Scottish mountain rescue team warns Skye Trail hikers

Skye Mountain Rescue Team helped those undertaking the Skye Trail, a 126km expedition across the Isle, during poor weather, which had contributed to the incidents, but stressed that conditions were forecast and were not unusual for the area.

Walk Highlands describes the Skye Trail as a "serious undertaking", urging that it should not be compared with officially prepared routes like the West Highland Way. The trail has no waymarks, and many sections do not even have a path. The route includes a long ridge traverse - a very strenuous journey with no easy escape routes - while other sections cross burns which become impassable when in spate.

The site adds that "this walk should be left to the more experienced who can judge the conditions for themselves and are competent with a paper map and compass."

"This walk should be left to the more experienced who can judge the conditions for themselves." (Image: Skye Mountain Rescue Team SCIO)

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In a social-media post on Saturday, Skye Mountain Rescue Team said: “Yesterday our team assisted 20 people, across a number of separate incidents, who found themselves in difficulty while undertaking the Skye Trail.

“It was one of the busiest days the team can remember. From 7am until 8pm we were responding to incidents, at times dealing with several at once and with everyone available committed. And, as we write this today, the team has already received another call for assistance.”

The team said the incidents raised questions about whether walkers understood the nature of the route, particularly where it is marketed as part of organised or self-guided holidays.

It added: “The word ‘trail’ can suggest a defined or established route similar to other long-distance trails. The reality can be very different. This is a journey through serious, remote and challenging terrain, with sections where there may be no obvious path to follow.”

"This is a journey through serious, remote and challenging terrain, with sections where there may be no obvious path to follow.” (Image: Skye Mountain Rescue Team SCIO)

The rescuers warned against relying solely on phones, GPS devices and hiking apps, saying a route displayed as a “clear line on a screen” could create a false sense of certainty in terrain where paths may be faint or absent.

“Being provided with a route does not remove the need to be able to navigate independently, understand the terrain, assess the weather and make your own decisions about whether it is safe to continue,” the post said.

The team urged people to take a paper map and compass, know how to use them, understand their route and potential escape options, and have an alternative plan if conditions deteriorate.

It also advised walkers to check a specialist mountain forecast, such as the Mountain Weather Information Service, before setting out.

“Sometimes changing the plan, turning back or leaving it for another day is the best decision you can make,” the team said.

It stressed that the message was not intended as criticism of those it had assisted, acknowledging that things could still go wrong despite careful preparation.

However, it said there should be a wider discussion about how the Skye Trail is “named, described, promoted and sold”, and whether those taking it on are being properly prepared for the risks.

“We want people to come to Skye, enjoy our hills, undertake the Skye Trail and have great adventures,” the team added. “We’d just much rather you had a fantastic time and we never had to meet.”