Fairy Glen


(Faerie Glen)

A remarkable landscape at the heart of the Trotternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye, the Fairy Glen (or Faerie Glen) is situated at Balnaknock on the south side of Glen Uig, a mile (1.8 km) east southeast of the village of Uig. Popular with tourists, the undulating terrain has an otherworldly feel and comprises grass-covered cone-shaped hillocks beneath the cliffs of the Trotternish plateau. This is the site of a series of ancient landslides, although smaller than The Quirang, which lies on the opposite side of the peninsula, 4½ miles (7 km) to the north northeast. Soft Jurassic sedimentary rocks have been eroded resulting in unstable slopes which have collapsed along horizontal bedding planes beneath heavy blocks of Tertiary lava above. Amongst this landscape is Castle Ewen, a stack capped with basalt lava which represents a remnant of the basalt plateau lying to the south.

Tourists have added rock sculptures and a stone spiral. Fairy Glen featured as a backdrop in the film Stardust (2007).


Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry arrow

If you have found this information useful please consider making
a donation to help maintain and improve this resource. More info...

By using our site you agree to accept cookies, which help us serve you better