Quiraing is one of the most beautiful places on the Isle of Skye, combining magnificent natural landscapes that open from winding paths. Various films were filmed here. These landscapes were formed many thousands of years ago by a landslide, which continues its motor activity to this day.
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| Quiraing Isle of Skye |
There are so many beautiful places to see in Scotland that it would take more than a lifetime to see them all with the calm and pause they deserve. But among all the essential places to visit on the Isle of Skye, one of the most popular places in my adopted country, is the Quiraing. This mountain range that hides thousands of shades of green in its grass, its moss and its rocks is one of those corners that make you doubt if you are awake or if you have sneaked into a fantasy movie like “ The Lord of the Rings ”. And it is that the Quiraing of the Isle of Skye shouts from the rooftops that it is from Middle-earth… although it is very far from New Zealand where the films based on JRR Tolkien's novels were filmed.
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| Quiraing Isle of Skye |
In recent years, this place with landscapes as formidable as those of the Old Man of Storr has become a true "must" to see on the Isle of Skye and is ideal if you want to do some hiking without too many complications. So, as always, relax and keep reading because I am going to detail how to visit and what to see in the Quiraing, one of the most surprising corners of the Trotternish peninsula that deserves to be discovered slowly and with as many breaks as you want. to take loads of photos. Not for nothing is it one of the top 10 places to walk on the Isle of Skye.
What is and where is the Quiraing?
Although it may not seem like it at first glance (if you are not a geologist), the Quiraing is a landslide on the east face of Meall na Suiramach, the northernmost peak of the Trotternish Mountains, on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. At its highest point it is 543 meters high and it is one of the most magical landscapes in the entire country. A place where folds of land have given rise to undulations, lakes and rock
formations that only a genius could have imagined.
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| Quiraing Isle of Skye |
The environment is so mystical that some of its most characteristic formations have very particular names. The Needle ("the needle") is a 37-meter-high pinnacle, testimony to the landslides. To the northwest The Table is a relatively flat grassy area with a spectacular view of the Torridon area and the Wester Ross Mountains (the same ones we saw on our North Coast 500 Route ). There is also a place called The Prison (“the jail”) and that has a pyramidal shape that, depending on where you look at it, may remind you of a medieval fortress.
The place is full of hiking trails and deserves to be enjoyed calmly. If you walk away from the car park and take your time, this beautiful place on the Isle of Skye will more than reward you.
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| Quiraing Isle of Skye |
How was the Quiraing formed?
The entire range of the Trotternish Mountains was formed as a series of landslides. The Quiraing is the only part that keeps moving… even if you don't notice it. Apparently every year the authorities have to repair the road at their base near Flodigarry.
What does "Quiraing" mean?
Quiraing's name comes from the Gaelic “ A' Chuith-raing ” which, in turn, comes from Old Norwegian “ Kví Rand ”, meaning “Round Fold”. It is the name that the Scandinavian settlers gave to this curious natural formation.