📌 Kyleakin, Isle of Skye
★★
The ruin of Caisteal Maol (or Castle Moil) guards the strait separating the Isle of Skye from the mainland near Kyleakin; keep an eye out for it (on the island side) when driving across the nearby Skye Bridge. Once the seat of Clan MacKinnon, the castle owners imposed a toll on ships passing through the channel: the alternative route being a much longer and dangerous voyage around the west side of Skye. The current stonework dates from the 15th or 16th century but legends connecting the location with the Norwegian princess, “Saucy Mary”, go back to around 900 AD. Although there’s not much of the castle left to see, the hilltop setting is a great viewpoint for Kyleakin, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Loch Alsh in between. The access path is quite pretty too.
🌍 Location
📌 By the coast, 0.5 mi east of Kyleakin, Skye
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NG 758263
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.272650,-5.720423
🚌 Bus to Kyleakin
🚗 Kyleakin main car park (0.5 mi)
📝 Key info
⌚ Always open
🎫 Free
💬 From the village car park it’s a 15-min walk (each way) to the castle (⬤ Easy). Follow South Obbe Road south across a bridge over a tidal inlet, curving left along the shore to reach a pier where the road ends. A clear path continues along the coast, crossing a small bay where the route ahead is briefly submerged at high tide. The castle is up a small but steep hill on the other side of the bay.
