Neist Point and Lighthouse
A short walk from the road end, down the steep steps, leads to the lighthouse, which was built in 1909 and fully automated in 1990.
The lighthouse tower is 62 feet high and stands 142 feet above sea-level. The light from the tower is equal to 480,000 candles and can be seen from up to 24 miles away.
The lighthouse itself is unmanned and owned by the Northern Lighthouse Board.
Neist Point (pronounced 'Neest') is renowned for its rock formations, which are closely akin to those at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. It is said that the causeway extends under the sea from Northern Ireland to the Isle of Skye. For details of the walk down to Neist Point to explore the causeway click here.
The Lighthouse and Rock Formations at Neist.
Neist Point Lighthouse.
The most Westerly point on the Isle of Skye, giving excellent views over Moonen Bay to Waterstein Head (pictured) and out over the Minch to the Western Isles.
Waterstein Head & Moonen Bay.
The point is regarded as the best place on Skye to see whales, dolphins, porpoises and basking shark. The sea around the point is teeming with sea-birds including gannets, black guillemots, razorbills and shags.
The causeway at the tip of Neist Point is home to several species of rare and unusual plant, including alpine plants such as saxifrages.
The sheltered bays of Neist Point are also excellent places to fish, with fourteen species of fish being caught in Moonen Bay.
A furore erupted in 2002 when a former owner of the Lighthouse Cottages installed a toll booth at the Neist Point Car Park and began charging for access to the Point. After a concerted campaign by locals, the illegal charging stopped and the cottages were sold on.
The Lighthouse Cottages, together with the small enclosed area around them, are now owned by Jane Corfield, a reputed millionairess from England.
The remainder of the land on Neist Point belongs to Glendale Estate and forms part of the common grazings for the township of Waterstein.
Neist Point was used as the dramatic setting for a number of scenes in the movie Breaking The Waves in 1996, starring Emily Watson. A mock cemetery was constructed for the scenes, which remained for several years afterwards.