Coral Beach

Skye doesn’t have many beaches, but this is a gilded treasure, a ribbon of white sand kissed by turquoise sea and shouldered by an impressive hump of heather and rock. Coral Beach* is found at the end of the single-track road running north out of Dunvegan and past its much-visited castle. From the small car park and through the kissing gate a clear, easy-going path runs parallel to Loch Dunvegan, a tapering sea loch well-populated with common and grey seal and a richness of seabirds. The path rises to a promontory, revealing the bounty of Coral Beach ahead. A short walk across a field and you’re on the sand, waves gently lapping at your feet. Climbing to the top of the hump is worth the short effort, as it brings into play the small isles of Mingay and Islay, Loch Schnizort and the Waternish headland, in a symphony of blues, greens and russet. Altogether, it’s a vantage point as jaw-dropping and multi-faceted as any to be had on Skye.