After following the Elgol road from Broadford and crossing the river at the end of Loch Slapin, you then double back and you follow along the far side of the loch from the quarry on the way towards the village of Elgol.
Eventually, the road bends away from the loch and it starts to go inland. Shortly after the tiny village of Kilmarie you will find on the right hand side there is signposted a track to the lonely beach at Camasunary. The track is good, but the walk is long. I would think it is a little under three miles in each direction.
The track itself was made by the Army in 1968. I think the idea was to get mountain rescue vehicles nearer to the Black Cuillins. It was a cause of great controversy at the time because of the (as it turns out, minimal) environmental impact; and in those days environmentalism had not yet become trendy.
It still leaves open to debate the question of which is the most dangerous: the British Army at war or the British Army on a public relations exercise?
Descending to Camasunary and the beach
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It is possible to continue from Camasunary and walk all the way to Loch Coruisk itself. I would strongly advise against this. The track from Camasunary to Loch Coruisk is very hard going. At one point there is a feature known as "the Bad step" This is a vast slab of rock which goes straight across the path and into the sea. It can be traversed by walking along a narrow crack in the rock, but this is, in effect, a horizontal rock climb. People don't often fall off here. They only do it once, then they die.
The Bad Step from the sea: The walkers track (such as it is) follows along the margin of the grass and the rock by the shoreline until it is blocked by the vast slab of rock which descends across the path into the sea - the notorious Bad Step. To traverse the Bad Step you have to creep along the cracks in the rock slab.
Of course, if you have any sense you will avoid it altogether by taking the boat from Elgol and simply sailing round it. Ok, it is not awfully heroic, but I am still alive to write about it.
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In 1968, when the jeep track to Camasunary was built, the army proposed to dynamite the Bad Step to improve access for walkers. Public opinion was outraged and they were prevented.
A much better way of seeing Loch Coruisk, (and seeing Loch Coruisk, if the weather permits, river is a "must") is by taking a boat from Elgol. And when I first started going to Skye, the boat which took you out there was an open boat and obviously it would not sail when the weather was bad. Nowadays, the boat which does the trip is a much more powerful vessel and can operate in the circumstances is where the previous boat would not have attempted the journey.
There are two things to remember however. On Skye you are quite a way north and the weather can frequently be bad resulting in cancellation. Secondly, This trip is a popular trip and you'll be well advised to book in advance if you intend to go. Details and telephone numbers can be obtained at the tourist offices. You can also learn more by following this link. If you do book in advance, allow yourself a realistic amount of time to get to Elgol because much of the road from Broadford is single track with passing places.
Copyright © Gareth Boote 2007