Sligachan with the Dog – The Glamaig Falls and Seumas' Bar
About 1.5 miles on foot.
Sligachan sits where the road through Skye meets the Cuillin, and it's a grand place to walk a dog.
A good stony path leaves the old bridge and climbs gently beside a burn, or stream, to a waterfall under Glamaig, then swings round for a view straight up Glen Sligachan between the Red Cuillin and the Black. Lunch is across the river in Seumas' Bar at the Sligachan Hotel, where well-behaved dogs are welcome.
- Time
- About 40 minutes on foot there and back (just under 2 km), then lunch.
- The path
- A good stony path rising gently from a gate by the car park; a gate in the fence after about 400 metres; not for a wheelchair or a rollator (Skye For All).
- Where to start
- Small free car park beside the A87 by the old bridge and the Collie and Mackenzie statue, about 20 spaces with two disabled bays, behind a 2.1-metre height barrier that keeps motorhomes and high-roofed vans out. No charge and no hours are published.
- Set off
- From the car park by the old bridge, on the Glen Sligachan path.
- When to go
- Seumas' Bar is usually open from April to the end of October: every day, food from noon to 8.30pm. The path is open all year.
- Dogs
- On a lead by the gully, where there is no way down to a dog that falls in; well-behaved dogs are always welcome in Seumas' Bar.
- Children
- Keep children well back from the gully's edge.
- Toilets
- None at the car park; the Sligachan Hotel's are for its customers, and its bars keep seasonal hours.
- Before you set out
- The walk is open all year. Seumas' Bar shuts for the winter, usually from the end of October until the spring.
The walk
Park in the small free car park beside the A87 at the old bridge, by the statue of the climbers Collie and Mackenzie; a barrier keeps out vans over 2.1 metres. The waterfall is on the Allt Daraich, the burn that the Glen Sligachan path follows from the old bridge.
It is about 800 metres from the car park and stays out of sight until the last moment. Keep the dog on a lead here: the path runs above a deep gully with no way down.
Beyond the fall the view opens up Glen Sligachan, the Red Cuillin on one side and the Black on the other. Allow about 40 minutes in all.
If it rains
The path is stony and drains well, and the waterfall is at its best after rain. In a downpour, keep the walk short and let lunch run long in the bar.
Afterwards
Seumas' Bar
Lunch
From the car park it's about 250 metres across the river to Seumas' Bar at the Sligachan Hotel, a big, lively bar that walkers come down to off the hill. Food is served from noon to 8.30pm, with fish and chips and daily specials, and ales from the Cuillin Brewery next door. Well-behaved dogs are welcome. Tables are first come, first served, with bookings only for groups of ten or more. It shuts for the winter, usually from the end of October until the spring, so ring the hotel before going in late October. The bar has toilets for customers.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
Seumas' Bar, walkers' bar, 400 whiskies.