Introduction

This evening,  I am focusing on the the popular scenic location of Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye. Location is the Trotternish area of the Isle of Skye, fifteen miles north of Portree and just south of Staffin.

Site Information

Video clip of Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, Skye.

The Isle of Skye is a very popular tourist destination which forms part of the Inner Hebrides. This an island chain located off Scotland’s West Coast.

This Trotternish region of Skye has a fascinating geology mainly dating from the Jurassic era, about 150m years ago. Here, many horizontal sills of volcanic material have forced between the older strata. One such dolerite sill forms the upper section of the Kilt Rock coastline as shown in the image above. Here the cliffs of basalt columns give the rocks a pleated appearance and hence the name Kilt Rock.

The falls come from Loch Mealt nearby which passes under the road where the water cascades down into the sea. This entails a drop of 250 feet (85m) to a shoreline of (inaccessible) caves and arches.

Other interesting, geological sites nearby include the Quiraing and Old Man of Storr. Information on the geology of Skye can be found here.

Tips for visitors

Whilst visitors are protected from the vertical drop along the cliff top by metal fencing care should be exercised. Spectacles and hats can be blown off and small items such as cameras and phones can be lost over the cliff. Even small dogs have disappeared!

More information

The publication, Visitors’ Guide to Scotland contains sections on Skye, Scotland’s geology and much more. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. The book is also available via Kindle.