Walking to The Black Lochs above the village of Broadford is relatively simple and very accessible for disabled people of all abilities. The path is essentially the old tarmac surface of the A851 before the road was upgraded and moved slightly. The walk starts just south of Broadford and finishes near the turn off for Drumfearn. A great path for both wheelchair users and runners alike.
The Black Lochs Walk
The walk to the Black Lochs starts just a short drive from Broadford on the A851 towards Armadale. As you leave Broadford you drive over a large cattle grid and on the left is a large lay-by. This is where you can park your vehicle. The walk starts just a short distance back down the road on the other side. You will see a metal 5 bar gate set back from the road with a small pedestrian gate to the left hand side of it. From where you are parked to the start of the walk you have to walk alongside the A851 for a short distance. There is good visibility for passing traffic and the road is fairly wide. However it may be an idea to wear a hi-vis vest if you have one whilst you are crossing the road.
Once you safely reach the gate you just have to carefully make your way through the pedestrian gate. The surface here is very bumpy. Wheelchair users may need to be pulled backwards through the gate for comfort. For those walking with a rollator or sticks you just need to be careful of the bumps. Sadly the large gate is padlocked shut. When you get through to the other side the path is plain sailing. The length of the old road still has it’s tarmac surface so is very smooth. It is also very wide as it has retained the width of a single track road. In fact you can still make out the passing places!
About the area
There is an small information board at the start of the walk with further interpretation panels en route. The old road gently meanders uphill with views back over to Broadford Bay, Raasay and Beinn Na Caillaich. Ahead of you there are glimpses of the mountains of Knoydart on the mainland. After about 1.5 kilometres you get to the first of the Black Lochs and an information board. Don’t forget that this is a linear walk so always leave enough energy to return back to the car.
Our walk was during a stormy patch of weather on Skye so we were only out for about 45 minutes. But during this time Sarah found the walk relatively easy going with her rollator. We simply walked and talked the whole time. As it was smooth underfoot it was simply a case of turning back before we got wet from the next passing rain shower.
Access to the path
There are further access points to the path along the main A851. These comprise of one or two parking spaces at each gateway and the wheelchair access is not as good as at the start. You will find a large lay-by at Loch Airigh Na Suiridhe. This lay-by is good for parking but access to the path is over a steep gravel track. Not such good disabled access here at all. At the very end of this section of old road near to the Drumfearn junction there is further parking and better access to the path. This section of the path is much more uphill than at the Broadford end. The path levels off eventually but you might get rosy cheeks when you first start walking.
This path is popular with dog walkers, cyclists and walkers alike. That said it is not a particularly busy path so you won’t be dodging folks like it is rush hour! It is a safe path to be on with very little livestock around. In summer the surrounding peat bogs are a heaven for wildlife so make sure you have a camera with you. All in all a great wheelchair walk and a great walk for people of all abilities.
A Return to The Black Lochs
After quite a long spell where our schedules and the good weather had not matched up we were finally lucky enough to get a good day. While being a cold and frosty November morning it was also dry and sunny. We decided to head back to the Black Lochs path as the tarmac surface would make for easier going after the wet spell we had been having.
As it was the first nice day for a while we had to drive further down before we found a place we could park the car as many walkers were enjoying the chance of a nice day. That being said we did not encounter anyone on our walk. We parked in a large gateway on the right hand side just after the large lay-by at Loch Na Suiridhe. There is parking for a couple of cars as there is a gateway that can be blocked. There was a small gap at the side of the gate and Sarah was able to get round with her walker.
Further along the Black Lochs Path
At the gate there is a sign warning of cattle grazing freely in this area so bear this in mind if you have dogs with you.
Apart from some gravel small enough not to be a problem for the wheels, the only other obstacles were some cow pats and some black ice. We had a four legged friend with us on this walk and although we kept him on a lead because of the livestock. He was slightly ahead of us so we could see if he encountered any particularly slippery patches. Then we could take a bit of extra care. However, because the sun was shining the ice was soon melting so we could spend less time concentrating on our feet and simply enjoy the breathtaking views.
Because the path was such easy going we ended up walking quite a long way before we turned back even though it had been a while since we had been walking together.
After our walk we headed back to Broadford for lunch but as many places were closed for the winter, those that were still open were very busy. So we ended up popping over the Skye Bridge to Hector’s Bothy in Kyle of Lochalsh. As it was a little too cold for one of their ice cream sundaes, we quite happily settled for cake instead.