Balgown

A community hub for the dispersed settlements north of Uig on the west coast of Trotternish.

The main road north from Uig as it approaches Hungladder.

A reciprocal view to NG3970 : Road to Heribusta, taken some 14 years earlier.

No.40 Bornesketaig - a well maintained old croft house with a small area of garden ground. It is available for holiday lets through the NTS.

A working croft above Camas Mòr, seen from a different angle in Link

Looking towards the cliffs of Rubh' a' Chàirn Lèith and houses at Bornesketaig.

With the headland of Sgeir Lang and the bay of Camas Mor in the distance.

In the settlement of Kilvaxter.

A ruined croft building put to good use.

The building in the distance is a ruined chapel.

The Category B listed house was built around 1732 by the Macdonalds of Duntulm Castle after vacating the “haunted” castle as a place of residence. The house was visited by Flora Macdonald and Prince Charles Edward, disguised as "Betty Burk" her maid, when they landed June 29th, 1746 from Benbecula. The interior was remodelled by James Gillespie Graham in 1803. Reputedly the first slated house in Skye it became a tacksman's house after the Macdonalds moved headquarters to Armadale in 1815. The 1841 Census shows Hugh Peter MacDonald Tacksman at Monkstadt but by the 1851 Census head of house is given as Donald Martin MD JP and Farmer, Tacksman of Monkstadt who gave up the farm after the 1861 Census when forced by Lord MacDonald to add evicted crofters land to his. The house fell into disrepair in the 1900s being described in 1938 as a roofless ruin with half the main block still inhabited. Only a ruinous shell remained once the rest of the roof was removed having been abandoned in 1956. Around 1993 the Clan MacQueen Trust acquired the building and later Ian MacQueen inherited the house from his father James around 2005 and built five houses to get connected to the main electricity grid. Ian eventually completed renovation of the house in 2013 but it stood empty and was put up for auction in July 2014 at £1.3m. (The MacQueens were once official armourers and blacksmiths to the Macdonalds.)