Glen
Glen Sligachan
The glen that divides the Red and Black Cuillin — the most photographed bridge in Scotland at its entrance and one of the great wilderness walks at its far end.
- Length
- 9km
- Munros
- 5
- Corbetts
- 1
- Grahams
- 2
- Wild swimming
- 1
- Highest peak
- Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh (972.1m)
Glen Sligachan runs south from the Sligachan Hotel into the heart of Skye, separating the Red Cuillin to the east from the Black Cuillin to the west. The glen itself has no road beyond the hotel — access is entirely on foot, along a broad track that follows the Sligachan River for 9km before the route branches toward Loch Coruisk. It is one of the finest glen walks in Scotland: open, remote feeling, with the Cuillin increasingly dominant overhead as you go south.
The old bridge at Sligachan — a small stone arch over the river, with the Cuillin rising behind — is among the most photographed views on Skye and genuinely earns that status. The hotel at Sligachan is the main operational base for Cuillin climbing and has been since the Victorian mountaineering era; the bar is a museum of Scottish climbing history. Marsco (736m), the satellite Red Cuillin peak to the east, is one of the best views of the Black Cuillin from any summit and takes around 3 hours return via the glen.
The road in
Parking1 spot
Sligachan Hotel car park
100+ cars
Free— Free for Sligachan visitors; honesty box for non-guests
Hills from Glen Sligachan5 Munros · 1 Corbetts · 2 Grahams
Wild swimming1 spot nearby
What's in the glen
Old Sligachan Bridge
The 18th-century stone bridge at Sligachan is one of the most photographed spots on Skye — the Cuillin rising dramatically behind it. The old bridge was replaced in the 1990s; the original now serves as a pedestrian crossing and photo opportunity.
Marsco
Marsco (736m) is a satellite peak of the Red Cuillin with one of the best views of the Black Cuillin from any summit. The approach via Glen Sligachan takes around 3 hours return.
Loch Coruisk approach
The 18km walk via Glen Sligachan to Loch Coruisk is one of Scotland's great glen walks — following the Sligachan River through remote terrain to one of the most dramatic lochs in the Highlands. Allow 7–8 hours return from Sligachan.
Our take
Sligachan is the crossroads of Skye mountaineering and has been for 150 years. The hotel knows it. The bar is excellent. The old bridge photograph takes about thirty seconds to get right and then you can move on. The walk to Loch Coruisk via the glen is 18km return, takes 7–8 hours, and is one of the finest day walks in Scotland — remote, dramatic, and with the Cuillin increasingly enclosing you as you move south. Midges at Sligachan are legendary — the hotel sells repellent at the bar, which tells you everything you need to know.
History
Glen Sligachan is the watershed glen that divides the Black Cuillin from the Red Cuillin — the only continuous low-level route through the Cuillin from north to south. The original Sligachan Inn was opened in 1830 as a coaching halt on the new road between Portree and the Sleat peninsula; it became, over the following century, the de facto base for British alpinism on Skye. Norman Collie, John Mackenzie and the early generations of Cuillin pioneers stayed at Sligachan and recorded their routes in the hotel's climbing book.
Mackenzie's grave is at Bracadale; Collie is buried beside him, by Collie's own request — a quietly moving testament to a fifty-year climbing partnership that crossed class and country. The two are commemorated by a memorial cairn outside the hotel and by the bronze sculpture of them by Stephen Tinney that was unveiled at the hotel in 2020. The glen itself contains few visible structures: the Inn at the north end and the ruined shieling of Camasunary at the south. The path between the two is one of the most heavily walked routes in the Hebrides.
Practical
- Mobile signal
- Signal at Sligachan Hotel. None in the glen itself beyond 1km.
- Midges
- Very high(5/5)
- Stalking estate
- Sligachan Estate
- Public transport
- CityLink service (Glasgow/Inverness–Portree) stops at Sligachan Hotel.
- Dogs
- On lead — livestock or ground-nesting birds present.
Map
Hills (green), bothies (brown), parking (blue), wild swimming (light blue), landmarks (dark red).
Nearby glens
Scotland outdoor updates
Route guides, condition reports and seasonal picks — once a month, no noise.
Glen Sligachan — common questions
- What's the road into Glen Sligachan like?
- b_road. Allow extra time for the drive in.
- Can I take a motorhome or campervan into Glen Sligachan?
- Yes — Glen Sligachan is suitable for motorhomes and campervans. Take care on any single-track sections and use passing places to let local traffic past.
- Are there midges in Glen Sligachan?
- Glen Sligachan's midge rating is 5/5 — severe from late May to September. Sheltered, humid evenings are the worst; high wind and the high tops are safest. Carry Smidge and a head net from May onwards.
- Can I wild camp in Glen Sligachan?
- Wild camping in Scotland is legal under the Land Reform Act 2003 on most unenclosed land, subject to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Avoid enclosed agricultural ground, camp in small numbers, and leave no trace. The Loch Lomond and Trossachs Camping Management Zones (which restrict wild camping in marked areas March-September) do not apply to Glen Sligachan.
- Can I get to Glen Sligachan without a car?
- CityLink service (Glasgow/Inverness–Portree) stops at Sligachan Hotel.