Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Isle of Skye

The Lookout Bothy

A coastguard watch room of 1928 on the cliffs above Rubha Hunish, now a free bothy looking out over the Minch.

Welcome

At the very top of Skye, a small white building stands alone on the cliff edge above Rubha Hunish, its great window turned to the sea.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

The Lookout was built for coastguards to keep watch over the Minch, and today it is a bothy: a free, simple shelter anyone may use, looked after by volunteers.

The walk out crosses open moor from the car park by the cattle grid, and the building comes into sight only near the end, perched above sheer columns of dark rock. Inside there is a table, a few chairs, and that window, with the Outer Hebrides on the horizon. Sit with a flask and watch the water for as long as the weather allows. If you plan to stay the night, carry in everything you need, and leave the place as you would want to find it.

Before you go

The Lookout is a free bothy kept by volunteers.

It sleeps three, has no stove and no water, and sits on the edge of a steep cliff.

Parking
The car park above the phone kiosk, by the cattle grid.
Sleeps
Three, in bunks. There is no fireplace or stove, and no drinking water at the bothy or on the headland: carry in what you need.
Care
The cliff falls steeply right in front of the bothy.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review

Did you know

A white single-storey lookout building with a bank of windows sits alone on a grassy clifftop.
Did you know

Built by Macleans of Mull, 1928.

The front of the building, the watch room with its big bay window, was built in 1928 by Macleans of Mull, for coastguards keeping watch over the Minch.

An empty sunroom with panoramic windows holds a wooden table and two mismatched chairs, overlooking the sea.
Did you know

Saved after a storm.

Radio made the lookout redundant, and by the mid-1970s it was a bothy. In a storm in 2005 every window blew out, and the Mountain Bothies Association took it on and rebuilt it.

A window frames a calm sea dotted with small islands beneath distant snow-capped mountains.
Did you know

Binoculars on the sill.

Inside is a chart of the whales and sea mammals you might see, and a pair of binoculars. Dolphins are usual, but minke whales, orcas and basking sharks have all been seen from the window.

The Lookout sits alone on a clifftop above sheer columnar rock, a loch and snow-capped peaks visible in the distance.
Did you know

Columns 150 feet long.

The Lookout stands on the cliffs of Meall Tuath, where the dolerite has set in columns at least 150 feet long.

Rolling moorland meets the sea along a rugged, cliff-lined coastline beneath distant mountains.
Did you know

The village of Erisco.

On the way you pass above the remains of Erisco, a crofting township of eight or so drystone buildings, thought to date from the 1600s and empty by 1875 after the clearances.

A wooden sign reading The Lookout hangs above a weathered blue door on a timber-clad cabin.
Did you know

In memory of a bothy lover.

The renovation was dedicated to David J. J. Brown, a member of the Mountain Bothies Association who often visited the north-west.

A wooden window ledge inside The Lookout catches the sunset glow over the sea beyond.
What is on

What is new across Skye, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on on Skye
01 / 07
Where it is

On the cliffs of Meall Tuath above Rubha Hunish, at the northern tip of Skye.

Close byThe places nearest the bothy, by road.
  1. Open water off the north of Skye with low islands on the horizon, the view the lookout faces.Rubha HunishThe northernmost point of Skye, a high clifftop looking out to the Outer Isles.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Duntulm CastleDuntulm CastleThe last castle of the Macdonalds of Sleat, on cliffs at the northern tip of Skye.1 mile 3 min by road
  3. Skye Museum of Island LifeSkye Museum of Island LifeEight thatched cottages at Kilmuir, showing how most islanders lived a century and more ago.3 miles 6 min by road
  4. The Grave of Flora MacDonaldThe Grave of Flora MacDonaldThe old graveyard at Kilmuir where a tall cross stands over Flora MacDonald.4 miles 6 min by road
  5. Loch LangaigLoch LangaigA small loch by the A855 at Flodigarry, where a quiet path leaves the road for the Quiraing.5 miles 8 min by road
  6. The QuiraingThe QuiraingThe other great landslip on the Trotternish ridge, at its northern end.6 miles 11 min by road
  7. Dinosaur Prints at Staffin & DuntulmDinosaur Prints at Staffin & DuntulmWhere to see Skye's dinosaur footprints at Staffin and Duntulm.8 miles 12 min by road
Directions
Lichen-streaked basalt cliffs above the sea at Rubha Hunish, a stack standing off the point.WalksRubha Hunish WalkA step away
The granite Celtic cross over Flora MacDonald's grave in Kilmuir burial ground, with the Minch behind it.AttractionsKilmuir Cemetery3.6 miles
An e-bike beside a rocky burn.AttractionsSkye EBikes4.7 miles
The Kilvaxter souterrain at Kilmuir: the stone-lined entrance open in the turf beside a fenced path, with the interpretation board behind it.AttractionsKilvaxter Souterrain4.8 miles
White cottages on a hillside above a small lochAttractionsLoch Shianta5.6 miles
The Needle and the cliffs of the Quiraing.AttractionsThe Needle6.2 miles
LinicroMonkstadt 1745Place to stay · 6.8 miles
Framed seascapes, a "CAORA" print and vintage mangle fill this plant-lined shop cornerCafeThe Hungry Gull8.0 miles
Wooden tables and blue-cushioned chairs seen from a curved upper balconyCafeColumba 14008.3 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 23 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a concrete road bridge with angled supports spanning a sea loch, twin cloud-wrapped mountain peaks rising behind autumn-coloured hills.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

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

Monkstadt 1745
  • To stay
  • In Linicro
  • 6 miles from the Lookout
Check datesTimber-clad building with black roof and metal railings along a gravel pathThe Cowshed Boutique Bunkhouse
  • Sleeps 1
  • In Uig
  • 8 miles from the Lookout
Check datesHalf of One
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Culnacnoc
  • 11 miles from the Lookout
Free 2–5 NovDining room with tartan carpet, wine glasses set on long wooden tablesSkeabost House Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Skeabost Bridge
  • 17 miles from the Lookout
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

The collections it is in and more on Skye.

CollectionWalks, Wildlife and Nature in SkyeCollectionSkye's Hidden SideCollectionPhotography Spots in Skye
More on Skye
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .