The Skye Trail

Guidebook to the Skye Trail, a challenging 80-mile (128km) trek that snakes its way northsouth across the Isle of Skye. This unofficial, week-long route is ideal for backpacking, camping wild each night, but can also be walked between overnight accommodation.

• Unwaymarked route on sometimes pathless terrain requires navigational skill, fitness and self-reliance, so is suitable for experienced mountain walkers
• Seven daily stages of 718 miles (1129km) in length, with an optional 6-mile (11km) alternative route via the summit of Bla Bheinn, one of Skye's most spectacular Munros
• Starts at Rubha Hunish at the northern tip of Skye, visits the capital Portree, follows Glen Sligachan between the Black Cuillin and Red Hills, before finishing in the south at Broadford
• Highlights include the Trotternish Ridge, the Quiraing, the Old Man of Storr, the mighty Cuillin and the abandoned village of Boreraig
• Clear route descriptions with full 1:50,000 OS mapping and elevation profiles for hillier stages
• Includes details of refreshments, public transport and accommodation, notes on geology, history, plants and wildlife, and a glossary of Gaelic place names

Auteur
Helen's walking initiation began with enforced parental rambles and progressed through the Ten Tors expeditions on Dartmoor as a school pupil to the completion of a 4000-mile backpack across Europe with Paul in 2003-4. Helen is a firm believer that travelling on foot allows you to meet people and see things that would otherwise be overlooked and it's with this attitude that she co-founded the Scottish walker's website Walkhighlands in 2007. Originally from Devon, Helen has gradually been moving north and has lived and worked in the Scottish Highlands since 2005. She has co-authored 21 walking books about Scotland with Paul and is passionate about the need to conserve Scottish wild land while developing the local tourism industry to ensure that walkers visit time and time again to discover the huge variety of walks out there.Paul has a lifelong passion for walking and exploring the outdoors. In 2003-4 he undertook a 4000-mile continuous backpack across Europe with his wife Helen. After quitting a conventional career in York, Paul has spent many years living and working in Scotland and is the co-founder of the Walkhighlands website, a free online guide and forum for walkers in Scotland. He is a keen photographer and is currently enjoying exploring the lesser known areas of the Cairngorms close to home, but has still never captured a shot of the elusive capercaillie in the local pine woods. Paul has co-authored 21 walking books with Helen. For some years a member of the John Muir Trust, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and the Mountain Bothy Association; he is currently on the local outdoor access panel for the Cairngorms National Park.

Résumé
This guidebook describes The Skye Trail, a challenging week-long trek across the largest island in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Skye. From Rubha Hunish in the north, the Skye Trail heads along the Trotternish Ridge and past the Cuillin to Broadford in the south. Suitable for experienced backpackers and mountain walkers.