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Isle of Skye Image © Robert Gladstone Also known as: Eilean a' Cheò Eilean Sgiathannach See individual sites for details Added by TMA Ed News (10) Images (5) Folklore (2) Miscellaneous (2) 1 discussion topic Start a topic Show  |  Hide Web searches for Isle of Skye Flickr Google Google Images Stone Pages Wikipedia

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News

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60 million-year-old meteorite impact found on Skye Geologists have found evidence of a 60 million-year-old meteorite impact on the Isle of Skye. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-42351959 Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 14th December 2017ce

The Atlas of Hillforts of Britain and Ireland https://hillforts.arch.ox.ac.uk/ I have spent some time examining this database, which was released into the public domain in June 2017, most particularly with respect with the area I am most familiar with: The Isle of Skye... continues... Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by LesHamilton 6th July 2017ce Edited 6th July 2017ce

Mesolithic hazel nut shells found http://archaeology... continues... Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by tjj 25th October 2015ce Edited 25th October 2015ce

Skye Cave Find Western Europe's 'earliest string instrument' http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17537147 Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 29th March 2012ce

Burial site find delays new Skye medical centre http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-14509160 Comments (1)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by strathspey 12th August 2011ce Edited 14th August 2011ce

Prehistoric cave on Skye "Still occupied" A cave thought to have been occupied by people as early as 3BC was still being lived in this year, it has emerged. A new hearth for a fire and stacks of wood cut for kindling were found in the L-shaped fissure at Leitir Fura, Kinloch, on Skye... continues... Comments (3)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by thesweetcheat 24th August 2010ce Edited 24th August 2010ce

Seventh Grave Discovered At Skye Bronze Age Site The latest find is thought to be even older than the six burials previously found. First published 23/12/09. More on: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1536528 Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by drewbhoy 23rd December 2009ce

Tide turns on Iron Age midden treasure trove AN ANCIENT rubbish tip – inhabited nearly 2,000 years ago – is disappearing into the sea, archeologists have warned. The Iron Age midden on Skye's west coast has so far yielded bone fragments, stone tools, a button manufactured from horn and the top of a human skull... continues... Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by moss 11th December 2009ce Edited 11th December 2009ce

Prehistoric burial ground found on Skye http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/1467854?UserKey= Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by fitzcoraldo 4th November 2009ce

Rare Iron Age Burial Found on Skye Archaeologists believe they have uncovered the first Iron Age burial on the Isle of Skye. The skeleton from about the 1st millennium BC is thought to be that of a young female. It was found recently in an open stone-lined grave as the archaeologists worked to re-open the blocked entrance to the High Pasture Cave... continues... Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Rhiannon 8th September 2005ce Edited 8th September 2005ce

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Folklore

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I heard some folklore today, unprompted, and I hope the person who told it won't mind me retelling it here. He said that when his father was young (this might be about 60 or more years ago) he lived on Skye for a while, and he'd gone on a long walk over the Cuilleans, accompanying a local man. It took them five hours to get across the mountains and his father then assumed they'd walk the flat way back, along the road. But he was very surprised when his guide said 'well goodbye then' and made to set off the way they'd come. It transpired that the short route home went past a green mound (where, my narrator said, there were, as we would say, fairies, but it was a bronze age burial mound) - and the guide was under no circumstances about to walk past it now that the dusk was falling. He would rather take the five hours back over the mountains in the dark. Which, according to the tale, he did. Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by Rhiannon 18th November 2010ce Edited 18th November 2010ce

The pattern of distribution of monuments near the Red Cuchuillin mountains is very striking, when viewed on the map, for their locations draw a curve around the southern and eastern sides, the monuments roughly equally spaced and delineating the edge of the mountains perfectly. The Red Cuchuillins, then, seem to be of central significant in the positioning of these sites. They are the easternmost part of the Cuchuillin range, the creation of which is described in folklore thus: "When all the world was new, there was a great heather-clad plain between Loch Bracadale on the west and the Red Hills on the east. It was a dark and lonely place and the Cailleach Bhur (= Hag of the Ridges, i.e. Winter), whose home was on Ben Wyvis, often lived there when she came west to boil up her linen in her washing pot, dangerous Corryvreckan. She was a very powerful and fearsome person who had made Scotland by dropping into the sea a creel of peat and rock which she brought with her from the north. When her clothes had boiled well, she would spread them to bleach on Storr, and while she was in Skye no good weather was to be got at all. Now spring hated her because she held the maiden he loved prisoner (until the girl should wash a brown fleece white) and he fought with her, but she was strong, stronger than anyone else within the four boundaries of the earth, and he could do nothing. He appealed to the Sun to help him and the Sun flung his spear at Cailleach Bhur as she walked on the moor; it was so fiery and hot it scorched the very earth, and where it struck, a blister, six miles long and six miles wide, grew and grew until it burst and flung forth the Cuchuillins as a glowing, molten mass. For many, many months they glowed and smoked, and the Cailleach Bhur fled away and hid beneath the roots of a holly and dared not return. Even now, her snow is useless against the fire hills. - Otta F. Swire, Skye: The Island and its Legends, 1961, pp. 20-1. (for more on the Cailleach Bhur in Skye see also Rudha nan Clach) The Cuchuillins are also noted, in mythology, for the "school for heroes" run by Skiach, "goddess or mortal no one knows which, but undoubtedly a great warrior. Some say she took her name from a Gaelic name for Skye, others that Skye took its name from her" (see Swire pp. 21-3). The Irish hero Cuchuillin, for whom these mountains are named, heard of Skiach and her school, and with three strides travelled from Ulster to her school. After defeating every one of her students, Skiach finally allowed him to fight with her daughter, whom he also vanquished, after two days. Furious, Skiach descended from her heights to fight Cuchuillin herself. After two days of fighting "on the mountains and on the moors and in the sea" the combat was exactly equally matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand. At this stage Skiach's daughter offers both her mother and Cuchuillin a meal of deer stuffed with roast hazelnuts. Each thinking that "the hazels of knowledge" would teach them how to overcome their opponent, the two of them sit down to eat. From the hazels they learn that they are exactly matched, and that neither will ever win over the other. They therefore make peace, and swear that each will answer the other's call, "though the sky fall and crush us". Skiach named the mountains where they had fought in Cuchuillin's honour. Swire (Ibid., p. 23) records one further curious piece of folklore with regard to the Cuchuillins: "In the Cuchuillins, too, though exactly where must not be said, is a cave of gold. Unlike all other treasure caves, there are no barriers here between men and untold wealth. No magic word is required. No fearful monster guards the entrance. He who finds the cave may take as much gold as he needs and return as often as he desires more, but each time he enters the cave, and each time he uses the gold, he will become a little more evil and a little more evil, until he loses his soul. That is the price." Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by TomBo 30th June 2004ce Edited 22nd March 2011ce

Miscellaneous

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"Many people believe that it is from her wings* and her Gaelic name, Eilean Sgiathanach (Winged Isle), that the name Skye comes. Ptolemy of Alexandria (A.D. 200) refers to the island as Sketis, while the ancient Celtic name 'Skeitos' has become Sgiath in modern Gaelic. Adamnan knew it as Scia. This 'wing derivation certainly sounds very probable, more probable than the other version which claims that 'Skye' is Scandinavian, derived from a norse word Ski (cloud). This school of thought takes its stand on the fact that cloud or mist is what would first and most forcibly attract the notice of any stranger visiting the isle**, whereas to notice the 'wings' requires a map. Obviously this school has never tried (as the early Scandinavian settlers most certainly did) to sail around the despised wings. Of course, many place-names in Skye undoubtedly are Scandinavian, but they date from a later time than Ptolemy - four or five centuries later. A third suggestion, once seriously put forward by certain Celtic antiquaries, was that in Skye stood the temple, known to Greek fable, of Apollo among the Hyperboreans, and that the Gaelic name of the island refers to the wings of the Greek god! The name may, in fact, belong to some old forgotten pre-Celtic tongue." - Otta F. Swire, Skye: The Island and its Legends, 1961, pp. 72-3. * The "wings" are Skye's various promontories, for example Trotternish, Waternish and Duirnish. ** Skye is also known as Eilean a' Cheò, meaning "The Misty Isle". Comments (1)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by TomBo 1st July 2004ce Edited 1st July 2004ce

"Strath appears to have been a great religious centre ever since prehistoric times. The remains of several stone circles are still to be seen there, in close juxtaposition to a number of ancient churches now in ruins. It seems generally agreed that before St. Columba brought Christianity to Skye the pagan religion of the island was that mysterious cult which has come to us only in the form of stone circles (believed to have been places of worship), monoliths (which in Skye seem to have been frequently connected with graves or burial mounds), and sacred wells and woods, the latter usually hazel groves. St. Columba never attempted to destroy the sacred places of paganism nor the firm belief in the virtues of certain harmless practices he found: instead he blessed them and gave them Christian symbolism, as in the story of St. Turog and the wells at Flodigarry. This is very clearly illustrated in Strath, where five old churches or chapels, now in ruins, stand each beside or near a stone circle, and the graveyards all contain some prehistoric stones as well as having tradition that they were first pagan burial-grounds and later Christian." - Otta F. Swire, Skye: The Island and its Legends, 1961, pp. 217-8. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by TomBo 30th June 2004ce Edited 22nd March 2011ce

Dun Borve (Broch) — Fieldnotes

Visited: September 23, 2018 Dun Borve, situated at an altitude of 180 metres on the hillside just east of the village of Borve, was probably the final outstanding broch I had yet to visit on the Isle of Skye. All too often it had been bypassed en route to other sites to the north and west of the island. But it proved somewhat trickier than I had anticipated. There was no problem parking at the farm as advocated by Gladman (blue marker), but where was that stile? The hillside now seems to be isolated by high fences and padlocked gates, with 'Danger do not enter' signs attached. So I walked down the road west into the community of Borve, a few metres past the first two houses, to find the moorland just two grassy fields distant: and there were convenient gates for access (white markers on the map above). Entering the first field from the road, head diagonally left almost to its far corner, where an open gate leads to the second field. Then head diagonally right to its far corner where another gate leads out to the hillside. Thereafter it is just a 400 metre walk to the broch. Time taken, about 15 minutes. Although Dun Borve is an almost featureless pile of long displaced stones at close quarters, it is well worth venturing up the hillside from where it offers its most striking profile. Down at the broch, the only major structure is a row of a few large outer foundation blocks on the southwest. As stated below, the exercise is well worth the effort for the views the broch offers. By the way, if you are using an up-to-date map of Skye, the A856 is no more. Both the former A856, and the section of the A850 from Portree to Borve, were reclassified as the A87 when the Skye Bridge opened in 1995. Comments (2)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by LesHamilton 29th September 2018ce Edited 30th September 2018ce

Dun Borve (Broch) — Images (click to view fullsize)

Posted by LesHamilton 29th September 2018ce

Dun Kearstach (Stone Fort / Dun) — Fieldnotes

It is said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder... an oft-quoted axiom implying, I guess, that just about everything can be 'beautiful' to someone, somewhere, at some time or another. Depends upon your point of view... whether the sleek form of a fast car floats your boat (incidentally I'm with Pete Shelley here), that packed beach upon the Costa del Sol, or even the tribalistic shenanigans inherent in watching people kicking/carrying/whacking a ball around a field. To be honest I find the ideal of beauty much harder to pin down, to define. A nebulous, intangible concept seemingly spontaneously occurring during perceived moments of heightened awareness; of emotional fulfilment, perhaps? Those occasions when the senses appear to align, attaining optimal equilibrium. Or something like that. Arguably it is better not to attempt to define, but simply to experience? Suffice to say I know beauty when I happen to chance across it. My beauty. A case in point, perhaps, is to witness dawn beside the chambered cairn at An Sithean, the monument presenting a breath-taking aesthetic vision harmonising with the elegantly sweeping profile of Beinn na Caillich towering above and beyond, the cloudless sky emphatically refuting Skye's 'Misty Isle' epithet. It is, in the absence of any more appropriate adjective, simply spellbinding. Yeah, a 'treasure so rare that even devils might care', to quote a certain Mr Ferry from '73. The moment can't last, of course, a passing bus highlighting the obvious dilemma intrinsic to current public transport solutions by emitting an all-consuming cloud of noxious diesel fumes choking both myself and the otherwise alacritous neighbourhood sheep. Yeah, clearly there is no simple answer to the conservational issues raised through simply 'getting around'. The landscape is overwhelming in its sheer, naked grandeur as I approach Loch Slapin, passing beyond the reedy waters of Loch Cill Chriosd and nearby churchyard-cum-stone circle, the jagged skyline of Bla Bheinn and its gabbro cohorts rising majestically to the west presenting perhaps every child's vision of what a mountain should look like. Well, it certainly appeals to the child within me, illustrating the unequivocal truth that reality can be every bit as intense as fantasy. No need to indulge in fairy tales when travelling upon Skye, methinks. But I digress... So... a little before Torrin a very rough single track road exits left to access the foreshore at Camas Malag, the environs popular with 'overnighters' possessing a, shall we say, more communal ethic than I? From the bay a track heads southward, hugging the coast toward the abandoned hamlet of Suisnish, presumably still standing mute testimony to the appalling enforced clearances of yore. It is a fine walk, worthwhile in its own right and, perhaps not surprisingly, reminiscent of another, some way to the west, accessing Rubh an Dunain from Glen Brittle. The route, otherwise defined by a pregnant silence highlighting the absence of those locals who once called this coastline 'home', is enlivened by several streams cascading into Loch Slapin upon abruptly running out of hillside, although it is the vistas across the loch which naturally hold the beguiled traveller's attention. Eventually the track swings to the left approaching light woodland and the bridge across the Allt Poll a'Bhainne; here, after refilling the water bottle, Dun Kearstach can be discerned upon a prominent moorland rise to the east, within Glen Boreraig. As Les notes, there is no path..... For me, Dun Kearstach is a magical place, a miniature 'Lost World' plateau arguably too diminutive to support even one of Conan Doyle's giant sauropoda. Exquisitely positioned, the coastal scenery, gazing across to Sgurr Alasdair, sentinel peak of the legendary Black Cuillin, is of the highest calibre... certainly when viewed under today's exceptional weather conditions. The location is highly defensible, too, the flanks of the little knoll falling sharply to the floor of the glen and thus accentuating the limited strength of the single drystone wall enclosing the summit. OK, not an awful lot of masonry courses remain in situ but, with clear evidence of an entrance to the west (facing the approach of least resistance), it represents more than enough archaeology to emphasise the point that the previous incumbents knew exactly what they were doing. And let's face it, what with the Allt a' Ghairuillt flowing immediately below to the north fresh water wasn't exactly going to be a problem, was it? All in all this must have been a pretty epic place to live. As I lie back and take it all in... it becomes increasingly apparent that here, reclining recumbent upon this little grassy plateau overlooking Loch Slapin in the sunshine, I have (albeit with Les's help) chanced upon another obscure moment of sheer natural beauty upon this special island. Ultravox's 'Lament' - the video incidentally filmed around these parts - worms its way into my consciousness and it occurs to me that it is the perceived sense of melancholia, suggested, perhaps, by remnants of times past permanently set in stone within the landscape (whether funerary cairn, defensive enclosure or deserted clearance village) interacting with the haunting aesthetic of the wild mountains... that accords Skye its enigmatic, ethereal status. The human element. All the triumphs, all the tragedies, all the humdrum moments of everyday life. Curiosity overtakes me and I clamber up the hillside to the east and I'm reminded of the lower settlement upon Foel Offrwm in far off Gwynedd. But, to be honest, Dun Kearstach is unique. I am reluctant to leave and break the spell, only eventually doing so in order to visit the two further duns guarding the northern aspect of the loch. As it transpires this is easier said than done - both the leaving and the subsequent visits, particularly that to the larger of the two fortified enclosures, Dun Mor - but there you are. Comments (0)  |  Add a comment  |  Permalink

Posted by GLADMAN 18th August 2018ce Edited 21st August 2018ce

Dun Mor (Stone Fort / Dun) — Images

Posted by GLADMAN 23rd June 2018ce

Clach Oscar (Standing Stone / Menhir) — Images

Posted by GLADMAN 19th June 2018ce

Loch Leum Na Luirginn (Stone Fort / Dun) — Images

Posted by GLADMAN 19th June 2018ce

Dun Beag (Loch Slapin) (Stone Fort / Dun) — Images

Posted by GLADMAN 18th June 2018ce