Looking across Portree Harbour from the village there is a pristine piece of green land. Usually adorned with a flagpole which sadly broke in a early winter storm of 2020. This area is home to the Nicolson Clan Memorial. The walk from the village centre (Somerled Square) to the memorial is approximately 2.5km or 1.5 miles . Walking halfway on the footpath and halfway on the pathless Scorrybreac Road. Sarah found it quite tricky in places which we will describe at length below.
Parking & Toilets
There is plenty of parking in Portree with Disabled Parking spaces available in all of the following areas: Somerled Square, Bayfield and The Green. Wherever you park you will be near the Public Toilets on The Green if you need to “spend a penny” before you start the walk! There is also a Disabled Toilet here for which you need a RADAR key.
The walk to the Nicolson Clan Memorial
Begin in Somerled Square, with your back to the Bank of Scotland and the Portree Hotel in front of you. Take the street to the left of the Portree Hotel – Wentworth Street. Walk to the end of Wentworth Street, passing the Post Office on your left and at the end turn left onto Bank Street. Follow Bank Street up the hill past the Co-op. The footpath is very steep here which Sarah finds quite difficult with her rollator, especially coming back down. Cross Stormy Hill Road onto Bosville Terrace and follow the footpath. Here you walk in front of Dulse & Brose restaurant. Take a moment to look across the harbour with views south to the Cuillins and Glamaig. You may even see the RNLI Lifeboat moored on it’s anchor.
Crossing Bosville Terrace
When the road on Bosville Terrace takes a sharp turn to the left you will see a dropped kerb on either side of the road. This is where you need to cross to take the footpath on the other side if you are using wheels. There isn’t another dropped kerb further along. However be extremely careful, these dropped kerbs are on a blind corner and drivers from your right cannot see you nor you them. If you have good hearing you can pause a while and listen. If you can’t hear anything coming, then it might be safe to cross. In the advent of electric vehicles this is becoming a less and less safe option! As Sarah started to cross I walked further out into the road than her so I could see any traffic and if necessary slow them down. If you don’t need to use a dropped kerb I would recommend walking a little further along, away from the corner and crossing in front of the terracotta coloured Rockview B&B.
Scorrybreac Road
Once you are on the other side of Bosville Terrace you take the right hand turn down the hill signed Budhmor and the Cuillin Hills Hotel. This is a very steep hill with the footpath only running halfway down it. It is a narrow road with vehicles frequently using it so walk on the right hand side tucked nicely in out of the way. The day we walked down there every vehicle slowed down and gave us a wide berth as it passed us. Most drivers are used to pedestrians here as there is no alternative. The hill is also very steep and I had to stop Sarah’s rollator from running away with her. Her brakes are not particularly good so a helping hand is always welcome.
The road levels off again past the Marine Scotland offices and then drops down another small hill to the River Chracaig. This hill is nowhere near as steep as the first one. The road swings to the right and crosses the river on a narrow bridge. The bridge is wide enough to accommodate a pedestrian and a transit van sized vehicle at the same time. However we did try to cross when there was no traffic just to be on the safe side. On our way back we were in the middle of the bridge when a van came, but the driver slowed down and we passed each other with ease.
The Scorrybreac Footpath
As you walk along the road at sea level you eventually reach a junction in the road. Just keep to the right hand side of the road and you will see a few parking spaces on the right. This is the start of the Scorrybreac Circular footpath. Ahead is a large information board all about Scorrybreac and it’s flora and fauna. Further on is a tarmac footpath which leads to the Skye Sailing Club boathouse. From here there are some wonderful views back across Loch Portree to the harbour and the village itself. To your left the pyramid of Ben Tianavaig rises out of Loch Portree and southwards lies Glamaig. From now on keep your eyes peeled for wildlife and birdlife. Sea Eagles nest on the seaward side of Ben Tianavaig so can often be seen soaring above Scorrybreac. You may also catch glimpses of buzzards, golden eagles, peregrine falcon, cormorants, shags, great northern divers and more. In the surrounding hazel, willow and birch look out for tits, finches, robins and the like. This area is an absolute haven for wildlife.
Follow the tarmac path past the boat house and up a steep hill to a bridge. Here the path is a roughly surfaced footpath. Sarah was getting annoyed at trees roots, rocks and mud getting caught up in her rollator. It has been a wet winter so path surfaces aren’t in the best condition just now. Ahead of you is a gate. Once through the gate you are at the Nicolson Clan Memorial. If you can manage steps take the steps to your left. If you can manage a grassy slope then carry on ahead and swing round the far side of the memorial and up the hill. To be honest the path ahead was very muddy and Sarah was tired so she sat and rested whilst I went up to the memorial to take photos.
The Nicolson Clan Memorial
By the flagpole is a large engraved memorial to the Nicolson Clan from all over the world. On a clear day the views from here are tremendous, an information board helps you identify all the mountains in your view. There are a couple of benches on which to rest your weary legs and more information boards about Scorrybreac. If you are able there are more paths leading from the Nicolson Clan memorial area but these are narrow, rocky and steep. We will write up the Scorrybreac circular walk in due course but it definitely isn’t what we would call “accessible”. It is a further 2 miles from the memorial with 164 metres of steep ascent. some level of fitness and ability is needed.
Once you have had a breather and soaked up the view simply return the way you came. Take your time, those steep downhill sections are now steep uphill sections. And crossing Bosville Terrace is just as difficult in reverse. In total it took us 1 hour 40 minutes as we walk at Sarah’s pace of 1 mph for 1.5 miles with plenty of rest stops. In fairness Sarah found this walk very hard with her trusty rollator so we suspect a wheelchair user may have even greater difficulties than we did. But as always we’ve reported our findings and it’s up to you to decide what you can achieve yourselves.
