Britain's largest landslide, a jumble of rock towers and cliffs at the northern end of the Trotternish ridge on Skye.
The Quiraing is the largest landslide in Britain, at the northern end of the Trotternish ridge in the north of Skye.
Visited and photographed by Simon Hird
Below the cliffs stands a jumble of grass-topped rock towers and crags, and the best known are the Prison, the Needle and the Table, a flat grassy area hidden among the pinnacles.
The path starts from the car park at the top of the minor road between Staffin and Uig and runs beneath the cliffs past the Prison and the Needle. Many people walk only that first stretch. The full circuit goes further, climbing onto the escarpment and returning along its edge, with views over the sea and Staffin Bay to the Torridon mountains. Allow three to four hours, and bring warm, waterproof clothing, as the weather can change quickly here.
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.
Along the slopes beneath the cliffs past the Prison and the Needle, then up onto the escarpment and back along its edge.
A circuit of 6.5 km that takes three to four hours, with a car park at the start that charges every day.
Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.
Add your review
The Quiraing is two kilometres wide and runs all the way from the escarpment down to the sea, covering 8.5 square kilometres. It is one part of a chain of old landslides along the whole Trotternish ridge.
The lower parts of the slide are as old as the last ice age or older, but the great upper blocks seem to have broken away within the last 15,000 years, long after the ice had gone.
The Table is a flat, grassy plateau hidden among the pinnacles. Local people have played shinty on it, and it is said to be big enough to hold 4,000 cattle.
Along the path you pass the Prison, a crag with three summits, and the Fir Bhreugach, the false men, which the Skye Ecomuseum lists among the other features of the route.
The swerving, slanting landscapes of Skye are at their most ravishing on the Quiraing, up in the north of Trotternish, where airy cliffs and rock-towers backdrop one of the most celebrated walks on the island.
Read moreThe dramatic landscape of the Quiraing is caused by a landslip that’s still moving towards the sea a few centimetres every year, causing regular cracks along the nearby road.
Read more
New places, news and stories, as we find them.
What is on on SkyeAt the northern end of the Trotternish ridge, above the road from Staffin to Uig.
The NeedleThe tallest pinnacle of the Quiraing in the north of Skye, a jagged tower of rock close to forty metres high.3 miles 6 min by road
Loch ShiantaA small loch near Staffin fed by Tobar Loch Shianta, once the most celebrated healing well on Skye.3 miles 5 min by road
The Hungry GullA family-run brunch café in Staffin's community hall, with local art on the walls and the Quiraing up the road.4 miles 5 min by road
An Corran BeachA small sandy beach below basalt cliffs at Staffin, with dinosaur prints in its rocks and a rock shelter lived in more than 8,000 years ago.4 miles 6 min by road
Loch LangaigA small loch by the A855 at Flodigarry, where a quiet path leaves the road for the Quiraing.4 miles 6 min by road
Kilt RockSea cliffs of dolerite columns like the pleats of a kilt, with Mealt Falls dropping to the sea beside them.6 miles 9 min by road
The Lookout BothyA coastguard watch room of 1928 on the cliffs above Rubha Hunish, now a free bothy looking out over the Minch.9 miles 14 min by roadPlaces to stay near the Quiraing, and when each is next free.
Monkstadt 1745
The Cowshed Boutique Bunkhouse
Half of One
Skeabost House HotelWe 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.
What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.
For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .
.jpg)
.jpg)