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Isle of Skye

Waterloo Beach

A shore of sand, rock and salt marsh on Broadford Bay, named for the Skye men who fought at Waterloo.

Welcome

Just east of Broadford, a short side road runs down to Waterloo, a line of white houses strung along the shore of Broadford Bay.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

In front of them the beach spreads out at low tide: rippled sand, rocks draped in seaweed, and a fringe of salt marsh that turns gold in autumn.

It is a quiet place, a few minutes from the shops and cafés of the village but facing away from the road, out over the water. The view takes in the low island of Pabay out in the bay, and back across the water to the rounded Red Hills above Broadford. Walk the tideline and look closely at the rocks underfoot: they were laid down on a Jurassic seabed, and shells and other fossils are held in them. On a calm evening, with the tide out and the light going, it is hard to believe the main road is so near.

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The Daily for 4 November, from Scotland with love. A pink sandstone castle bristling with conical turrets and a Union Jack flag rises above a gravel forecourt, autumn-tinged ivy climbing one wing beside cannon displayed on the lawn.
Before you go

Waterloo is a row of houses along the shore a few minutes east of Broadford.

The beach runs out in front of them: sand at low tide, seaweed-covered rocks and golden salt marsh.

Where
On the east side of Broadford Bay, down a short side road from the village.
The rocks
The foreshore is the type locality for its fossil-bearing rocks: look and photograph, but leave them as they are.

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Did you know

A row of whitewashed houses sits on a sandy shore beneath wooded hills under a heavy grey sky.
Did you know

Named for a battle.

Around 1,600 men from Skye are thought to have fought at Waterloo in 1815. So many veterans came to collect their pensions at Achadh a' Chùirn, near Broadford, that the township took the battle's name.

Weathered rocks lie scattered across a sandy beach beneath a range of hazy hills.
Did you know

Where the rocks got their names.

The shore from Broadford Bay to Ob Lusa is the type locality of the Breakish and Ardnish Formations: the place geologists use to define two layers of Lower Jurassic rock, around 200 million years old.

Seaweed-covered rocks lie on a sandy beach beneath distant hills and a cloudy sky.
Did you know

A dinosaur's shin.

The rocks around Broadford hold corals, shellfish and ammonites, and once gave up the shin bone of a meat-eating dinosaur. They formed under the sea, but close to a shore where dinosaurs roamed.

Waves roll onto a sandy beach edged with seaweed-covered rocks, hills fading into mist across the water.
Did you know

Pabay's ammonites.

Pabay is the best place to see the dark rock named after it, the Pabay Shale. Its ammonites have been matched with others found around the world to date these rocks in fine detail.

Waves break gently on a rocky, seaweed-strewn shore beneath a range of hazy hills.
Did you know

An internationally known sill.

Across the bay at Rubh' an Eireannaich, a sheet of igneous rock five metres thick turns from dark basalt at its edges to pale, granite-like rock in its middle. It is internationally known, and generations of geology students have come to see it.

Rocks and seaweed dot a sandy beach beneath distant hills fading into a grey sky.
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Where it is

On the east side of Broadford Bay, just outside Broadford.

Close byThe places nearest the beach, around Broadford.
  1. Gasta, BroadfordGasta, BroadfordSimple food made from local produce, in an old mill building in Broadford.Under a mile 3 min by road
  2. A toasted sandwich and salad by the stove at the Coffee Bothy, a slice of cake behind.The Coffee BothyCoffee in Broadford, looking over the bay to Applecross.1 mile 3 min by road
  3. The Selkie CollectiveThe Selkie CollectiveA shop in Broadford for sustainable living, run as a collective for Skye women.1 mile 4 min by road
  4. A pool table under low lamps in the Gabbro Bar, a ball about to be struck.The Gabbro BarA dog-friendly bar with live gigs in the Broadford Hotel, the home of Drambuie.2 miles 4 min by road
  5. The Misty Bottle ShopThe Misty Bottle ShopWhisky, gin and craft beer in the old post office at Breakish.2 miles 3 min by road
  6. Lean to CoffeeLean to CoffeeCoffee from a shipping container on a family croft at Ashaig.3 miles 4 min by road
  7. Torrin PoolsTorrin PoolsClear pools and small waterfalls on a burn above Loch Slapin.8 miles 13 min by road
Directions
A freestanding bath stands on a decked platform beside a red timber shed, potted plants and a wooden fence surrounding the garden.BroadfordPtarmigan CottageSleeps 2 · 0.4 miles
Rough grass and pools on the shore at Broadford, the bay and hills beyond.AttractionsBroadford1.2 miles
A walker on a path above a loch beneath a steep mountain on the Skye Trail.WalksSkye Trail with Thistle Trekking1.4 miles
Stone-walled cottage interior with wood-burning stove, leather sofa and kitchen tableAshaigLusa BothySleeps 2 · 3.6 miles
Bothan Beileag, Isle of SkyeHeastaBothan BeileagSleeps 2 · 3.7 miles
A timber shepherd's hut with a curved roof stands on a grassy slope, a bench and picnic table in front and hills rising behind.HeastaBothan BuidheagSleeps 2 · 3.7 miles
Stonechat Bothy, a timber-clad cabin with a grey corrugated roof, at the end of a grassy double track among birch, pine and rushes.DrumfearnStonechat BothySleeps 2 · 6.5 miles
Kinloch Lodge, Isle of SkyeSleatKinloch LodgePlace to stay · 6.5 miles
Skye Bridge arches over the strait, with a lighthouse beside its pierAttractionsSkye Bridge6.7 miles

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Stay nearby

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

A freestanding bath stands on a decked platform beside a red timber shed, potted plants and a wooden fence surrounding the garden.Ptarmigan Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Broadford
  • Under a mile from Waterloo
Free 21–25 NovStone-walled cottage interior with wood-burning stove, leather sofa and kitchen tableLusa Bothy
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Ashaig
  • 3 miles from Waterloo
Check datesBothan Beileag, Isle of SkyeBothan Beileag
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Heasta
  • 4 miles from Waterloo
Free 5–7 NovA timber shepherd's hut with a curved roof stands on a grassy slope, a bench and picnic table in front and hills rising behind.Bothan Buidheag
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Heasta
  • 4 miles from Waterloo
Free 5–7 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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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.

From the magazineWalks, Wildlife & Nature in SkyeCollectionWalks, Wildlife and Nature in SkyeCollectionScotland's Best Beaches
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