Cycling & Camping on Skye : Staffin – Uig – Edinbane was the second day of five days cycling on my seven day trip to Skye. I travelled to and from Skye on days one and seven.
The trip took place between Wed. 7 Jun. 2023 and Tues, 13 Jun. 2023.
I cycled this route on Fri. 9 June 2023.
In all my previous cycling tours in Scotland I had used hotels and B & B’s as a place to stay at night time. However, Skye is extremely popular with tourists so I was unable to get the bookings I needed for this tour.
Therefore I had planned the route to cycle from campsite to campsite around Skye.
Cycling & camping on Skye : Staffin - Uig - Edinbane
- Route Map
Cycling & camping on Skye : Staffin - Uig - Edinbane
- My Timings & Distances
Left campsite 10.15 / The Quiraing car park 11.25 (4.50) / Started walking 11.40 / The Needle pinnacle 12.15 – 12.20 / Back at car park 1.05 / Lunch 1.10 – 1.30 / Uig 1.55 (9.73) / Rested 2.55 – 3.05 (19.81) / Passed by campsite 4.15 (30.02) / Edinbane Inn 4.30 (31.15) / Back at campsite 5.00 (33.09).
Cycling & camping on Skye : Staffin - Uig - Edinbane
- Log
Staffin - the Quiraing
It was another beautiful, warm sunny day. At the Staffin campsite the food service at reception was open again. I ordered two rolls & bacon for breakfast and sat at the picnic table outside reception to eat them in the lovely sunshine. The site owner, Ally, came and sat with me and we talked for a while.
After I left the campsite I cycled through the village of Staffin until I came to the cut-off for the Quiraing. This is a stunning landscape formation on the Trotternish Peninsula.
At the cut-off there was a road sign indicating that there was a 15% hill climb ahead.
After a while the road started to climb steeply up through the hills.
Part way up the first steep section you could see the 15% section ahead.
It was a steady, steep climb up to the pass and there was then this hairpin bend leading to the steepest section.
I took my time, using the second and third level of assistance on the electric motor to help get me up this hill. Thank goodness for my e-bike!
The Quiraing
At the top there was a large, very busy car park and a snack van.
There was also this information board advising that there was a path that looped round the Quiraing. It stated that it was a 4 mile walk to do the full loop and that it took 3 – 4 hours to complete the return walk.
I had a chat for a while with the guy in the snack van. He said that a shorter option would be to just walk to the rock pinnacle called the Needle and return from there. As I hadn’t planned for a 3 – 4 hour walk today and as I was a bit tired after climbing up the steep road to the Quiraing this is what I decided to do.
It remained a warm, sunny day as I walked along the hill path that went along the side of the hill underneath rocky cliffs.
At times along the path there were a couple of hands on rock sections. At the climb up to where the Needle is there was a loose scree section.
It was very busy with tourists and they managed to do the walk in the very warm sunshine. This was probably because that section of the walk was mostly alongside the hill rather than up it.
I continued walking along the path until I reached the Needle pinnacle.
At the Needle there were fine views out across the sea.
At the start of the walk I had met the Dutch couple who had the pitch next to mine at the Staffin campsite and who had borrowed the electric hook-up cable that the site manager had given me.
They had done the full loop in 2.5 hours, but they were young and fit. They said that it was an absolutely wonderful walk, and much better than the Old Man of Stor walk.
However, I just did not have the time or energy to do it that day. Perhaps I will return to the beautiful island of Skye at a later date and organise a day to fit it in.
Lunch
I walked back down from the Needle to the car park where I went to the snack van to buy something for my lunch. I bought a cheese toastie, a choc bar and a carton of tea. It was still a very hot, sunny day so I lay back against a sign in the car park and ate my lunch whilst soaking up the sun.
The Quiraing - Uig- Edinbane
After lunch I turned left out of the car park and continued on the same road that had led up to the Quiraing.
I continued on this road until it dropped down, via some hairpin bends, to the village of Uig.
At the bottom of the descent there is a road to the right that leads to the harbour and the ferry terminal. At the harbour there is a cafe, a restaurant and public toilets.
I had already been to the harbour several times previously. I therefore just continued on the road to the left that led up a long steep hill to the headland overlooking the bay and Loch Snizort. Here there were fine views down over the bay and the ferry terminal.
After I reached the top of the hill I continued cycling down the A87 road all the way to the junction with the A850 road. Here I turned right onto the A850 road.
Loch Greshornish / Edinbnane
I followed the A850 road up and around and then down the east side of Loch Greshornish. At the bottom of the loch I came to the Camping & Caravanning Club campsite where I had booked a tent pitch for tonight. This is a link to the site’s website : https://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/isle-of-skye/portree/skye-camping-and-caravanning-club-site/#Overview
As planned, though, I cycled past the campsite and continued on into the small village of Edinbane, just a mile down the road, to get a meal.
However, the local village inn, the Edinbane Inn, was fully booked. The only other restaurant in the village was the Edinbane Lodge. It was very upmarket though and required reservations for later in the evening.
I therefore cycled back to the Caravan Club site where I checked in. The campsites that are part of a large organisation such as this one are very well organised and a warden shows you to your pitch.
I left my ebike battery and my iPhone at reception and they charged them for £1 per device.
I pitched my tent at a spot with fine views overlooking the loch. For my dinner I had a camp meal of sausage & beans. I had brought this meal with me in case I was unable to get a meal near any of the campsites I had booked into.
After dinner I bought an ice cream from reception and walked around the site. I then went down to the beach whilst enjoying the lovely warm sunshine.