To the end of Skye: A rainy day out at Neist Point Lighthouse

Neist Point Lighthouse, located on the westernmost point of the Isle of Skye, is one of the most famous places on the island, and I think everyone can agree that it’s a must-see. But without a car, it’s not an easy place to get to, and since the island is not full of tourists in the winter like it is during the summer, it wouldn’t be easy for us to hitchhike there either. Luckily, two friends of ours, Frankie and Steve and their two wonderful dogs also wanted to go there and invited us to join them on a roadtrip to the famous lighthouse!

We set off in the morning of a rainy Wednesday, hoping that the weather would clear up during the day. It didn’t. Still, Neist Point Lighthouse did not disappoint in a single way.

When we got there, the wind was strong and it was drizzling, but we had quite good visibility. It wasn’t anywhere near perfect conditions, but thankfully, the walk out to the lighthouse was short and easy along a concrete path.

Walking along the path gave us wonderful views of rugged shorelines and dramatic cliffs, but the view that everyone wants to see (you know that postcard-perfect view of the lighthouse at the end of the cliffs) is actually found off-path. Halfway to the lighthouse, Steve went off-path with the dogs, and we all followed along. An incredible view of the lighthouse at the edge of the cliffs came to our view.

We continued along the concrete path following the cliffside until we could see the lighthouse in all its glory. From afar, it looked really well-kept, but as we got closer, we began to spot signs of decay.

The lighthouse and the adjoining complex of keeper’s cottages were built in 1909. But while the lighthouse is still in operation, the keeper’s cottages have been abandoned for several years.

After the lighthouse became automated in 1990, the keepers were withdrawn and the keeper’s cottages were sold to a private owner who turned the cottages into a bed and breakfast. However, it’s unknown how long the bed and breakfast was in operation, but it’s obvious that it has been abandoned for several years.

Brandon and Steve spotted a smashed window and before we knew it, they were in there, urban exploring an abandoned bed and breakfast that we’d never even heard of before. Frankie and I soon followed, not wanting to miss such a unique opportunity.

Who would’ve thought we’d be doing urban exploring at the edge of Skye? But there we were, breaking into a former lighthouse keeper’s cottage through a smashed window. Dirty footsteps on the floor revealed that we weren’t the only ones with that idea.

The interior was eerie to say the least. Broken furniture was scattered about in every room with the occasional whole vase or wine glass laying about. It was easy to imagine the place in its glory days. Just imagine staying in a bed and breakfast at the edge of a cliff in Skye. I don’t think it can get much better than that. I feel sure that the place will be made up sometime in the future, either as a home for a very lucky family or as a bed and breakfast once again. But until then, the place is free for all curious souls to explore.

After we were done with our urban exploring, we crawled back out of the window and headed back to the car, meeting a few tourists on the way who soon gave up going to the lighthouse as the rain got more intense. But before leaving Neist Point behind, we wanted to see the most famous view of the lighthouse, found on a small hill a couple of hundred meters to the right of the car park. A better view is simply not to be found!

Following our visit, I went to Tripadvisor to see if other tourists had mentioned the unique opportunity to do urban exploring in the keeper’s cottages. Very few had, and instead, I noticed lots of reviews from tourists who were disappointed with the facilities – or lack thereof – at the lighthouse. What they don’t understand is the beauty of a place that hasn’t turned into Disneyland. I actually loved the fact that a basic toilet wasn’t to be found. Neist Point Lighthouse has not been negatively affected by the tourism that has become so crazy on Skye, even though it receives lots of visitors due to its popularity. That being said, I’m sure that our experience was a lot different than most as we went there on a rainy day in winter. The car park had lots of spaces available and there were almost no other tourists. It may have been a rainy day, but at least we got this popular place all to ourselves.