If you take the A855 Portree to Staffin road out of Portree, you will go past the Storr Rock and you will after travelling a further five miles or so come to a lay by near a gorge and a sign pointing off to the left to the little community of Lealt. There is a lot more to this area than first meets the eye, and it is all to do with microsopic algae called diatomite which was once extracted from the lonely and desolate Loch Cuithir up on the moors overlooking Lealt.
There now follows an extract from the Encyclopaedia Britannica DVD which will bring you up to speed on the subject of Diatomite:
"The diatoms have played
an important role in industrial development during the 20th century.
The frustules, or cell walls, of diatoms (class Bacillariophyceae)
are made of opaline silica and contain many fine pores. Occasionally,
large quantities of frustules are deposited in ocean sediments,
and the fossilized remains are called diatomite. When geologic
uplifting brings these deposits above sea level, the diatomite
is easily mined. Diatomite contains approximately 50 million diatom
frustules per cubic inch. The deposit at Lompoc, Calif., U.S.,
for example, covers 13 square kilometres (5 square miles) and
is up to 425 metres (1,400 feet) deep.
Diatomite is relatively inert. It has a high absorptive capacity,
large surface area, low bulk density, and relatively low abrasion.
It consists of approximately 90 percent silica, and the remainder
consists of compounds such as aluminum and iron oxides. The fine
pores in the frustules make it an excellent filtering material
for beverages (fruit juices, soft drinks, beer, wine), chemicals
(sodium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, gold salts), industrial oils
(those used as lubricants or in rolling mills or for cutting),
cooking oils (vegetable and animal), sugars (cane, beet, corn),
water supplies (municipal, swimming pool, waste, boiler), varnishes,
lacquers, jet fuels, and antibiotics, to name a few. The low abrasive
properties make it suitable for use in toothpaste, "nonabrasive"
cleansers, polishes (silver, automobile), and buffing compounds.
Diatomite is widely used as a filler and extender in paint, paper,
and rubber and plastic products; the gloss and sheen of "flat"
paints can be controlled using diatomite. During the manufacture
of plastic bags, diatomite is added to the newly formed sheets
to act as an antiblocking agent so that the plastic (polyethylene)
can be rolled while it is still hot. Because diatomite can absorb
approximately 2.5 times its weight in water, it also makes an
excellent anticaking carrier for powders used to dust roses or
for cleansers used to clean rugs. Diatomite is also used in making
welding rods, battery boxes, concrete, explosives, and animal
foods."
So now you know. The diatomite was extracted from Loch Cuithir. This loch can be reached (if you are mad enough) by taking the road to Lealt and then continuing beyond the community. The road swiftly becomes a very decrepit and rough track which is deteriorating year by year. It is still possible to get up there if you drive a 4x4, but in an ordinary car you stand a good chance of coming home minus the exhaust pipe and possibly with the oil sump as bent as a masonic copper unless you are very careful indeed. It is possible of course to walk from Lealt to the loch, but it is at least three miles each way.
When the enterprise was operating, a light railway connected the loch with a processing plant on the shore, of which more below:
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An interesting walk, if you have a head for heights and you are sure footed, is to leave your car in the lay by by the main road and to walk towards the sea remaining on the left hand side of the gorge and keeping on the high ground next to an old quarry. Eventually you will come to what appears to be the edge of the cliff.
Perseverance however will reveal a steep and vertiginous path leading to the shore. There you will find the remains of the factory where the diatomite was processed and from here it was exported by sea.
The industry finally came to an end between the two world wars. In the 1960s a feasibility study was undertaken with a view to reviving the industry, but nothing came of it.
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| The Lealt river waterfall. The sea is behind me. The pool at the base of the fall is deep and the river, although only a few hundred yards from the waterfall to the sea, is a salmon river. I don't like fishing there. Ever present is the danger of those above dislodging rocks onto you as you fish below. |
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If you want to read MacCulloch's 1905 account of the diatomite industry, which is a large download (approx 662kb) click here.
Copyright © Gareth Boote 2000