Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Ambitious construction begins on Skye gorge viewing platform

The project is a new phase of Staffin Community Trust’s Skye Ecomuseum scheme and  will also include contruction of a new 20-vehicle car park
The project is a new phase of Staffin Community Trust’s Skye Ecomuseum scheme and will also include contruction of a new 20-vehicle car park

The ambitious construction of a new viewing platform park and car park at a Skye gorge begins today.

Part of a major community-led heritage development, the works at Lealt Gorge in Staffin represents a significant infrastructure investment for the island, which has seen an unprecedented rise in tourists in recent years, putting several scenic spots under serious pressure.

The project is a new phase of Staffin Community Trust’s (SCT) Skye Ecomuseum scheme, which also a wide-ranging events programme.

The viewing platform will provide commanding views of two waterfalls, the Trotternish Ridge and across to Wester Ross. A new 20-vehicle car park will also be built.

Geoff Freedman, an award-winning engineer, has designed the steel and timber platform. Based in Lothian, he is the former head of design for buildings and bridges at the Forestry Commission.

Inverness firm MacDonald Contracting, a specialist in erecting timber and steel structures and bridges, will carry out the work.

The firm has worked across Scotland in other sensitive locations, including nature reserves, the Cairngorms National Park and woodlands.

The ecomuseum was first opened in Staffin a decade ago. It is an outdoor museum with ‘no walls and a roofless sky’ and includes a footpath network across Staffin, interpretation and parking.

SCT believes the sensitively designed attraction will showcase Trotternish’s landscape all-year round and help local businesses.

SCT will also build a new 20-space car park to cater for the expected public demand to visit the platform.

An economic report estimated that the Staffin economy would be boosted by an additional visitor spend of £165,000 in the first year of the ecomuseum project’s delivery.

SCT chairman Sandy Ogilvie said: “The construction of the new platform and car park at Lealt Falls places this project and the wider developments of the Skye Ecomuseum firmly on the map as both a site and physical experience of national significance.”

The current phase of the project has been backed with £668,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Coastal Communities Fund and SSE Sustainable Development.

It means access to the popular site and existing car park, off the A855 Staffin-Portree road, will be closed to the public for four weeks.