Skye

What we’re doing

Our land on southern Skye comprises three adjoining estates – Sconser, Strathaird and Torrin. It includes most of the Red Cuillin hills and outliers to the main Black Cuillin ridge including Blà Bheinn.

We maintain many miles of paths that criss-cross this grand landscape. These include the main route up Blà Bheinn, the path from Sligachan to Loch Coruisk, and the trail from Elgol to Camasunary.

If you love walking or biking on Skye, please make a donation to our wild ways path appeal to enable us to continue this work.

We are gradually turning blocks of commercial Sitka spruce planting into native broadleaf woodland. We’re felling the spruce and replacing it with planted and regenerating native trees such as hazel, aspen and ash.

The farm at Strathaird has been under agriculture for possibly thousands of years. We're working with neighbours and local crofters to enhance the biodiversity on the farm. The farm also provides grazing and forage for local livestock.

We carry out beach cleans, litter picks and wildlife monitoring on Skye. This is some of the UK’s best wild land, home to wildlife such as the golden eagle, sea eagle, greenshank and otters. 

The best way to support our work on Skye is to donate to our Wild Woods Appeal, or become a member of the John Muir Trust.

About the land

• Includes many protected sites for geology, peatlands, woodlands and golden eagles. This includes two Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) that give the highest level of protection under European law.

• People live and work on this land and have done for more than 6,000 years. Surveys have identified more than 300 archaeological sites. This includes some of the best-documented ancient settlements on the west coast of Scotland.

• The Red and Black Cuillin are the eroded roots of large volcanoes that were active 60 million years ago.