Isle of Skye Warnings and Dangers

There is quite a number of people who fall so much in love with the island that they decide to relocate to Skye and live there permanently. Most people come to the island from other parts of Britain where they often have made so much money that they can afford a slower-paced lifestyle in scenic surroundings. Other people are lured by the beauty of the place and accept even the worst kind of jobs only so that they can stay on the Island. I personally know some Germans coming to Skye romanticising the "Celtic Way of Life" and for people like that I am writing this warning.

In general, I think it is great that in our Western societies people can decide for themselves how and where they want to live.

But the consequences of moving to Skye are far-reaching.

There are very few decent paying jobs on Skye. The infrastructure is still insufficient and this finding extends to all areas of human activity, also to medical services. The recent influx of people has improved a lot of things, but it has not really solved the old problems existing for hundreds of years and it has also created some new problems.

It's not at all as vibrant as the touristy brochures want you to believe -- sports clubs, local associations, interest groups, choirs of various styles, friendly competitions with the neighbour village, where there is a rich extracurricular life in a German village and plenty of opportunities to mingle with the locals and integrate into society, there often is just a blank on Skye if you are looking for an equivalent.

Also, do not expect to be welcomed into the community, especially if you belong to some kind of minority group with views and lifestyle differing from the mainstream.

So, as a summary, if you lead a miserable life in your place right now and are thinking about moving to Skye changing all that, please think again. Chances are, your life will become even more miserable when in Skye.

Most of the area around the Cuillin is open moorland - tundra, if you will - speckled with purple heath, bracken fern and the occasional sheep. You could feel right at home if you came here from Norway or Alaska. Like tundra everywhere, there is a superfusion of insect life - insects which seem to be there only for the purpose of making your life miserable. Here in the Cuillin, the problem is the lowly midge - I read that there are over 30 species of midge in Scotland and waiting for the bus, sometimes it seemed like I was given the chance to identify every one - similar to the no-see-um flies of North America. Midges seem to everywhere in calm conditions under 1500 feet. They don’t like high wind or pelting rains … but then neither do I. If you do get up high, they finally relent. While the midge is not nearly as bothersome as a fresh mosquito hatch after a snow melt, they still can be bothersome enough to keep you moving. Stop to take a picture and they find you quickly. They seem to congregate in place which because of some quality - maybe a small creek crossing, a short, sharp stretch of trail, or a great viewpoint - seems to slow your progress. As with other stage of life, ‘he who hesitates is lost’.

Then there is the possibility of ticks - especially a bother for dogs you may have along. The countryside is open but there are many sheep and red deer around, who manage to distribute the tick everywhere. Brush through the bracken and just be aware that you may have to check for the little guys later on. Some people obsess about the ticks and their ability to pass along lyme disease. Luckily, that chance is rather rare, but still the tick can be a nuisance that is not always disposed of easily, so long clothes should be the order of the day. The ticks could be the reason I always saw British hikers wearing gaiters, as well, even when the weather was sunny or they were hiking along a road.

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Skye derives from the Norwegian word for cloud, ‘skyen’. Gaelic speakers talk of the ‘Island of Mist’ - Eilean a’ Cheo - and that is very apropos for Skye. One woman I spoke with mentioned she had first been to Skye in 1992. She had enjoyed an entire week of blue skies and mountain walks. That week had hooked her and she had returned many times afterwards though sadly, each subsequent visit had been in mists and rain.

If you come to climb, bring along full weather gear. Know where you are going with an accurate topographical map as well because of the extreme variability of the weather. Also, if you are hiking in the rain - strangely enough people here do seem to enjoy that sort of thing - be cognizant of the level of streams. There is water everywhere and streams everywhere. Many walks become an exercise in bog ecology. Creeks swell up forcing a wet crossing as a matter of course. One hike that looked intriguing to me was the one from Sligachan up the Glen Sligachan, a valley that effectively separates the Red Cuillin to the east from the Black Cuillin to the west. A popular guidebook describes the hike as one with the ‘proper weather and light as a glimpse into what the “Highway to Hell” must be like’ - likening the hike to an eight mile hike through a bog, if done during or just after rains (which is most of the time). If conditions are actually dry, well then it is only eight miles of midges to deal with … and eight miles back.

When one writes about rip offs on Skye,please assure yourself first, if the prorietor or
persons involved in such acts are not from the local gentry,BUT speak with English accents
and are part of the white invasion from south of the border.
These inhabitants are a dangerous species disguising themselves,wearing traditional
Highland Dress and presenting themselves to tourists,media and press as Skyemen how dishonest can they be.
T hese bloody Sassenachs should either go back south of the border or adapt to the
honest christian ways of the local communities.

Skye surely is a magical place with a lot of appeal for the romanticising outdoor lover. And what could be more romantic than staying in a tent, as close to Mother Nature as possible? Yes. But let me tell you something, my dear nature afficionado: I don't think camping on Skye is a good idea at all. You are very welcome to disagree with me, but in order to avoid utter disaster to yourself and your belongings please take note of the following:

1. You need a REAL tent and REAL equipment, not that stuff from the supermarket. You see, the wind here can be strong. Very strong indeed. As a matter of fact, there are loads of people who had their Tesco tent getting ripped apart and blown away by gale force winds. A particularly infamous spot for this is the campground at Sligachan. Your tent must have good wind stability and you must know how to make it stable. Needless to say, it must be excellently waterproof with strong and sealed seams.

2. If you are camping in the summer months, your most important piece of equipment is the tent's mosquito net. It must be very fine, so fine that the tiny midges can't get through. Normal mosquito nets won't do as midges are much smaller. So what, you might say, why bother about such tiny insects? Well, my friend, you might just find out why you should indeed bother about such tiny insects. You might find out.

3. Choice of a well suited place is paramount. Try to find a well-drained spot, keep away from damp places, shady woods, spots with poor air circulation, all of which are prone to intensify the midge problem.

4. Apart from the notorious campground at Sligachan, there are others at Edinbane and GlenBrittle plus many more spots where camping is allowed. I am not sure about access rights to privately owned land, but I guess it's always a good idea to ask people living nearby if camping is okay.

This is obvious really but if you have to go into the mountains make sure you go well prepared, pleanty of warm clothes and liquid.

Speaking to a local barman and he was part of the local mountain rescue and he told us how a young fella went missing, he found him dead four days later, he had taken a tumble and the exposure had killed him and he actually zipped him up into the body bag. It really shook me up when i heard this and made me realise how fragile we are and how unforgiving the mountains are even in Autumn!

take care!

The roads around Skye are unbelievable and are dangerous even in good conditions. The locals who know these roads dont seem to slow down and i promise you, you wont keep up so dont try! slow down and take things at a more sedate pace, that way you'll live longer - leave the antics to the local posrmen and Skye delivery drivers!!!

I got the distinct impression that the residents of Skye and especially the Portree area of Skye are a fiercly independent community and to be honest some of the locals were a little rough around the edges. Although we got speaking to a few and were welcomes with open arms. i would imagine that if you drew attention to your self in some of the bars that are dotted around Portree you could atract the wrong sort of attention. A lot of people here dont seem to have two pennies to rub together so dont be flashing the cash!