Along the channel to Egnaig

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Start at the locked gate on the west side of the A861 between Glenuig and Kinlochmoidart at NM 673 744, OS Explorer Map 390.

This is a long, hard walk. At very high Spring tides you may get wet feet (but probably no worse) beyond the mine, so check the tides.

Park the car off the road and go past the gate and down the road to the sea.

The road goes across a tidal causeway to Shona Bheag but carry on along the shore westwards.

Keep watching the wall on your right and you will see a point where it rises over a small hump of rocks covered in grass. This marks the spoil removed from a small lead mine which the more adventurous will find, it only goes in a few metres before the tunnel is blocked by water.

Carry on along the high tide mark and eventually you will reach a ruined house called Aultigill. This was reputed to be the house of a customs officer who was here to stop smuggling.


Looking east along the North Channel near Aultigil

The path goes on along the forestry fence and eventually you reach Egnaig Bay where you will find a stile to cross the fence. Just up the hill is a ruined house which used to be occupied by two brothers called MacDougall.

About a hundred metres north of the house is a small cemetery with some children's graves in it.

Leaving the graves you take the best route you can to the woods on the west side and you find yourself in the old village of Eignaig, which means oak bay in Norse.

At the end of the village you can follow the village down towards the sea and find another stile to cross back onto the shore.

From here just follow the shore back to the causeway and the road.


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