There’s sufficient breeze to make white waves on the black rocks of Balmacqueen, and the sun’s doing much better today… I’ve walked this way several times, but it never fails to please, with a fine rocky foreground and extensive views. To the east are the mountains of mainland Scotland; to the north-west are the rugged hills of Lewis. Between them is open sea – next stop (well over the horizon!) the North Pole…

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It would have been, if the sun had shone… It tried, and eventually succeeded, but not until I was back from this walk up the glen of the Abhainn Hiniosdail. We’ve walked up the south side many times – a pleasant track through the community forest, with some interesting side-paths. Today I’m on the surfaced road – potentially brighter, and the views are different, but harder on the feet…

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Uig: after two days of rain and strong winds, there’s a dry afternoon in prospect. The southerly wind’s still quite strong – mid-40s mph – so some shelter would be good, as would a dry surface to walk on. The Fairy Glen! I was reluctant – last time I was here it was crawling with visitors, but it shouldn’t be too bad in early March. (It wasn’t – a few others, all heading for Castle Ewen, were easily avoided). Fairies notwithstanding, Glen Conon is an attractive and peaceful valley, with some magnificent waterfalls on its northern slopes.
As I set out, the ferry was docking at Uig pier. When I next overlooked the bay, on my way back, it was just rounding the headland on its way out. Nice timing for a most enjoyable outing!

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Those five fine days are gone, and it’s grey. It could rain, but I might be lucky. After a busy morning, a last leg stretch would be good – tomorrow we’re on the road again. The clifftops at Bornesketaig  would be good, and I can look down on the rocky shore around the Gold Cave (yes, I was lucky – the rain held off)

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Another favourite route in this part of Skye. It will be busier than the other walks I’ve enjoyed during this spell of wonderful weather, but the scenery is spectacular. It’s fairly quiet at first, up past Lochs Langaig and Hasco, but there are plenty of others on and around the pinnacles beside my route to Sròn Vourlinn. There’s no-one else at that splendid peak though. The silence is wonderful.
Retracing my steps, I decide to continue in the other direction to the Quiraing. I won’t scramble up into the rocky stronghold – the path there is a good vantage point for photos.
Finally, descending once more past the two lochs, what’s this? A highland wedding!

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Up in the clouds above Uig! I very nearly abandoned this idea. I’d driven down for today’s paper, with the intention of walking up to the headland to see the ferry go out, but the fog was quite thick. Perhaps I should drive over to the other side – Staffin or Flodigarry perhaps? I drove up the hill towards the hairpin bend. Was the sun trying to break through? Back down to the triangle, boots on, camera over shoulder, fingers crossed.

As I walked up the road and along the first stretch of the path, I heard the ferry arriving (yes, pom pom pom pom – see yesterday’s post – and long blasts of the horn) but I couldn’t see it at all. Onwards up to the ridge – is there some blue up there? The view to the north opened out – a sunlit landscape of thinning, clearing mist. I’ll sit on the rocks overlooking the bay and hope! Another long toot of the horn, still can’t see the pier or the ferry – then there it was, emerging in most spectacular fashion and heading out towards Lochmaddy. Within perhaps 15 minutes, Uig bay was completely clear and plain as day – bright sunshine and brilliant white banks of mist in the distance. I made the right decision!

I retraced my steps on the headland, dropped down to the pier, along the road, through the woods and back to the start, but the best of the afternoon was behind me…

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…on a remarkable day of mist and sunshine. The former burned away during the morning, but lingered over the sea for the whole day. Plenty of the latter in the forested Glen Hinnisdal, with spiders’ webs highlighted by droplets from the mist and a fine crop of fly agarics just waiting (in a dark little recess of the forest) to be snapped.
More to come on the misty conditions elsewhere, but that’s enough for today…

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Thursday 19 September: Rubha na h-Aiseig – Skye’s far north again, just a couple of miles east of Rubha Hunish and perhaps two hundred yards further south – another favourite outing. There are some pleasing similarities to yesterday’s walk – not least the fact that there’s no-one else there. An interesting negotiation of a cliff-top route leads to a zig-zag way down (not remotely as exposed or tricky as Rubha Hunish) to the scrubby sheep pastures, where a faint path leads to the northernmost tip. Rubha na h-Aiseig translates as “Ferry Point”: there are remains of former “black houses” tucked in behind a stony shore – was there once a ferry across to the island of Trodday, about a mile offshore?

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