Ardtreck – A Broch on the Cliff Edge and a Light on the Point
About 1.9 miles on foot.
Ardtreck is the headland at the mouth of Loch Harport, beyond Portnalong on the west of Skye.
An Iron Age broch sits on a knoll at the edge of its cliffs, and a small white light marks the point beyond. The round of the two is only about two miles, on rough, wet ground with no fences, and MacLeod's Tables fill the view across the water.
- Time
- An hour to an hour and a half: 3 km (1.9 miles) round, with 90 m of climbing. The broch is about 15 minutes from the car.
- The path
- A brief stretch of road and track, then narrow moorland and coastal path, wet in places. Boots.
- Where to start
- The small lay-by where the minor road ends, a mile north-west of Portnalong. Leave the turning area clear.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, and not in strong wind or mist. From November to January set off by 1.30pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead: sheep and cattle graze the headland.
- Children
- The broch is on an unfenced cliff edge: keep children beside you.
- Toilets
- None at the road end.
- Before you set out
- The broch stands on a cliff edge with a sheer, unfenced drop to the sea. Wet in places.
The walk
Park in the small lay-by where the minor road ends, a mile north-west of Portnalong. It holds only a few cars, so leave the turning area and every access clear. A walking guide, Scotland Off the Beaten Track, gives the round as 3 km, or two miles, with 90 metres of climbing, and allows an hour to an hour and a half. It calls the going tough for so short a walk. After a brief stretch of road and track, the rest is narrow moorland and coastal path, wet in places, most of all on the way back from the lighthouse along the spine of the headland. Dun Ardtreck comes first, about 15 minutes from the car.
It's an Iron Age broch, and what's left of its thick drystone wall crowns a rocky knoll with the sea on three sides. The broch stands right on the cliff edge. The drop beyond the wall is sheer and has no fence, so keep well back from it, keep children beside you and don't climb on the stonework. From the broch the headland runs on to Ardtreck Point, where a small white beacon tower marks the mouth of Loch Harport. Across the water are the two flat tops of MacLeod's Tables. Sheep and cattle graze the headland, so keep a dog on a lead.
There's no shelter and no toilet out here, and the nearest bus stop is back in Portnalong. In a strong wind or thick mist, leave it for another day. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm. For coffee afterwards there's Caora Dhubh in Carbost: check it's open before you count on it.
If it rains
The headland is open to every wind and the ground is wet at the best of times. With an unfenced cliff beside the broch, keep this for a dry day with good visibility.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Skyewalker Hostel. Sleeps 1.
For further reading, before you go.