Loch Coruisk

We had travelled to Kintail in time for the weekend and we were due to be in Portree on the Sunday evening to start a week on the island exploring the Cuillin ridge. We decided to pack up the tents early and cross the bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh and visit the south west coast for a wlak along the coastline. The path from Elgol around the coast to Loch Coruisk is rated as one of the best coastal walks in the country and we thought it would provide an ideal introduction to the Cuillin itself.

It was a hot and sunny morning and as we travelled along the road to Elgol we were rewarded with some magnificent views of the Bla Bheinn ridge over Loch Slapin. We opted for the coastal path from the village of Elgol rather than the shorter - but less dramatic - path across the peninsula from Kilmarie. The path starts at the top of the hill that drops down to the small harbour and we parked in the car park half way down. The passenger ferry that runs to Loch Coruisk was preparing to depart from the pier in the small harbour. Had we appreciated the time it was going to take to cover the ground and how hot it was going to get through the day we would have taken the ferry to the head of the loch and walked out.

We started walking at 11:30 am along an easy path that stays high on steep ground and cliffs. The path drops to cross a small shingle filled bay before climbing again across the next shoulder. Some of the path was slow going over rocks and blocks and it took one and a half hours of hard walking to reach the wide bay at Camasunary. The views across the waters of Loch Scavaig to the southern ring of the Cuillin ridge were magnificent.

The bay at Camasunary is wide and hosts a bothy at the mouth of the river. We crossed to the opposite bank easily - the dry weather ensured the flow was not high - and stopped for bite of lunch before continuing. The path around the next headland was rougher and the heat was starting to take effect. We were on a tight schedule as we could not be too late in getting back to Portree. We picked our way around the headland into rougher terrain with path traversing steep slabs abov the water. The breeze had dropped to nothing and the sea was an absolute mill-pond. By now you are close to the southern end of the Cuillin ridge and the panorama across the water was stunning. By walking in this direction you are rewarded by the views - just walking out does not give the same effect as the Cuillin is then behind you.

We stopped on the rocks just short of the famous Bad Step and considered what we should do. It was now 14:40 pm and it was going to take just as long to return to the car as it had to walk out - possibly longer as we were tired and the sun was hotter than ever. Even though we were close to the entrance to Loch Coruisk it was clearly going to take at least an hour to get there and back. We did not know details of the ferries so could not risk being marooned round at the jetty and have to walk out again. Below us we saw two sea otters swimming next to the shoreline. We decided that we had had enough - we did not want to be completely knackered for the coming week - so we turned back.

It was a long walk back along the coastline. To the south west the islands were just grey outlines in the haze of the hot afternoon. As we crossed the river to the bothy at Camasunary we stopped for a quick dip before the long haul along the cliffs to Elgol. It was nearly 6:00 pm when we got back to the car, we phoned the B & B in Portree to say we would be a little late and then drove north. We called in at Sligachan Hotel for a swift drink - the bar was very busy and the heat was affecting the equipment, there was no ice and the soft drinks were not working. It had been a good walk - an excellant introduction to the Cuillin - we all hoped that the temperature would not be so high in the coming days as it would make mountain climbing a very difficult exercise indeed.