Rubha Hunish – The Lookout at the Northern Tip of Skye
Rubha Hunish is the northern tip of Skye, a low green headland under a wall of basalt cliffs.
On the cliff top above it stands the Lookout, a former coastguard watch station that is now an open bothy, its bay window facing the Minch and the hills of Harris and Lewis. The walk to the Lookout and back is about 6 km. The full round, down on to the headland itself, is 8.5 km and includes a scramble.
- Time
- About two hours for the 6.2 km to the Lookout and back; three to five hours for the full 8.5 km round over the headland, with 340 m of climbing and a scramble down through the cliffs. A moorland and cliff-top walk.
- The path
- A made moorland path, boggy in places, with a steep, rough climb to the hut; a rocky scramble down to the headland.
- Where to start
- The small free car park on the Shulista road, off the A855 near Kilmaluag, above the phone box and beside the cattle grid: about eight cars.
- When to go
- All year in daylight, and not in a gale. From November to January set off by 1pm for the Lookout, or by 10.30am for the full round.
- Dogs
- On a lead: sheep on the moor and unfenced cliffs.
- Children
- A steep cliff lies in front of the Lookout; the scramble to the headland is not for young children.
- Toilets
- None at either end of the walk.
- Before you set out
- The Lookout is an open bothy that sleeps three, with no stove and no drinking water. A steep cliff lies right in front of it. The way down to the headland is a rocky scramble.
The walk
Park in the small car park on the Shulista road, just off the A855 near Kilmaluag, above the phone box and beside the cattle grid. It's free and holds about eight cars. If it's full, don't block the road or a croft gate: come back later. Walkhighlands gives the walk to the Lookout and back as 6.2 km and about two hours, and the full round over the headland as 8.5 km with 340 metres of climbing, three to five hours. A made path crosses the moor above the escarpment, boggy in places, and ends with a steep, rough pull up Meall Tuath to the hut. The Lookout was built in 1928 as a coastguard watch room.
It has been a bothy since the 1970s, and the Mountain Bothies Association now looks after it for Kilmuir Estate. Step in, sit at the bay window and watch the Minch for whales, dolphins and seabirds. It sleeps three, with no stove and no water, so it's a place to shelter and look out, not one to rely on. A steep cliff drops away right in front of the hut. Keep children close and dogs on a lead, on the cliff top and among the sheep on the way. The way down to the headland is a rocky staircase through the cliffs, more scramble than path.
Leave it out in wind, rain or poor light, or if heights trouble you. On a windy day stay well back from every edge, or keep the whole walk for calmer weather. There are no toilets, no water and nothing to buy at either end, so bring food and a flask. From November to January set off by 1pm for the Lookout alone, and by 10.30am for the full round.
If it rains
The Lookout is the only shelter, and the moor path is wet enough without rain. In wind or low cloud the cliff top is no place to be: keep it for a clear, calm day.
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 Monkstadt 1745 in Linicro, 5 miles away.
For further reading, before you go.