Neist Point

This fingertip of land is Skye’s most westerly point. From the crest of the headland, long stretches of vast, black clifftops fall hundreds of feet to left and right, while ahead lies the end of land and the abandoned Neist Point lighthouse, a ruined, white sentry staring off to the Western Isles. The walk starts from a car park signed off the B884 from Dunvegan, and although the path down to the lighthouse is steep, it’s stepped and has handrails – and dazzling views across tumbling land to the endlessseeming ocean. Follow the fence around the lighthouse, and then head out to the jumble of rocks at the seafront. Here you may see a minke whale, as the great beasts regularly feed on mackerel in the shallows. The trek back up is more testing, but on a warm summer’s evening it’s hard to believe there could be a more intoxicating place to be.