I have always dreamt of venturing into the Cuillins on Skye, a place where I always drive past and neglect for the usual spots; Storr, Neist etc. However this time I made sure that the visit would include an adventure, no matter how short, into the Cuillins and in particular to witness the spectacle of Loch Coruisk.

A short boat trip from Elgol will put you in the heart of this vast mountain range which hold some of the most dangerous peaks in the UK, mostly known for their treacherous conditions and a place where the weather deteriorates quickly, something we were to later witness first hand.

We were treated with calm conditions for the trip across the loch, and with good company plus plenty of photographic sights to take in, we arrived on the opposite shore in what seemed like no time. We even had the company of Zeus, one of our friends German Shepherds who made his first boat trip.

Nearer the shore we were greeted with some of the clearest sea water in Scotland, probably, and definitely some of the clearest I have seen in the British Isles. Before docking on the shore, we witnessed a lone seal resting on the rocks, the boat trips offered from Elgol also allow provide to catch a glimpse of Scotland’s Sea life including seals, whales and varied bird spices. This time the camera was tucked away in the bag so you will just have to believe there was a seal nearby.

 

With only half an hour on dry land, we made haste and hiked as fast as possible to gain some altitude and get above the Loch, where the best views can be had. Unfortunately due to time constraints we were unable to get up Sgurr na Stri which is known as being the best spot to take in the Loch and possibly Britain’s finest viewpoint. We therefore scrambled up the base of this viewpoint on some of the strangest rock I have ever seen, flat and full of grip located.

From this point though, things took a turn for the worse…

Within the space of 5-10 minutes we were saturated. Torrential rain hit us and we were all unprepared. With drones in the air, coats still in the bags, we all scrambled for shelter. In hindsight, we could have seen things were about to get worse, but the view was just breathtaking and you ended up being mesmerised by how crazy the scene is. I agree with many in saying that this spot could be the best view we have in the Britsh Isles, some of my friends said it reminded them of the wild scenes in Patagonia, never mind Scotland.

Sir Walter Scott, a Scottish historical novelist, historian and poet best described this place;

“Rarely human eye has known,

A scene so stern as that dread lake,

With its dark ledge of barren stone…”

With the conditions unfavourable for drones, I got the camera back out as this is weather sealed, maybe not in this rain but I felt it was worth the risk.

As the fun was over and we could see the boat approaching across from Elgol, we headed back down to be picked up. back on the boat, annoyingly the weather over the Loch and the Cuillins started to drastically improve. Nevertheless, the brief and short excursion was well worth it and will definitely be a place to return to in the future!

Find out more from Daryl below

You can check out more from Daryl on his Instagram account @darylswalker or his website https://www.darylscottwalker.co.uk/

No listings with this search