Being a hilly place with lots of rain, one can reasonably expect Skye to have a large number of rivers. As it happens, because Skye isn't all that big, and mostly slopes quite steeply, the natural drainage tends to take the form of many small gushing streams (called burns here) rather than wide lazy rivers. At times of heavy rainfall, water levels can rise quickly and dramatically. Here, as an example, are two pictures of our local burn (which is actually called a river...) taken from about the same vantage point...
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| Roskhill River - at a trickle... |
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| ... and in spate |
Often, the burns cascade over exposed bedrock and 'rapids', and some occasionally plunge over precipices in the form of waterfalls. Some of Skye's most dramatic waterfalls occur at the coast, where burns throw themselves over the cliffs to the sea below. These can be even more dramatic in a storm when the wind blowing the falling water back over the clifftop creates an upside-down waterfall! Unfortunately, most of the coastal falls can only be seen from afar, or from the sea itself. The majority of our inland falls are relatively small affairs. Here's a few from my photo archive...
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| River Logasdal - and some of the best coastal scenery on Skye - Duirinish |
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| Allt Mhicheil, Duirinish - would look amazing when in spate! |
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| Allt Mainnir nan Gobhar, Waternish |
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| Over the Edge - I am standing IN the burn at the top of a cascade into the sea below |
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| Dibidal River, Duirinish |
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| Dibidal River reaches the sea |
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| Red Burn, Greshornish |
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| Ramasaig Bay |
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| Allt Coir' a' Mhadaidh - Skye's infamous Fairy Pools river |
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| At 80 feet - Skye's highest inland fall - Eas Mor, in Allt Coire na Banachdich |
