Today's destination was the Coral Beaches at Claigan. Once again the weather was going to be "iffy" in the morning but with fine weather predicted later in the day so we hoped that by the time we had driven out through Dunvegan again and up the winding track towards Claigan that any rain would have moved on. We chose this particular walk because there was a marked path and my hiking boots were still not dry so I was wearing my running shoes which were not designed for anything too demanding underfoot. (Of course, on Skye a marked path means you can see where you're going, it doesn't necessarily mean it's either level or dry!)

We were not the only ones who had picked the Coral Beaches as a good walking choice and there were already several cars in the car park when we arrived. It was a bit dismal and windy but we were optimistic that the day would improve as it had on previous days. Passing through a gate at the end of the car park we headed down the track, which was rocky and a tad wet but overall fairly easy going.

Shortly after the rain came down but fortunately didn't last too long, but while it did last I was trudging along with hood up, head down, hands plunged deep in pockets and avoiding being lashed by the stinging rain. Alex was less fortunate as she had no hood and it was a miserable few minutes until the rain finally eased again.

Luckily, the rain clouds moved on and while it was still quite windy to begin with we ended up with blue skies and the whole area was transformed.

Lampay Island lies just off Coral Beaches (the coral is actually white shell sand) and can be reached at low tide by an exposed sandbar. As we arrived the crossing was still partly underwater but that did not prevent a couple of tourists splashing knee-deep in water for a while before giving up the attempt. It was only a question of waiting a while before it was fully exposed so we proceeded up the beach and the headland of Groban na Sgeire knowing that we could cross over to the island on our way back. We made the short climb to the highest point on the headland from where we could see across Loch Dunvegan all the way around to Lovaig Bay, as well as Duirnish to the east and Waternish to the west. The wind didn't let up at all but at least we had seen the last of the rain.

It was an experience walking across the tidal bar to Lampay Island; walking on masses of seaweed lying on a bed of pebbles requires a certain technique as it is incredibly slippery. It's also a very weird sensation as it crunches underfoot (a bit like walking on giant-sized bubble-wrap) as the air bladders pop. The whole sandbar was also full of shells, many broken but some still whole and closed; Alex even saw some unidentified mollusk in its shell moving across the sand. Beaches are definitely the most fascinating places!

After successfully crossing to the island, the sandbar by now being several metres across, we climbed over more seaweed and fist-sized pebbles to stand on the island proper. We didn't stay long as the terrain was quite rugged, instead we crossed back over the sandbar and started on the return leg.

By the time we left the place was alive with visitors with more arriving all the time. It's definitely one of the most popular walks on Skye, mainly because it involves no climbing and is quite easy to access. It's also a lovely bit of sandy beach.

Opting for a lazy afternoon we drove from Claigan to Broadford, where there is a 3G signal that can be picked up from the carpark of the Co-op, and spent a little time there while Alex caught up with her social networking, instagramming and email. I logged on to do some banking. With those important tasks completed (5 days without wi-fi or internet access is absolute torture believe me!) we drove home.