The Skye Trail - South to North.

I welcome you to Scotland and in particular to the Isle of Skye. I tried it about 10 months ago and failed miserably due to the weather. One side of me saying keep going and the other side saying no you just need to call it. This attempt it doesn't look much better for the weather. It's particularly windy, which could be a bad thing because I'm already being eaten alive by the Just grabbed a coffee straight out of the house stuffed in the car and a four and a half hour drive to Broadford which is actually the end point for the trail but in this case I'm using it as I'll start at the top and finish at the top depending on how it goes and how I feel. There's actually a couple of them basically opposite the shops just as you come into Broadford. So I parked up there and there's also toilets just along the road that are 50 pence so if you You need a rest before you leave, you can go along there. Food and snacks but you basically leave the parking lot head past the hotel Up a little bit on the road to the track yeah that's it through the gate and here we are heading in So we'll see how far we get today I'd like to try and get a fair bit done I'll just see how the body feels. That's the worst thing about it. Starting on a new trail or another backpacking trip is your body getting used to Carrying the backpack and all the gear but looking forward to it I think it's going to be fantastic I'm not so sure about the trot on this ridge. It's an absolute nightmare, which I did last time. I'll probably try it again or do it but it's really hard going. I think it's still used actually because I think that's what they're using to cut Rescue helicopter hope no one has had an accident yeah amazing job Absolutely amazing to name and the mountain rescue fantastic getting some cracking views I'm five miles in and I'd say the first half was a gradual climb up just enough to get a We're heading down towards the coastline. Absolutely lovely. Now the clouds do. Looking threatening but so far been dry and hopefully I'll stay that way you might actually see the Wow, the midges as soon as you stop they just come on with a vengeance absolutely horrible I'm looking Look forward to having a look over the top of this brow here and let's see what the view is like Well, that was worth the walk. Check out these old buildings. Wow, what a nice spot. Wow, there are buildings all over the place. Imagine living out here. As I've walked through those old buildings over there just behind is a like a stone slab looks Like a tombstone maybe do a little research and find out what it possibly is but just the The coastline here is just fantastic. This would be a good walk in from Broadford. A few hours for a wild camp. What an amazing spot. Interesting. Amazing. There's a little tour group on top of the hill behind you. They were watching me. Climb up the hillside and puff and pant to reach the top just coming off this rough section of track having been around the coastline and we're kind of joining a farmer's road here A bit of a gravel track look at the mountains oh wow walking south to north you got this Look in front of you all the way rather than behind you beautiful absolutely beautiful I've done about 14 and a half miles over probably about Four and a half hours so we're doing pretty well I'm hoping to try and get to Elgol we'll see how We get on one thing is with the tarmac it really does play havoc with your feet amazing views Now I've walked all the way around the coast here all the way around here and it's a lot of The tarmac is really heavy going on the feet but we're basically going to get around here now follow the road And up the hillside over there and up and round we'll see how close I can get to Elgol I think I've done about 16 miles so far today and yeah legs are starting to feel it especially When you're on the tarmac that pounding my calves are not yeah they're starting to grumble Okay, let's see how far we get. You should be getting a good view. of the mountain here as I'm walking up this gravel track the track actually starts from The parking lot for that one row a mountain so John Muir Trust parking and it's literally Just as you go over the cattle grid you take a left and then this winds its way up around the side of the hills here oh I'm feeling it I'm really struggling even to vlog It's been a long day but well worth it so many sights and yeah it's just been wonderful Even with the weather I had a little rain earlier but I'm all dried up all dried up and Yeah, as long as I don't get any more before tent time should be pretty good happy days I'm really glad I came across that stream it was shown on the map but it just took a little bit of I'm reaching for it and I've really let my water levels drop quite low to be honest I'm not drinking enough fluids. I'm actually starting to get a little. I'm gonna have a headache. That'll be the electrolytes dropping. You know, my salt levels and stuff. I'm gonna get one of them on the go in a little while. I'm really hoping to get close to somewhere to camp so I can just settle for the evening Get rehydrated and something to eat and just let the legs recover it could be a good handful I'm not sure my legs are gonna like that. I need to find a place for the tent as I was coming around the road I must have Passed the estate house and there's nothing but signs saying no camping beyond this point Yeah, whatever, and I actually passed an old cemetery as well. I'm quite partial to I was looking in an old cemetery. It was actually a Commonwealth war grave. One as well but they've got it chained up what a coastline and not just something else Oh my word I'm so glad I got the tent set up I was running out of time it's eight o'clock And I'm not far from Elgol to be honest I could have probably pushed on but I was worried I I couldn't find a camping spot and my legs are really sore absolutely starving as well so I just put on my dinner as always it's an expedition food thousand calories and it's a Thai green curry So I'm gonna have that chocolate I'm gonna have a few coffees and then I'm just gonna have plenty I'm worried about tomorrow. My legs are going to go into seizure completely and this tent is the Lanshan one with the t-zip Four season inner tent and I've spent a couple of days adding guy lines and tweaking it I'm going to see how it performs. Hopefully it'll do well. But it's gonna be a nightmare. I'm just talking about the weather. I'm keeping an eye on the weather. Clouds over here. It's quite a lot of dark clouds reaching about. Hopefully tonight will be okay. Now this patch seems okay. It's a little off the road. I hope I don't have any problems. Reference to where I'm camped might help others when you're doing the walk because coming through The last I would say the last five six miles there is nowhere really to camp and the farmers and the Landlords have signs everywhere telling you not to camp. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to. It would be nice to get to the hotel and camp there and have a nice meal burger or a steak pie or Yeah, let's see what happens. Let's see what happens with the weather tonight. Let's see. What's happening tomorrow? It's one in the morning. I was checking the weather forecast. And there was an alert sent out about nine or nine-thirty for heavy rain And it's supposed to last right through until nine o'clock and maybe beyond I didn't seem to seal the tent so there are some areas where the water's starting to I'll just have to see how it is in another eight hours. I set the alarm for half past five to get up early. Yeah, we'll just have to see later what the script is. Well, day two and it's seven o'clock. In the morning the rain last night was just absolutely biblical but the tent has performed There were some areas where water was getting in but nothing too drastic and it was more or less absorbed by this inner tent only a couple of areas and again that was purely because I didn't seem to seal the tent before the trip so that was my fault and considering the amount Yeah, the tent has done remarkably well so I think I'm gonna have to get my waterproofs. Today it's forecast to rain on and off and I just had some Barney chocolate for breakfast Not the best but yeah I'm not far from Elgol so get the tent packed up and back on the trail And let's see how far we get today. One thing I did notice was all the ferns. Yeah, they could be a pain in the summer because They'll obscure the trail and the trail is very very close to the edge. This is where You'll see people advocating for trail runners non-gore-tex trail runners but My feet are still dry and if I had worn non-gore-tex you know hiking trainers my feet would have been wet and cold from the moment I set off this morning so for me I don't get it I'll stick I'll be curious to see what the rest of the The route is more like walking along a riverbed absolutely swimming I'm about halfway to the Sligachan hotel and the ground has been terrible it's just flooded everywhere Yeah, really slow going. I thought I'd be at the hotel by now. And I just passed the group that was in front of me they just stopped at the lock bind here Have a little lunch or whatever. Yeah, I'm just taking a break. A couple of... Toffees a couple of sweets but the thought of a pint of lager keeps me going It's like that movie. What was that World War II movie where the guys are in the desert and they Go to the pub and have the beer. This is a long section and yes not to be underestimated. Especially if you're coming from Elgol. Oh, wow. Now, depending on the time and the weather. I might actually pitch this Sligachan because I don't really know where to camp after that Yeah, we'll play by ear, see how long it takes me to get there, but I'm finally done. There's a little speck of the hotel in the distance right over there. Just head down and get on with it. We'll be there in no time. I can't believe the bar's closed or the kind of hikers bar So no deer burger for me right get this tent all cozy for later I need to try and get washed up in the shower block and then I think I might actually head back over to the pub I just got back from the Sligachan hotel and I had a couple of beers and I actually got served and I They don't open the bar till six and the bar staff served me anyway. And the manager came through and he was going crazy. Oh dear, well, such is life. Lanshan one set up again and hopefully it's going to see me through tonight as well I can't believe the weather last night now the campsite's absolutely heaving I actually got My battery bank and phone are charging at the moment as well as to see me through the next few days And tomorrow I'll be basically heading right around there and towards Portree hopefully I'll Get to Portree by lunchtime and I'll have my lunch there and then we'll just play it by ear Hopefully the trail is going to be a little better than it was today but yeah wowsers I had my expedition food meal as well I can't even remember what it was I've had too many drinks I think it was the beef hot pot it was pretty good actually enjoyed it and I actually got a cake From the shop here as well so to be honest it's about eight o'clock yeah I'm going to be hitting I've got my alarm set for five o'clock and the weather forecast for tomorrow. It's raining again. Heavy rain. So I'm hoping to get up, pack up and get as far as I possibly can. I've got to deal with that yet and it just comes into view as You're walking along the road there you have another reason to do the south to north route Because you got views like that as you're walking along the road here Otherwise if you're doing it from the north it's all behind you yeah the more I do it this route I think it's actually a better way to do the trail to be honest Just taking a break for a second just as the heavens open I'm about halfway I think now It's a long walk to Portree. I'll just sit here and admire the view. The view is lovely but this road is never ending I am not a fan of long road walks It's really murder on the legs it really is but hopefully I'll be in Portree very Soon in fact you can see some people coming along the road another direction no doubt on the Coming from the north ready to go to fight Russia soon matter of fact what is it they are Talking about conscription or national service Yeah we'll see what comes of that Let's find some stores food maybe a pint or two maybe try and get a pint of lager And rest these tired legs for half an hour absolutely heaving now the last time I was I've got a good meal and the aisles in I've got a feeling though I won't get served I managed to grab a quick pint but one thing I have to be honest about is the tourists are getting Right on my tits you know it's just why when I was actually waiting for them to start serving food And you've got all these foreign tourists just barging in took all the seats so fuck it I'm I'm gonna find a co-op and get some sandwiches. Well, that's it. I just left Portree. And let's see if I can get to the store or near it the old manor store for a camping spot I have to be honest and say that Portree is just yeah I don't think I'll go back It's just too many tourists. It's absolutely incredible. Honestly, it's just wall to wall. tourists and this will explain why it's so busy ferrying people back and forth off the Well there you go a little deja vu back at this point I'm thinking of heading up I'm struggling up until the rangers building down there where the toilets are. I think that's at least 25 miles I've already done pooped well I just had my chicken With rice absolutely fantastic so you had to walk to Portree now there is a terrible lot of I was walking on that section of the road and my left Achilles tendon didn't like that at all. It's hurting right. So I took some ibuprofen to try and ease that off. Yeah, that pounding on the tarmac. And then when you come out of Portree and then you have that peninsula it's Just a bog festival and then you hit the road again as soon as I hit the road again yeah my ankle I just didn't like it so I'll come up here just a little bit up towards the store and I've found a I'm gonna put up the tent now. It was absolutely raining. Yeah. I was going to go further up and round I was going to go to where I camped the last time But with the weather and the time and my leg I decided to just pitch here so I'm going to see What's the forecast for the morning because I'll make a judgment call if I do the ridge or not The Trotternish ridge because I spoke to a few people who have been on it today and they said It's an absolute nightmare in the rain and it's an absolute bog festival going down to your shimming I'm going to see what the weather is like when I get up. make a call then whether I stay or do I go now I've done the ridge already in my other video So I would just be doing it purely to say I've done the whole trail in one go and as a filler For the video to be honest or maybe it's just a little bit of self-flagellation you tell me okay I'm going I'm going to get in the sleeping bag. It's really cold. I'm going to get rested. For tomorrow and let's see what happens with the weather we'll take it from there what a view for 5am in the morning I'm up bright-eyed bushy tailed ready to go I'm going to take a walk I'm going to go around towards the Trotternish ridge and just play it by ear feeling pretty good my legs are fine now Or my ankle feels okay. We'll see how it is once I've been around this section. But certainly had to come here and have a little look it's a bit of a thought heading up that First thing in the morning but the sooner I get over all the tops the better and there is a snack Van at the end where I might get a cheeseburger or a bacon and egg roll and some fizzy juice So that's my inspiration to get that done as quickly as possible. Get all the way over there. And something nice to eat about a third of the way through the ridge and as I'm walking along I'm always looking for a nice flat seat to sit on and I do know there are three more Beelacks you go down and up but yeah I think we're making good time I haven't looked at my Watch to see that's why just get it done rather than worrying about the time But again you can see how fast this is changing hence why if you are doing this particular route Or you're up in places like this you know have map compass and GPS because it just goes like this Within seconds and you add in rain or wind it can be really difficult to navigate and all the way along the edge here it's just sheer drops matter of fact even just some of the ups and downs Between the bee-lacks it's pretty steep so yeah please be prepared I think what makes it worse is if you've done it before you know what's coming but I think I'm about halfway now Just think of that bacon roll I had in my head that once you got to the trig point It was just off that and you're straight down more or less to the snack van or the burger van Yeah, how wrong was I? Oh, that's a sight for sore eyes. So I'm just having a little rest but when I look back over what I just came across I can't wait to go to bed tonight. There's a lock just around the corner and I pointed it out. In my last video of the sky trail and I said it might be a good spot for a tent That would have been fantastic for pitching the tent okay let's get up there but I actually did I bumped into a couple of guys going upstairs who said there was a hotel nearby which I do remember I think it's about 15 minutes away from where I plan to patch the tent staff were fantastic And I had a couple of sherberts which was probably not the best idea and I was hoping to have Something to eat but the menu well you know a starter was like 32 pounds and the main meal You know, like 50 pounds like new. I'll stick with my expedition food. Just a thought now it's about a half mile walk back to the tent now I was leaving that I was just getting some air out because it was soaking wet from yesterday morning. I thought I was setting everything up. Anyway, I'm wondering if my backpack is still gonna be there when I get back. That would just be a perfect peach that smells good actually but what a spot this is I just noticed this when I was walking over because it was pretty busy there were guys swimming But it's like a little alcoves that is usually used for keeping a boat possibly and I managed to get The pegs in as well so yeah got the tent there lovely view up to the mountain now tomorrow I was going to walk up to the phone booth and do the usual touch it yes I've walked The sky trail but I've been up there done it and literally as you go out the gate at the bottom Here as I was walking down the hotel actually you can see it there is a bus stop and it is the 57c And I'll take you straight to Portree and then once I get there I'll take the bus from Portree to I think the bus is coming at half past seven so I'll need to Be there at seven o'clock just to make sure I don't miss it because after that I don't think There's another one until lunchtime so that'll be interesting but there's also if you get to I'm sure there's one there at 10 o'clock so I don't know I'm gonna play it by ear Sit down and see what happens. But so far everything's been fine. The tents performed. I said I'd talk about the modifications I'd made if you wanted to see a more in-depth review and me discussing what I've actually done to it then let me know in the I'll probably put something together for you just going over everything but It's held up well considering the the weather I've had on this trip so yeah that's it I'm going Get in before the midges kill me. It's absolutely horrible and I have no intentions. Doing the one minute midge challenge so that's another night over one hell of a walk I'll talk to you tomorrow when I'm heading out to catch the bus back to Portree. Good morning. I was just having some scrambled eggs with cheese and caramelized onion. It was a meal I had left over. It was my spare one. I'm gonna have it for my breakfast before I head back for the bus. I slept well last night. It was a little windy. I didn't put the side. Guy lines out so the ends were kind of blowing in Yeah it's been good enjoyed the four days And yes, it's taken its toll on my body although my ankles really quite sore still And just general aches and pains but that's what happens when you push yourself and you're an old Cocksucker like me. Yeah, the vitamin IB helps a lot. The ibuprofen. During the course of these few days now I think it's about half past five six o'clock Yeah, it's almost 6:00. The bus will be down there at 7:30. Quickly have this food get the tent packed and then off to the bus and then we'll head back The wind is wild as soon as I come out of where that little lock is and I think I made The right choice with that alcoves and pitching in there although I wish I had used the side guy lines because it was buffeting about a little but the rain's on and off I wonder how the people They went up the trotterness ridge yesterday. I hope they're okay. I bumped into a guy who was up there who watches the channel so if you see this video please let me I know how it went down there. Oh, I think it would have been wild up there, to say the least. Looking out to the sea yeah nice but yeah looking wild and there are two buses stop here the 57A and 57C both say about half past seven eight we'll see which one comes first And if I just pan around back up the hill just the other side of the top there is where that I'm camped out and if I swing around this way down the road Just in the distance you might see some road signs literally look if it's 500 meters you'll See the sign for the hotel I was at yesterday for a couple of sherberts so not too far actually to Walk down from the lock to have a pint or two but the menu wild on prices if you really want to Splash out that's the place to go a couple of hours in the bus and I'm glad to be heading home It's been a great trip. If you enjoyed it, maybe you'll have a thumbs up. And if you want me to do another review of the tent and basically a overview of the kit I took Leave a comment below and I'll try to put one together but yeah let me know what you think And those of you who have done the sky trail from north to south do you think it would be better Doing it south to north let me know in the comments about that as well so that's it for This one and as always until next time people take care