Neist Point is the most westerly point on the Isle of Skye. Located on the Duirinish peninsula it has been one of the must see places for visitors to the island. But be prepared for the journey there, as it isn’t for the faint hearted. You are sharing a single track road for 20 miles with everyone else trying to see this iconic view!
Getting to Neist Point
From Dunvegan head south on the A863 and take the turning towards Glendale, B885. This road take you past the well renowned restaurant The Three Chimneys at Colbost. In a few miles you will drop down in to the sprawling township of Glendale. Continue along this road until you reach Milovaig where the road turns left to Neist Point. This is all a single track road with passing places and gets extremely busy. Neist Point is one of the most popular destinations on Skye so maybe try and visit out of the busy tourist season. Alternatively allow plenty of time for your journey. You may wish to use the public toilets where there is a radar key disabled toilet in the Dunvegan village car park before you set off.
There is a lot new car parking at Neist Point but we only spotted one disabled space. On the right hand side near the small building on the cliff top. This might not be an oversight as the Neist Point landscape is not exactly what we would call disabled friendly, but we can’t fight with nature! We were lucky enough to be able to visit during a spell of good weather while it was still relatively quiet.
About Neist Point
In Gaelic the name is Rubha na h-eist, the point of the horse. The land which rises in the centre of the point is known as The Stallion. At the end of the point is the lighthouse. Neist Point Lighthouse dates to 1909 but it is now automatic and no longer manned. It is a very dramatic location. The walk across the cliffs to the lighthouse is a fair distance and not very easy to get to. There is a flight of quite steep steps to get down the cliff onto the point itself. There is a handrail but as well as getting down the steps you will need to be able to climb them again after the walk. The distance is approximately 1.7 miles in total.
Our Visit
When we arrived and parked we found that although there was a gate it was locked. There is a path around the gate but there are some large rocks to overcome to get through. Sarah managed with her stick and Melanie’s help. If you cannot make it through the rocks the view across Moonen Bay to Waterstein Head is simply stunning. And you will be able to see Neist Point stretching out ahead of you.
Once through or round the gate there is a set of smaller steps to get down to the first area of cliff where the steeper steps start. Sarah was able to start down these with her rollator. However the steps were not all a uniform size she eventually abandoned her wheels in favour of her stick and Melanie’s arm.
If you are unable to manage the steeper steps then I am afraid this is as far as you can go but there is still a fantastic view even from here. Neist Point is often visited by pods of Dolphins, Basking Sharks and Orca. One time, when Sarah was still able to manage the steps she visited early one morning and was rewarded with a sighting of a humpback whale. There is still a good view of the ocean from this vantage point so it would still be possible to catch a glimpse of such visitors if you were lucky enough to be there at the right time. Unfortunately there was no such sea-life there for us this time. The cliffs attract a lot of seabirds so keep your eyes open for Gannets, Skua, White Tailed Sea Eagles and more.
Neist Point Reality
It is possible to enjoy Neist Point even if you aren’t able to do the walk. The drive out to the Neist Point takes you through a beautiful part of the island. If you are lucky enough to avoid the crowds it is a wonderful experience even if all you can do is enjoy the view from the car. An important thing to mention is that if you are chasing the iconic view with the lighthouse at the end you need to be able to cover rough ground on the cliff top above the car park. We don’t want anyone to think that this is the view you get from the car park as it simply isn’t.
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