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Sheep standing in tall grass with the sea behind
Isle of Skye

Ramasaig to Orbost Coastal Walk

Fourteen miles of cliff top down the west and south coast of Duirinish, from the road end at Ramasaig to Orbost, with 974 metres of climb and no way back but the other car.

Welcome

It takes eight to ten hours, with 974 metres of climb in the rise and fall of the cliffs.

Much of it is firm turf along the edge and very fine going; the rest is pathless and boggy, with burns that are hard work after rain.

It passes the Hoe, the second highest cliff on the island, and a sea tunnel bored clean through a headland that a kayaker can paddle through on a calm day. Halfway along is Lorgill, a township cleared in 1830 and its people put aboard ship for Nova Scotia, its croft houses still lining the valley. At the far end stand MacLeod's Maidens. It is linear, neither end has a bus, and the footbridge the map shows over the Lorgill burn washed away years ago.

A short drive awayCafe LephinSomewhere to eat in Glendale, before or after.5 min by roadSee itCafe Lephin
The walk

Twenty-two and a half kilometres, 974 metres of climb and eight to ten hours, one way.

Much of it is firm turf along the cliff edge and very good going; the rest is pathless, boggy and rough, with a couple of burns that are hard work in spate. The footbridge the Ordnance Survey still shows over the Lorgill burn was washed away long ago, so expect wet feet. There is no bus to either end and no way to make a circuit of it, so two cars, or somebody willing to drive round.

Distance
22.5 km, 14 miles, one way from Ramasaig to Orbost.
Time
Eight to ten hours, with 974 m of climb.
Ground
Firm cliff-top turf for much of it; pathless, boggy and rough for the rest.
Getting back
Two cars. Neither end has a bus, and it does not make a circuit.
The burns
The Lorgill footbridge on the map is gone. Wet feet, and harder work in spate.
Before you go

The minor road to Ramasaig leaves the B884 past Glendale and is in poor repair, so a car with little clearance will not enjoy it; park by the cottage at the road end, or earlier in the old quarry.

At the far end, park at Orbost Farm just short of Orbost House. There is nothing on the route: no shelter but the Ollisdal bothy half a kilometre up its glen, no water you would drink without treating, and no way off the coast once you are on it.

Start
The road end at Ramasaig, off the B884 beyond Glendale. Grid reference NG 165 441.
Finish
Orbost Farm, just before Orbost House. Grid reference NG 257 433.
The road in
Public but in poor condition. Not for a car with little clearance.
Shelter
Ollisdal, an open bothy half a kilometre up the glen from the coast. No dogs.
Where it is

Down the west and south coast of the Duirinish peninsula, from the road end at Ramasaig beyond Glendale to Orbost, near Dunvegan.

Close byThe ends of the walk, and the rest of Duirinish.
  1. The green valley of Glendale running down to a deep blue bay under high cliffs.GlendaleThe township the road in passes through, and the last shop before Ramasaig.4 miles 5 min by road
  2. Skye WeaversSkye WeaversCloth made on a bicycle-powered loom at Fasach in Glendale.5 miles 7 min by road
  3. Neist PointNeist PointThe lighthouse at the far west of Duirinish, north of the start.6 miles 8 min by road
  4. The cliffs of the Duirinish coast running out towards Idrigill Point under a clear sky.Idrigill Point and Macleod's MaidensThe three stacks at the far end, and a shorter way to reach them.16 miles 20 min by road
  5. Coral BeachCoral BeachWhite shell sand north of Dunvegan, near the Orbost end.16 miles 24 min by road
Directions
Black wood burning stove behind a safety guard, with a wicker log basket and sheepskin rugCafeCafe Lephin4.2 miles
A tidal channel winding through saltmarsh towards a low bare hill under a flat white sky, on HarrisWalksMilovaig Loop4.3 miles
A dark timber-clad gabled cabin with a chimney and skylights glows warmly from within at dusk on a grassy hillside.Lower MilovaigHarlosh Wood hSleeps 6 · 4.9 miles
A white house with a dark slated roof sits above a rocky headland and sea, a weathered bench in the garden.MilovaigMilovaig HouseSleeps 4 · 5.1 miles
GlendaleBlack Box CabinSleeps 4 · 5.3 miles
The Old School at Colbost, home of Skye Silver.ShoppingSkye Silver5.9 miles
Whitewashed cottage with grey slate roof behind a pale blue picket fenceColbostThe Three ChimneysPlace to stay · 7.2 miles
A white bungalow with a glazed gable end sits before an autumn hillside, a wooden bench on the lawn in front.ColbostTigh an TobairSleeps 8 · 7.2 miles
An aerial view shows a white and timber-clad house set among autumn trees above a bay dotted with small islands.Isle of SkyeLochviewSleeps 4 · 7.2 miles
The Daily for 18 October, from Scotland with love. Golden-hour light catches a shadowed mountain above a loch, rust-coloured moorland in the foreground

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the walk, and when each is next free.

Black Box Cabin
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Glendale
  • 3 miles from the walk
Check datesThe Black Shed, DunveganThe Black Shed
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Skinidin
  • 4 miles from the walk
Check datesA white house with a dark slated roof sits above a rocky headland and sea, a weathered bench in the garden.Milovaig House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Milovaig
  • 4 miles from the walk
Check datesA dark timber-clad gabled cabin with a chimney and skylights glows warmly from within at dusk on a grassy hillside.Harlosh Wood h
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Lower Milovaig
  • 4 miles from the walk
Free 31 Oct – 3 NovPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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