Staffin Slipway and An Corran Beach Circuit.

Start. Staffin ( Columba 1400 Centre).

Route. Staffin ( Columba 1400 Centre) - Cadha Riach - Staffin Slipway - An Corran Beach - Stenscholl River - A588 - Staffin.

Notes. People have lived around Staffin for over 8000 years, they left behind stone tools, pottery and the cremated remains of their ancestors. These are some of the oldest signs of human life on Skye. In the 1840s Highlanders faced starvation when the potato crop failed, people were offered jobs building roads including a track over the hill, a full days hard labour was paid with a small amount of food.

It was the track these people toiled to build over the hill that guided us on the first half of this short excursion. We set out from the Columba 1400 Centre, from the car park a gravel track climbs to a sign announcing the route to An Corran. After climbing to a stile we crossed open moorland to reach the remains of a round structure, Cadha Riach an Iron Age chambered cairn left by people who farmed and fished this area thousands of years ago. The views back to the Trotternish Ridge are quite stunning from this spot overlooking Staffin Slipway and the wild waters of The Minch.

From the cairn a track descends to the Staffin Slipway, we descended with it to reach a small harbour and narrow tarmac road. The road then guided us back to Staffin via An Corran, a lovely beach on the edge of Staffin Bay famed for it’s fossilised dinosaur footprints, alas the tide was too high we saw zilch.

Exploration of the beach and surrounding rocks over, the narrow road ushered us back along the edge of Staffin Bay, stunning views to the northern end of the Trotternish Ridge accompanied our every step, the many pinnacles of The Quiraing draw the eye, begging to be explored. The narrow lane deposited us on the main road leaving us with a short walk back to the car.

view route map.

home.

Rising above the tiny scattered village of Brogaig the Quiraing backed by the cliffs of Meall na Suiramach, to the right in shadow Sron Vourlinn.

The ragged profile of the Trotternish Ridge seen from the moors above Staffin.

Approaching Cadha Riach looking to Staffin Island with the Outer Hebrides across the horizon.

Towering above Staffin Bay and the sprinkling of houses of Brogaig the massive cliffs of Sron Vourlinn.

Cadha Riach the remains of an Iron Age chambered cairn.

Mesmeric light over the Trotternish Ridge, far left The Storr.

On the track descending from Cadha Riach taking in the tiny harbour at Staffin, Staffin Island and Eilean Flodigarry.

Descending to Staffin Slipway looking to the small headland of Rubha Garbhaig.

The high skyline of Torridon on the mainland seen across the waters of The Minch.

The great summits of the Torridon massif viewed from near Staffin Slipway.

On view from the small harbour the cliffs of Sgeir Bhan.

Wandering along the tide line of the whispering sea, An Corran Beach....

....with stunning views across Staffin Bay to Meall na Suiramach and Sron Vourlinn.

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