A rocky causeway from Ullinish Point, on Skye’s west coast, is the only way onto Oronsay, a small tidal island in Loch Bracadale, and only when the tide allows. The name is thought to come from the Old Norse for tidal island, and it’s an apt one: the causeway is covered by the sea around high water, so only cross on a falling or low tide, and check tide times before you set out. The eastern half of the island is low, grassy ground; the western half rises to cliffs of around 70 metres, with views across the loch to the sea stacks of MacLeod’s Maidens off Idrigill Point. Nobody lives on Oronsay, and there’s little on it beyond grass, sheep and nesting seabirds, but the walk out and back, tide allowing, is a quiet way to see this stretch of Skye’s coast.
Photo Ian Cylkowski / Unsplash
