Camasunary – A Bay under Blà Bheinn with No Road to It
About 5.7 miles on foot.
Camasunary is a wide bay at the foot of Blà Bheinn, on the coast between Elgol and the Cuillin, with level grass behind a pebble shore and no road to it.
A stony track crosses the moor from the Elgol road at Kilmarie, rising to about 140 metres before it drops to the sea. The walk is 9.2 km there and back.
- Time
- About two and a half hours without stops: 9.2 km there and back on a gravel track that rises to about 140 m. A moorland walk to a remote bay.
- The path
- A gravel track over the moor, loose in places, rising to about 140 m.
- Where to start
- The Camasunary car park, a large lay-by on the B8083 at Kilmarie, 3.2 miles short of Elgol.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by noon to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by noon.
- Dogs
- On a lead near the deer and sheep.
- Children
- A long walk for small legs; the track itself is plain.
- Toilets
- None on the walk; Elgol has public toilets.
- Before you set out
- The bothy at the bay sleeps about fifteen and has no fire or stove. The coast beyond towards Loch Coruisk crosses the Bad Step and is not for an ordinary walker.
The walk
Park in the Camasunary car park, a large lay-by on the B8083 at Kilmarie, 3.2 miles short of Elgol. The road from Broadford is single-track and slow. The walk is 9.2 km there and back, about two and a half hours without stops, on a gravel track that's loose in places. It climbs over the moor to about 140 metres, then drops to the bay, which opens below you with Blà Bheinn above it, the Cuillin to the west and the sea to the south. This is the John Muir Trust's Strathaird estate.
The shore is pebbles, backed by a wide flat of grass. A bothy stands at the bay. It sleeps about fifteen and has no fire or stove, so it's a shelter and nothing more. Don't be drawn on round the coast towards Loch Coruisk: that way goes over the Bad Step and isn't for an ordinary walker. Red deer and sheep graze the moor, so keep dogs on a lead near them.
There are no toilets on the walk and nothing to buy. Elgol, at the end of the road, has public toilets. Bring food, water and waterproofs. From November to January, set off by noon.
If it rains
There's no shelter between the road and the bothy, and in low cloud the mountains that make the walk are hidden. Keep it for a day when the tops are clear.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Coruisk House in Elgol, 2 miles away. Sleeps 4.
For further reading, before you go.