Talisker Bay Beach- Isle of Skye

A nice easy walk to Talisker Bay Beach on the Isle of Skye

On Location: 17th April 2024

Parking: The is limited parking at the end of the single tracked road. But be warned, this place can be busy and parking can be difficult during high season. Please park responsibly. What 3 Words location ///selection.booklets.braved. Grid reference: NG 3282 3071

Refreshments: There are no toilets or refreshments available locally to the bay. The famous Talisker Distillery is in the village of Carbost, 5 miles east of this location.

Talisker Bay beach is one of those iconic locations on the Isle of Skye. A beautiful bay surrounded on two sides by dramatic cliffs. Talisker Bay waterfall is one of the highest waterfalls in the UK and it tumbles down the northern escarpment of the bay. At low tide the beach is extensive and the west facing location makes it a great spot for those classic sunset views.

This is mainly a post with a selection of my images from the route which is fairly self-explanatory.

Route map: click on the arrow to play the route. Route files in various formats are available to download by clicking in the Plotaroute.com link at the bottom right.

We chose to visit the bay late in the afternoon, knowing that would be the quietest time, an easier to get parked. We were not wrong, we were practically the only people there…..bliss.

Once parked up we headed down the lane towards the farmhouse. Past the farmhouse entrance and on along the track.

The gorse was in full bloom with the domed top of Pershal Mor rising over the skyline.

The footpath passes between the whitewashed buildings of Talisker House. It’s a fine building, built in the early 1700’s and once was owned by the Clan MacLeod. Notable visitors in 1773 were Samuel Johnson and James Boswell.

We cross the small burn and carry on towards the beach.

A Scottish Blackface ewe keeps an eye on us.

The bay appears ahead, in beautiful weather conditions.

Soon we reach the bay, the high tide covering the expanse of sand. This end of the beach is more of a boulder field so we make our way to the far end where some sand is exposed.

Low tide is the best time to visit when the beach area can be quite an area. In the distance can be seen the waterfall, apparently one of the tallest waterfalls in the country. The state of the tide restricts us in getting close to it.

The sand of the beach is made up of a mixture of volcanic and other lighter grains.

The southern cliffs of the bay terminate with a couple of sea stacks.

The stacks would make a great subject for photographs, especially with a setting sun behind them.

The occasional Lesser Celandine squeezes in amongst the jumble of rocks.

Someone has taken time to form a simple stone shelter on the raised bed of boulders.

It was a beautiful evening and we could have stayed longer but time didn’t allow it. Instead we had to move on. To return to the car it was simply a case of retracing our steps past Talisker House.

I can highly recommend this bay as a place to visit with plenty of subject matter both for artists and photographers, especially as the sun goes down. I can’t guarantee it will be this quiet though.

Here is the YouTube film of this walk:

If you have enjoyed this blog why not take a look at my previous adventure to The Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle.