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 View Across Kyleakin Harbour with the Skye Bridge in the Background |
Kyleakin was once the gateway to Skye. Until 1995 the ferries that ran back and forth across the narrows of Kyle Akin from Kyle of Lochalsh used to land at the slipway at the east end of the village. As a result Kyleakin was always a busy place, and at times it could be a crowded one.
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Everything changed with the opening of the Skye Bridge: and the end of the ferry service. The bridge now comes ashore a little west of Kyleakin, and visitors only come to the village if they positively choose to do so. As a result, Kyleakin is a quieter and very much more attractive place than it used to be.
 South Side of the Harbour |
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 Dun-Caan Independent Hostel |
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 Kyleakin International Hostel |
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 Church |
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 The Kings Arms Hotel & Restaurant |
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Nowadays the old ferry slipway is simply the end of the road, and has a slightly closed-off and forlorn air. Much more attractive is the harbour that shelters in the arm of land carrying the road leading to the slipway, under the protective gaze of the ruins of Caisteal Maol.
Caisteal Maol is Kyleakin's own castle, the stumpy remains of a keep built in the 1400s. Not much is left of it today, parts of the ruin collapsed in 1949, and there was another collapse in 1989: what is left has been consolidated and secured for the future. In 1951 repairs on the outer face of one of the castle walls revealed a hoard of coins hidden between two stones.
The castle was allegedly built for a Norse princess, popularly known as "Saucy Mary", who married a MacKinnon chief. Its location was intended to allow it to enforce tolls on vessels passing through Kyle Akin, an especially important route for those wishing to avoid the much longer and more exposed journey around the seaward side of Skye.
According to one story, the tolls were enforced by means of a chain stretched across Kyle Akin from the castle: though the practicalities of constructing and managing half a mile of chain suggest this may owe more to legend than fact.
Though Kyleakin has a history as old as its castle, most of what you see today dates back to a planned village created in 1811, forming, in most visitors' eyes at the time, the most attractive settlement on Skye. You can still see why.
The ferries have not entirely deserted Kyleakin. It is still possible, in Summer, for foot passengers to travel to the mainland by boat from the harbour. But most make the trip to Kyle of Lochalsh and its railway station by the frequent buses linking the two.
In recent years Kyleakin has tended to specialise in the backpackers' market, with a number of hostels in the village. These include an SYHA hostel, and the Kyleakin International Hostel overlooking the green in the centre of the village. This comes complete with striped sunblinds over every window. More south coast France than west coast Scotland, perhaps, but very attractive anyway.
Not far past the White Heather Hotel overlooking the harbour is a relatively new addition to the landscape in Kyleakin. This is the Bright Water Visitor Centre, celebrating the natural heritage of the area, and in particular the otters of the nearby island of Eilean Bàn, which now forms a stepping stone for the Skye Bridge.
The island was the home for a while of the naturalist and author Gavin Maxwell; though well before the bridge was built. It's hard to imagine he would be thrilled by the transformation of his island; despite the beauty of the bridge.
 Kyleakin Harbour |
