The Northern Loop is hands-down the most popular route for tourists on the Isle of Skye. Most go there to see the famous sights such as the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing and the Fairy Glen. And while those are places you definitely shouldn’t miss, the Northern Loop is so much more than just those few places that tourists flock to.
On an unusually sunny Friday in early February, Brandon and I went on a roadtrip with our friend Ailsa, her dad Roddy and their dog Basil. We, like every other tourist on the island, chose to drive the Northern Loop. But we weren’t going to the Storr or the Quiraing, instead, we were going to Lealt Falls and Brother’s Point, two incredibly beautiful places that often get overlooked by day trippers or even tourists that come to Skye for a while. Why? It’s not because these places don’t deserve visitors as they are just as beautiful (if not more) than the famous places. It’s simply because people rarely hear about them. Because most of the travel guides to Skye found online are written by people who were on the island for a few days. But we wanted to see them, and I can tell you, we were not disappointed!
Lealt Falls
Driving along the A855, we almost missed the small parking lot for Lealt Falls. Luckily, Ailsa knew where she was going, otherwise I’m sure we would’ve gone straight past it. A short walk along a well-trodden path revealed an incredible landscape with a waterfall falling 90 meters into the depth of a gorge.
Further along the path, we came to a second viewing platform with a wonderful view over the sea cliffs as well as some ruins revealing that this gorgeous place was once inhabited.
Brother’s Point
A kilometer further along the road, we stopped in the tiny village of Culnacnoc, where we found the path to Brother’s Point. There are no signposts along the road, but finding the path was easy as it’s the only path leading down to the ocean.
The hike to Brother’s Point is only about 1,5 km long, but it can easily take 45 minutes each way as there are so many amazing photo opportunities along the way. You don’t want to rush through this area! We saw seals fighting their way into shore against the crashing waves, and enjoyed the rare clear view of the mountains of the Scottish mainland in the backdrop. As we walked on, the famous Kilt Rock started to appear in the distance and soon after, we spotted the equally famous Mealt Waterfall.
The hike was easy apart from one river crossing. Roddy was the only sensible one wearing wellies, so he carried the rest of us on his back, one by one, getting us over to the other side with dry feet. Well, apart from Basil, who ran straight through it and got himself soaked! The closer we got to Brother’s Point, the more muddy the path got, however, it was worth hiking all the way up to it. Brother’s Point is picture-perfect and I honestly can’t believe that tourists aren’t flocking there to see it.
Ailsa, Brandon and I continued along the muddy path over the characteristic hill, while Roddy and Basil stayed behind. The short climb was worth every effort as it revealed more incredible views. The pinnacles of the Storr appeared behind us, reminding Brandon and I that we had to find a hiding spot for the painted stone that we’d found at the Storr a few weeks back.
Kilt Rock and Mealt Waterfall
To end the day, we decided to drive to the viewpoint for Kilt Rock and Mealt Waterfall as Roddy hadn’t seen it before. I like this place, but it’s very accessible as you can literally park the car right beside the viewpoint so there are always other tourists.
Brandon and I had been there once before on a rainy day, so it was great to see it in sunny weather with great visibility to the Scottish mainland. To the right of the waterfall, we looked back and spotted Brother’s Point in the distance, my new favourite place on Skye.
I feel sure that Lealt Falls and Brother’s Point will become more and more popular as they’re just too beautiful for tourists to keep ignoring them. Especially with the recent find of dinosaur footprints on the beach at Brother’s Point, it’s sure to become much more crowded in the future. So do yourself a favour, go there asap and give yourself that magical feeling of being alone in a place so beautiful.
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