a composition of these embedded boulders in the sand.
At the far northwestern edge of the beach, a crackin’ view of the Quiraing opens up. I relied on the sensor stabilisation of my camera to slow down the shutter as much as possible at f/22, whilst still getting a relatively sharp image. The result came out alright.
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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.
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Duntulm, Isle of Skye, Autumn
Duntulm Castle, the 17th century seat of the chiefs of Clan MacDonald of Sleat.
At Duntulm one can find the ruins of Duntulm Castle, the 17th century seat of the chiefs of Clan MacDonald of Sleat.
Duntulm (Dùn Thuilm in Scottish Gaelic) was originally a fortress built and inhabited by the Picts, an ancient Gaelic tribe. Then, like much of Great Britain, the Vikings arrived and claimed the site for themselves. Duntulm, and the rest of the Trotternish peninsula, was hotly contested and changed hands frequently until the 16th century when the Lord Of The Isles, Donhall Gorm (“Blue Donald”) seized the area, and started making improvements to the fort.
By 1730, the MacDonalds moved away from Duntulm, setting up a new castle on the Sleat peninsula of Skye. The castle and fortress at Duntulm was left to rot and ruin.
The ruins are perched high on the cliffs of Tulm Bay, affording commanding views back south along the coast and out across the sea towards the islands of Lewis and Harris.
A truly epic place.
All photos shot on my Fujifilm X-T2 using both my Samyang 35mm f/1.2 and Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lenses. I utilised a customised Pro Negative Standard film profile.
Gaining height as we head towards the ruins of Duntulm Castle, this is a shot looking back to the cliffs of Creag Orril and Creagan Iar. I can see why some benches were placed here.
Duntulm Castle, perched on a promontory of basalt rock and easily defendable on all sides.
An ultra-wide angle view of the ruins of Duntulm Castle. The coast around Duntulm heavily features these stepping-stone basalt rock formations.
My lovely Lisabet, getting close to the sea to grab those views. The rock around here puts me strongly in mind of the Giant’s Causeway of Northern Ireland.
Stormy conditions as we clambered around the Duntulm coast for compositions.
Beyond the promontory of Duntulm Castle the coast branches out into a variety of pools, shelves, platforms, clints and grikes called Ru Meanish.
Endless compositions for a weirdo rock formation fan like me.
Trotternish Coast, Isle of Skye, Autumn
Most people focus on the Storr or the Quiraing when it comes to the Trotternish Peninsula.
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.
Staffin, Isle of Skye, Autumn
When you think of Skye, do you think of dinosaur fossils?
When you think of Skye, do you think of dinosaur fossils?
Probably not.
Much like Cornwall’s famed Jurassic Coast, Skye has its own version at An Corran beach, Staffin, on the Trotternish Peninsula.
In 2002 a local couple walking along An Corran spotted a slab of rock with a fossilised footprint embedded. Experts later identified it as originating from a small ornithopod, a bipedal running dinosaur.
Further excavation revealed more dinousaur footprints, the largest being around 50 cm long and originally made by a creature similar to a Megalosaurus. They were dated to around 160 million years old, making them the youngest dinosaur remains in Scotland.
An Corran is also home to one of the oldest hunter-gatherer sites in Scotland, which dates to around the 7th millennium BC.
Not only is An Corran home to a treasure trove of history, it also features some weird and fantastical geology, which primarily caught my eye for compositional reasons.
These photos were made from two separate visits, which explains the drastically different light conditions.
Shot on a Fujifilm X-T2 with a Laowa 9mm f/2.8 lens using a customised Pro Negative Standard film profile.
Below the cliffs of the northwestern point of An Corran, Staffin, one enjoy beautiful views back towards the Quiraing.
At Breun Phort, east of the Staffin Slipway, a raised bed of clints and grikes offer seemingly limitless compositions for my wide angle lens to devour.
A simple composition showing off the tetris-like structure of the raised rock bed at Breun Phort, looking back towards the 50 ft cliffs that dominate the An Corran coast.
Untold millennia of waves have sculpted the layers of rock along An Corran, revealing curved strata and standing boulders behind.
Two giant boulders lean on each other. In the distance are the mountains of Torridon and Applecross.
A glacial erratic remains perched on the raised bed of rock at An Corran, Staffin.
More glacial erratics perched on sculpted formations. In the distance, to the left, are the two cliff faces of Sgeir Bhàn.
A reflection of the solitary perched glacial erratic, using the strata beneath it as a leading line.
Two separate glacial erratics, which two me almost look like they are in “conversation” with each other.