Walking Around The Quiraing On The Isle of Skye

Has nature ever made you feel small?

There has to be some long German word about the joy of feeling small in nature. Because that’s exactly how I felt at the Quiraing on the Isle of Skye.

Coming from the Old Norse “Kví Rand,” meaning Round Fold, the Quiraing is a landslip that’s part of the Trotternish Ridge. It was our second stop on the Isle of Skye after Fairy Glen and definitely did not disappoint.

Arriving at the Quiraing

If you’re there on a sunny day or during high season, it will be extremely crowded. Drive down the road slowly and look for parking. Something should open up. If you can’t find parking in the main section, you can drive down the single track road and park in one of the smaller stopping spaces (as long as there is room for other cars to use). Be careful not to park in the peat—we saw one car park there and slowly sink into the ground.

Hiking the Quiraing

The entire hike will take about 2 hours. If you don’t like heights/cliffs/edges like me, you can walk about 10 minutes of the trail and then turn back when you hit the rock gorge you must cross to continue. I was laughing at how small children could easily hop across the gorge (it’s really not that bad for those who aren’t afraid of heights!) and as much as I tried to pluck up the courage, I couldn’t continue. I take comfort in the fact that my dad couldn’t make it as far as I could!

Instead, we turned back and sat in the grass soaking up the sun, getting sunburnt, and people watching while my brother hiked.

If you want detailed instructions for the full hike, follow this guide. After our mini-hike, we went in the opposite direction to get views of the pinnacles from afar. If the weather is iffy, be careful on the trails.

Beautiful views of the Quiraing