QUIRAING

Story by Simon Howell : Photo credit Simon Howell

They say it rains a lot in Scotland but in the Isle of Skye, the saying goes, you can get all four seasons in one day. When there are mountains and marilyns to climb and prehistoric views to take in you can’t get put off by a bit of rain. We donned our waterproofs, put Lakota on our back and headed out to the edge of bleakness. Step by step, little by little we climbed the 1700ft elevation. Rain was drilling us from all sides, mud built up in the treads of our boots and we only had a slither of a path no more than a couple of feet wide to guide us.

As always, it was worth every step, the landscape suddenly opened up all around and showed us it’s might. The area is called, the Quiraing, and it is the only part of the Trotternish Ridge escarpment still moving. A formation born out of a series of landslips that pre-date civilization, sending us back to a time where only the elements dwelled. A magnificent scene perched on the edge of existence. The famous needle, the Old Man of Storr,  stands like a grandfather watching over his children, a caretaker to the unspoiled beauty in front of us. As the weather front creeped in, the mist began to lower itself from the mountain tops. Time to head home and dry up, looking forward to having a hot brew in the back of the camper.