Boreraig

Visited May 26, 2013

With the exception of the magnificent Na Clachan Bhreige, stone circles on the Isle of Skye don’t reveal themselves at all easily. This one, at Boreraig, requires an initial three mile walk-in over an admittedly good path, starting from Kilchrist Churchyard on the Broadford-Torrin road. Boreraig was once a thriving community, but was destroyed during the Clearances: only the roofless ruins of homesteads remain.

Looking uphill from the shore at Boreraig, a number of stone dykes can be seen dropping down towards the coast, a standing stone prominent in the foreground. Boreraig Stone Circle lies less than 100 metres uphill from this stone, between the two farthest east (i.e. right hand) dykes, and slightly nearer the left hand one.

But you may well have a lengthy search to locate it because the circle is well hidden. None of the stones remains standing and several are completely concealed under thick coatings of moss and lichen. Indeed, it was only by persistent prodding with a walking pole that I realised that some of what appeared to be mossy mounds were, in fact, large prostrate stones.

Boreraig is an eerie place with ruined buildings scattered across the hillside. It is highly atmospheric, and well worth the effort of a visit for the coastal scenery and the nearby Promontory Fort of Dun Boreraig.