Trotternish Peninsula: Waterfalls, Mountains and... Dinosaur Prints?

Our first full day on the island brought us to the northernmost point called the Trotternish Peninsula. The only major road makes a loop around the top so if you're visiting, it's very easy to hit all the points of interest in a relatively short amount of time.

Our first stop just 15 minutes from our AirBNB was the famed geological formation, the Old Man of Storr. Just off the road, there's a massive parking area that was almost full at 10 in the morning. We hiked 2 miles uphill in an attempt to get up close and personal with the Old Man, but we couldn't make it another 3 or so miles. Honestly though, the view was great from down below. Even halfway up you get amazing views of the Isle of Rona (tee-hee-hee) and the Isle of Raasay just off the coast as well as mainland Scotland.

We got in the car and took another short ride north to our next stop, the Lealt Falls, which to be honest were pretty but slightly underwhelming in comparison to our next stop.

You walk out onto a man-made platform to see the falls which are mostly covered by trees and overgrowth. If you're passing by, it's worth a look but if you're pressed for time, move on. Further north yet again, you arrive at the cliffs of Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls which is fed from, you guessed it, Loch Mealt! Check out this view!

Like what?! How pretty is that! It was so gorgeous and sunny out that the rocks down below had a beautiful whiteness to them and the water was just the most spectacular shade of blue. It was super crowded (for good reason) so I really couldn't get as many photos as I wanted but check out the album below anyway, I'm pretty sure there's a video of the falls mixed in.

It's also here at Kilt Rock (getting its name from the fact that the the cliff and waterfall make the rockface look like a Kilt!), that you can find real dinosaur tracks! Admittedly, I saw the sign for them but it was so crowded that I didn't look for them. Apparently some googling tells me that there are dino prints all over Skye! I'll have to head back someday and take a look!

Heading west from Loch Mealt, you ascend the single track, narrow roads up to the massive landslip known as the Quiriang.

Approaching heights of almost 1800ft, the views of Staffin Bay were absolutely amazing!

In the middle of the picture to the left, you can see the famed Quiriang "Prison", a pyramidal rocky peak which can look like a medieval keep when viewed from the right angle.

We then descended the rocky paths to the western side of Trotternish where we then headed north to our next destination, Duntulum Castle.

The castle sits high upon a cliff, overlooking the sound of Shiant and Northern Minch Sea with faint views of the Outer Hebrides Island of Lewis and Harris (yes that's the name of the island) far in the distance. While the views are great, the castle itself is practically in ruins, being fenced off to tourists for safety reasons however you are still able to see what remains of both the 15th century tower and 17th century ranges around the courtyard. Duntulum Castle is said to be haunted as it has quite a dark history involving the MacDonald and MacLeod clans.

Our final destination took us back south down the west coast of Trotternish to the Fairy Glens. Having no actual ties to fairies, the glen gets it name from being just such an unusual location with an otherworldly feel. One of the highest peaks, known as Castle Ewan, still has its volcanic rock topping. It's not a real castle though, it's formation just looks like one from a distance. You can climb it which Greg did but I sat on the sidelines.

Over the years, sightseer's have moved the rocks around to create spirals on the ground which looks really neat and gives the whole area a Stonehenge like quality. It really is a magical place.

For my first time on Skye, this first day was filled with so many breathtaking sights that I won't soon forget it. Considering I took almost 2000 photos on this trip, I don't think there's anyway I conceivably could! If we had left after this day, It would have been the highlight but stay tuned, the next few posts are even better!

Check out the gallery page or click any of the photos to be taken to the whole gallery filled with over 160 photos of our first day on Skye!