The Quiraing

About this place

The ground here is still moving. The Quiraing is not a mountain but an enormous landslip that has never quite finished, a slab of volcanic basalt sliding over softer sedimentary rock beneath it and still creeping today, enough that the road at its foot needs repeated repair. What it has left behind looks like the ruins of a giant's city: a rock spire called the Needle rising roughly 37 metres, a fortress-shaped mass known as the Prison, and above them the Table, a flat grassy plateau the size of a football pitch tucked inside the escarpment where you cannot see it from the road. The Victorian poet Alexander Smith called it a nightmare of nature; today it is one of the most photographed views in Scotland, especially at sunrise. The good news for families is that the famous shot needs no climbing. From the car park at the top of the hill road, walk five to ten minutes along the start of the main path and the whole composition opens up: the serrated cliff line, the Needle, the sea behind it to the east. That stretch suits children and grandparents alike, though a pushchair will give up after the first hundred metres of stones and mud. The full circuit is about 6.8 km and takes two to three hours, and it is rated hard: slippery grass, loose scree, and stretches that run very close to high unfenced drops. Do not attempt it in wind or mist, and not in ordinary trainers. From Portree the drive takes about 35 to 40 minutes via Staffin and then up the narrow single-track Uig to Staffin road, which is an experience in itself, with tight bends, huge views and the etiquette of pulling into passing places for oncoming cars. Parking at the summit costs GBP 3 for up to three hours, and GBP 5 to GBP 6 for six depending on which of the two council car parks on the pass you use, by card or the RingGo app, with charges applying 08:00 to 20:00. In July and August it is usually full by mid-morning, and parking on the peat verges is prohibited. There are no facilities at the top at all, no toilets, no cafe, no shelter; the nearest public toilets are down in Staffin. The public bus reaches Staffin only, and the climb from there to the car park is steep and pavement-free, so a car is the realistic option. If you are choosing between the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr, the rule is simple: Storr is closer to Portree, far busier, and demands a real climb before you get anywhere near its pinnacles, while the Quiraing gives you its best view within the first ten minutes. In winter it is dark before four in the afternoon and the hill road can close with snow or ice, but the site itself never shuts, and on a clear day between November and March you may well have it to yourself.