i’m off to skye with my beautiful girlfriend for a couple of days in september.

can anyone recommend:

1) a ‘goldilocks’ mountain bike ride; not too easy, not too hard.

2) a good fun scramble up a mountain.

3) a good cafe/pub to hide in/stay at if the weather turns a bit scottish…

ta!

🙂

1) Difficult to say as your “hard” may be different from mine. For a (very) short ride, try some of the wee tracks round the Quirang. Just drive up to the car park to save yourselves a bit of ascent. Short, but stunning. Otherwise, head down Glen Sligachan as far as the weather, the track conditions allow and just head back to the dry and warmth when you’ve had enough.

2) Pick a mountain, any mountain! I recommend the book “Skye Scrambles” by Noel Williams. All the routes are graded and the way-finding is very specific (“turn left at the 3rd red boulder” type of thing). If you don’t want to buy a copy, let me know and you can borrow mine for the price of postage). Bla Bheinn probably offers the best view of the Black Cuillin and is worth it for that alone.

3) The Sligachan is the “go to” destination but I prefer to be based in Portree. There are a few decent wee pubs and a decent Indian restaurant (Venison Korma anyone?)

And right next to the Sligichan Hotel is a cracking trio of peaks which involve a decent bit of ‘safe’ scrambling. I took two not very fit (athletically) female friends round them in eight hours. You can’t miss it – it’s the horseshoe right accross from the hotel…..

Sgur nan Gillian (sp?) is as good as any for a scramble, there are various routes of difficulty, but even the standard tourist route is worth doing. Or, drive to Glen Brittle campsite and walk into Coire Laggan (sp?) and do the Inn Pinn (requires an absail off). Frankly, they are almost all scrambles in the Cuillin.

If you want an off piste ‘cafe’ – try here http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/glenelg_broch.shtml, two brochs, ‘cafe’ is opposite upper/more ruined one. It was an old traditional wooden gypsy caravan with log burner run by hippies, *caution VERY BASIC, only tea/coffee and snack bars but the brochs are interesting we were there on a howling/pissing wet day – glorious.

For a scramble – here – http://www.lochalsh.co.uk/falls_of_glomach.shtml *narrow, high, slippy…

Make sure you goto and scramble about the http://www.walkingenglishman.com/scotland07.htm

Good day picnic spot – take cossie http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/skye/taliskerbay.shtml

I’ll second the suggestion of just heading down Glen Sligachan for the bike ride. The Quirang for riding is pretty tricky IIRC

The Sligachan Hotel is OK but a bit barn like. I really enjoyed the Stein Inn in Stein. Cosy, great beer and great food

Thanks everyone! – plenty to think about there…

i searched for some images of “glen sligachan bike” (or something), and found a lovely thread on a site called ‘singletrackworld’ – the trail looks ace.

Druidh – you’re very kind, thankyou. i’ll send you an e-mail with my address in it. i promise i will try not to drop your book in a bog / off a mountain / in the sea.

(we’re hoping to get in a bit of sea-kayaking too – it’s all very ambitious in terms of the weather, no doubt a second-hand hurricane will be blowing through…)

i’ll post some photo’s when we get back 🙂

Book and beer arrived – lovely!

The Slig route at the start is a test of rain bar hop technique….
There was a good article and ride guide from Skye in either a recent MBR of MBUK, Andy McKenna was in the feature. Had a good ride along the coast to the east of Loch Slapin,

1:50 sheet 32.

Strollamus to Torrin, Camus Malag, Suisnish, Boreraig, Blackpark…

Dont go round Idrigil Point as a circular.. its a long long walk.