St Columba’s Isle

According to a stone erected on St Columba’s Isle, it is the ancient burial ground and site of the Cathedral Church of the Bishop of the Isles from 1079 to 1498. Similarly ancient is the mortuary chapel of the Nicolson’s Aisle. Here according to tradition 28 chiefs of that clan are buried. Hidden away on the banks of the River Snizort it is a peaceful place, often missed by those whizzing along the main road between Dunvegan and Portree.

Location of St Columba’s Isle

St Columba’s Isle is situated approximately 5 miles outside Portree. Head north out of Portree on the A87 and take the left turn signed for Dunvegan A850. In approximately 1.5 miles take the turning on the right signed for Peinmore and Tote. As you go over the cattle grid turn immediately left down a narrow road. You will see the Skeabost Memorial Hall on the left, you can park here or if you’d prefer you can park on the roadside a little further down the road. The road is a narrow dead end so park with some consideration for other road users, pedestrians, and horse riders. This is a very popular spot for recreation with the local residents.

Walking to St Columba’s Isle

It is definitely a walk to the Isle rather than a push or propel in a wheelchair. There is a tricky bridged river crossing to contend with! The path starts just by the old Skeabost Bridge and is clearly signed St Columba’s Isle. Sarah was able to walk down this path using her rollator as it is a fairly well packed gravel surface. The surface got more uneven and grassy as we arrived at the bridge. There are 5/6 steps up and down either side of the bridge, with handrails at both sides. The bridge is just slightly wider than Sarah’s rollator. I carried the rollator onto the bridge whilst Sarah negotiated the steps. For her, the easiest technique was sideways, but that is a personal preference due to her mobility. She was then able to rollate across the bridge and then slowly descended sideways again.

Now we were on the Isle itself, where the road noise dissipates and wildlife takes over. The graves are dotted around the Isle with the Nicolson’s Aisle at the far end. As it was summer the grass was long and damp but a small pathway had been cut through. The ground is quite uneven and undulating underfoot. We took it very slowly as Sarah navigated around using 2 walking sticks for support. Challenging but not impossible. The circuit is only about 200 metres round but we took our time, stumbled a fair bit, had some rest breaks but made it round.

History of the Isle

The historic significance and timeline of the Isle is detailed on the Clan MacNicol website. Maybe even have a little read about it before you go so you can join some of the dots together as you walk through the gravestones and around the Isle. If you are lucky enough to be there in summer as we were, take a little time to appreciate the wildlife that comes to join you. We were lucky enough to see baby frogs, ducks, dragonflies, butterflies and a Golden Eagle on the wing high above us during our visit. To get back to the car simply retrace your steps. The walk is only about 0.5 kilometres or 0.3 miles but it is a tricky one if you have mobility issues. However it is a tranquil spot on Skye if you think you can make it.

Across the old Skeabost Bridge is the Skeabost House Hotel which serves food and drink as well as offering accommodation. We were unable to visit on this occasion due to the Coivd-19 lockdown restrictions but it is on our list for the future.