An Clachan

The stripes and pleats of the kilt highlighted at sunrise. A light mist was just burning off the face of the cliff.

Kilt Rock is a 60-metre high sea cliff. Its tall columns are made of hard basalt rock which stand on softer sandstone The Kilt Rock is so-named because the basalt columns are said to resemble the pleats in a kilt.

There seems to be no contemporary image on Geograph taken so close to the rock itself. Most views are from the Meallt Waterfall carpark. I do not know precisely where the camera position was, but my bet is that it was wholly within NG5066.

The A855 runs 33 miles around North Skye from Portree NG4743 : A87, A855 junction, Portree to Uig NG3964 : A855 / A87 junction, via Staffin. Link

Climbers' Discarded Gear Adds Charm to 'The Chimney Stack'.

One of them there must-see spots on Skye is that famous Kilt Rock, named after its basalt columns that supposedly resemble a pleated kilt. Now, if you use your imagination just a tad more, you’ll notice that the sandstone base upon which these columns perch bears an uncanny resemblance to a proper tartan. The best viewpoint to take in this spectacle is about a kilometre away. There’s no shortage of photos available online if you’re itching to get a glimpse. Now, I’ve seen it all before, so I wasn’t terribly let down when I discovered that the car park was shut and going through some grand upgrade. They’ve gone and erected industrial fencing, making sure no cheeky visitors are tempted to park on the road and skirt their way around. So, even on a bike, that coveted viewpoint was well and truly off-limits. But there’s nothing stopping you from strolling along the coast from Staffin and making your way in. Up close, I must admit, the rock is a smidge over-hyped. I found myself more impressed by this sea-stack just a few hundred metres to the north. This stack is the narrowest one I’ve ever laid eyes upon and has been dubbed ‘The Chimney Stack’ by the climbing fraternity. Just like the Kilt Rock, it boasts those very same basalt columns, but what sets it apart from other stacks I’ve seen is its utter lack of horizontal bedding planes, which makes it look all the more formidable, if you ask me. And believe it or not, some brave souls have actually scaled its treacherous heights. There are two routes graded E5: ‘Sheer Sear’ on the south face and ‘Over The Rainbow’ on the seaward side. I can’t help but admire the sheer guts and dogged determination of these rock athletes, but it did dampen my spirits a little to see their abandoned abseiling gear littering the summit. See NG5066 : Thrilling Summit Litter. From my blog post Link

In the rugged embrace of nature's grip, a massive boulder stands proud, defying the raging sea below. It conjures thoughts of an ass named Donkey, complimenting Shrek's house, saying, "I like that boulder, that is a nice boulder." Perched perilously atop the ancient sea cliffs, it hints at an enduring existence since the glacier's ancient retreat. Gazing into the horizon, Staffin Island and the Òb nan Ròn harbour emerge, distant yet ever-present.

The vertical black, columnar basalt folds make these cliffs a spectacular attraction.

North of Kilt Rock the waves were crashing under the cliffs.

Not a lot of water on the waterfall

At Ellishadder. This is day six of the Hebridean Circuit Sheepdog Trials held on Ellishadder Common Grazings. Proceeds go to Skye Cancer Care.

Almost Mediterranean but taken in March.

The area compares to the Giant's Causeway of County Antrim.

A coastline of low cliffs and jointed strata south of Rubha Garbhaig.

The large grey slab is an exposure of Jurassic rock which underlies this area, whilst the boulders above are at least 100 million years younger, being dolerite blocks which have fallen from the nearby cliffs.