The Quiraing — Parking

From the car park

The car park is right on the col where the Staffin–Uig road crests, with the path setting off north along the base of the escarpment. It contours below the cliffs on a narrow, muddy and in places eroded line, with a couple of spots that feel genuinely exposed above steep drops. The full circuit climbs back over the top of the ridge and returns along the plateau edge; many people simply walk out to the Table and back.

The walk

The full Quiraing circuit is around 6.8km with 400m of ascent — modest numbers that undersell it. The path is narrow, slick after rain and has a couple of airy, awkward sections that catch out visitors in trainers every summer; the return over the ridge is boggy and pathless in mist. The reward is the strangest landscape on Skye: toppled towers, hidden pinnacles and the flat green Table tucked among the crags, with the Trotternish coast falling away below.

Facilities

• Information board

Busy times

The tiny car park is the pinch point — full by late morning on any decent summer day, while the single-track road jams with cars turning, reversing and squeezing past coaches. Sunrise is a photographers' pilgrimage. Early morning and evening are both quieter and safer on the road; midweek and shoulder-season visits are far less fraught. If you arrive to a full car park at 11am in July, do not invent a space on the verge.

Getting here without a car

Difficult. There is no regular bus over the Quiraing pass itself. The Stagecoach Staffin services run along the coast below, leaving a steep road-walk up to the car park, and frequency is low. Realistically most visitors drive; for a car-free Trotternish day, the Old Man of Storr is far better served by bus. Check Stagecoach Highland timetables before relying on any connection here.

Current conditions

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking at the Quiraing?

The Quiraing car park is Highland Council pay-and-display: £3 for up to 3 hours or £5 for up to 6 hours, charged 8am–6pm, payable by card or the RingGo app. It is small — around 70 spaces — and fills by late morning in summer.

Is the Quiraing walk dangerous?

It is riskier than its popularity suggests. The path is narrow, muddy and slippery when wet, with a couple of exposed sections above steep drops that regularly catch out people in unsuitable footwear. In mist the return over the ridge is pathless. Wear proper boots, take care on the traverses, and treat it as a hill walk, not a stroll.

Can I drive over the Quiraing road in winter?

Only with real caution. The single-track summit road between Staffin and Uig is high, unlit and among the first on Skye to be closed or made impassable by snow and ice. Check conditions, be prepared to turn back, and never assume it is passable just because the coast road is clear.

Where is the Quiraing car park?

It sits at the highest point of the single-track road between Staffin and Uig, at grid reference NG 440 679, about 2.5 miles from Staffin. There is a second smaller parking area a little down the Uig side, but both are modest and busy in season.

Open in maps

Coordinates: 57.6417, -6.2717