Claigan Coral Beach is known as one of Skye’s most beautiful beaches. Despite its name, the beach is not actually made from coral, but from fossilised and sun-bleached Red Coralline algae. The Coralline comes from the tidal island of Lampay, where the Coralline grows 1 mm per year. The beach is located in the north of Skye by the small crofting community of Glen Claigan, about seven kilometers from Dunvegan, which houses one of Skye’s most famous historical sights.
It was our second-last week on Skye, when Brandon and I decided to spend a day going to Dunvegan and Coral Beach. I had worked late the day before and Brandon had a night out on the town, so we got up late and started hitchhiking past midday. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to get there in time as the trail to Coral Beach is located in a rather isolated area, but we were picked up after just a few minutes by a local man who took us all the way to Edinbane. A few cars passed us as we stood on the side of the road in Edinbane, but not long after, we were picked up again by a couple who took us to Dunvegan on their way home near Neist Point.
Skye’s most famous castle is located about 1,5 km north of Dunvegan, on the summit of a rock which projects on the eastern shore of Loch Dunvegan. The castle is the seat of the Chief of Clan MacLeod and the same family has been living there for over 800 years. It houses many notable family heirlooms such as the Fairy Flag, which is associated with fairies and magic.
Unfortunately, the castle was not open when we were there in late February, but we did find a great lookout to the castle about half an hour’s walk from the town.
From the lookout, it would be another 1,5 hour of walking to get to the starting point for the hike to Coral Beach, and I really didn’t think we’d be able to hitch a ride as there are only a few houses located at the end of the road in the tiny village of Glen Claigan. But quite a few cars passed by and after an hour or so of walking, we were picked up by a lovely English couple who were also heading to Coral Beach. For some reason, I didn’t think Coral Beach would be very popular in February, but we met quite a few other tourists there!
The weather was typically Skye that day. A few rays of sunshine, then heavy clouds with downpours, then a bit of hail before the sun emerged again. It was raining heavily when we arrived at the parking lot, but we decided to just get going while our new friends waited it out in the car. The weather was bound to change again soon as it always does on Skye.
The hike out to Coral Beach was easy with only a few short ascends and no tough climbs. Halfway through the 30-minute hike, the sun emerged from the clouds and revealed an incredibly beautiful landscape of tiny islands and rolling hills in the distance. The beach soon came to sight as we crossed over a small hill, revealing a beautiful scenery although not the coral-red colour that I was expecting due to its name and hype.
We didn’t stop at the first lookout as we wanted to explore the beach and the surrounding area as well. It didn’t take long until we got to the beach and five minutes later, we were perched atop the 28 meter high hill, Cnoc Mór a’ Ghrogain. The view from up there was amazing and much better than the first lookout.
We met the couple who’d taken us to the car park and they promised to pick us up again on the way back, which gave a nice sense of security. Now we were sure to make it back to Portree before dusk! Before returning to the car park, we decided to head down to the beach itself to have a look at the Coralline algae. It’s definitely an unusual beach, although I do think it’s rather overhyped, especially when compared to the outstanding beaches of the nearby Outer Hebrides. The thing is, Skye doesn’t have many beautiful beaches, so this probably is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, although that doesn’t say a lot. Come for the fantastic views instead!
We had really hoped to be able to explore the tidal island of Lampay, but the tide was too high when we got there. Exploring the island would’ve made a great addition to our little adventure, although I still think it was worthwhile going out to Coral Beach, even if I was a little disappointed. However, I wouldn’t include the beach on a tight itinerary for Skye, but if you do have a couple of months on the island like we did, it’s worth a visit.
The walk back to the car park didn’t take long and we only walked along the road for about ten minutes before being picked up by the couple who’d promised us a ride. They took us to Dunvegan where we went for a little stroll, before settling at The Dunvegan restaurant for a slice of cake and a cup of hot chocolate.
Getting back to Portree was incredibly easy. We stood on the road for less than five minutes before a friend of Brandon’s spotted us and offered us a ride all the way back to Portree. A perfect end to a great and successful day!
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