Dan's Adventure

Neist Point is the most westerly point on Skye, giving excellent views of Moonen Bay, the cliffs of Hoe Rape, and across the Minch to Lewis and Harris.

A short walk from the end of the road, down the steep steps, leads to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is now privately owned and signs seemed to indicate that the buildings around it had at one time been open as a bed and breakfast. It did not however look like the lighthouse has been inhabited for quite some time. The rest of the point is part of the common grazing of Waterstein, so sheep can be found wandering around, often in precarious positions at the edges of the cliffs.

The point is regarded as the best place on Skye to see whales, and dolphins. The chance of spotting whales was what drew us to visit Neist Point but upon arrival it was another sight which caught our attention. Between the lighthouse and the point were literally hundreds of cairns. Cairns are usually used as a memorial or to aid navigation on mountains, but the majority of the cairns at Neist Point appeared to have been constructed for fun. The cairns were in all manner of shapes spreading all the way from the lighthouse to the sea. It was obvious that over time visitors have added to the cairns so I did my part and added rocks to a few.

Although we didn’t spot any whales or dolphins, it was nice to visit Neist Point as it is unusual for a lighthouse to be quite so accessible. It is a shame that accommodation is no longer available there, I’ve always fancied staying in a light house since watching Round the Twist as a child.

View more photos from my trip to Northern Skye.