You don’t have to believe in folklore and spirits to feel the magic of Isle of Skye’s Fairy Glen.
Any worthwhile list of things to see and do on the Isle Of Skye will include Fairy Pools. A series of crystaline swim holes and cascades framed by the Cuillin Mountains from which they originate, Fairy Pools twinkle sapphire in the sun.
Fairy Glen, on the other hand, I knew nothing of and the photo I had seen was, to put it plainly, a circle of rocks in a valley. But owing to a series of unfortunate miscalculations, Fairy Pools didn’t materialise and Fairy Glen was where we ended up. But perhaps that’s what the fair folk had intended.
Better organised visitors make the short detour to Fairy Glen as part of a series of stops along the island’s famed Trotternish Loop, a scenic 80 kilometre circuit around Trotternish Peninsula in Skye’s north.
On a map, Fairy Glen appears a condensed patch of creases and folds set amidst rolling farmland. Its compact nature and accessibility, just outside of Uig, makes it an ideal side-excursion.
From the carpark, there are two ways of getting to the Glen: the same narrow single track road you came along and the foot path. The latter winds its ways around the area’s boggy lochans and grass-covered knolls.
The strange conical forms look manmade, like ancient burial mounds but are actually the result of natural forces: Skye’s ancient Torridonian sandstone, shaped by the invisible hand of glacial erosion and smoothened by the constant touch of the elements.
Where footpath and road meet, we followed the trail past wizened Rowan trees to a small loch and trekked towards Castle Ewan and the Glen that lay beyond it.
Despite its name, Castle Ewan is not the ruins of an old castle but a weathered basalt rock formation hewn by a wild imagination. Towering above us as we approached it, the silhouette of climbers who stood at its edge reminded me of the ritual senicide scene from horror film Midsommar – the one where the old people throw themselves off a cliff…. (I’d link it here but you’d hate me forever).
If you know it (or you Googled it) don’t let that troubling image put you off – it’s an easy scramble to the top from the other side and has impressive 360° views.
Once within Fairy Glen we have our pick of hillocks, where we sat down – me atop Castle Ewan, my brother from the Glen’s higher outer reaches and the rest of the family by the Fairy ring – and let the place cast its spell.
I’m an avowed skeptic, the Dana Scully to Fox Mulder’s faith keeper, but even I couldn’t deny, there’s something beguiling about Fairy Glen.
Suffused with an otherworldly air, its curious topography was forged by the same powerful post-glacial landslide that created the island’s dramatic Quiraing landscape, but on a much smaller scale. It photographs beautifully regardless of light or weather conditions. And it’s remarkably quiet given the number of visitors passing through. The work of faeries? Well, no….
Despite its name, Fairy Glen is not associated with any local faerie lore. The spiral labrynth that is its focal point is constructed and maintained by visitors and co-opted by new age believers and magic seekers who quietly walk from outside the spiral towards its centre where they make a simple offering before returning the way they came.
Locals consider the spirals formations and stone stacking to be an act of vandalism and regularly dismantle them, so feel free to admire the pagan signposts, just don’t make any of your own.
Getting there Located in Balnaknock, Fairy Glen is arrived at, after turning off the A87 at Uig onto Sheared Road. A single track with no through access to get back, you’ll have to turn around and drive back the same way.
Suitable for All ages. It’s a short mostly flat walk from the car park, with an easy to navigate path.
Entrance Free.
Parking £2 for 2 hours, £3 for 4 hours, free with a disabled badge. 2 hours is sufficient. Parking can fill up during high season in June to August . When that happens you’re recommended to park in Uig and walk (30 minutes) or take the bus.
Facilities None. No public toilets or food and drink trucks. If you’re planning a picnic, bring your own.
Tip We wore our civvies, which is fine in good weather but when it rains, the footpath to Fairy Glen can get muddy, so wear appropriate shoes, shoes with grip if you’re headed up Castle Ewan.
POKOK KELAPA 