On the Trotternish Peninsula in the north of Skye lies the spectacular Kilt Rock (Creag an Fheilidh in Gaelic), a 90-metre-high wall of multi-coloured hexagonal columns of basalt rock and dolerite sills resembling the pleats of a tartan kilt. It is one of the most spectacular views on Skye and the site gets very busy in the summer months.
Location
From Portree take A855 towards Staffin. After the village of Valtos, you will see the signs for Kilt Rock (circa 15 miles from Portree and two from Staffin if coming from the north of the Island).
The 57 Stagecoach bus stops on main road to the north of the site just outside the Dinosaur Museum. Kilt Rock viewpoint is about a five-minute walk from there.
Parking & Facilities
There is a large, car park on the site with ample spaces. The charge for parking is £6 for the day for cars. Parking tickets are accessed by a coin or card-operated machines on the site.
The car park and viewing areas are suitable for wheelchairs. There are no toilet facilities at the site.
Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls
Before the coming of advanced route-finding equipment, the iconic cliffs, with their unmistakable appearance, were once used as a navigational aid for sailors.
Visitors to the site are protected by a barrier between the steep cliff’s edge and a semi-circular concrete platform adjacent to the car park.
In the foreground is the spectacular Mealt Falls. Fed by the fresh waters of Loch Mealt near Ellishadder, the falls plunge onto rocky coastline and the Sound of Raasay over 60 metres below.
Look south towards the cliffs of Rubha nam Brahairean, where some of the Island’s most important mid-Jurassic fossils have been found.