SAFETY works near Lealt gorge have been completed ahead of the busy summer season. Overgrown willow scrub trees and bushes were cut back by Staffin Community Trust to help improve road and pedestrian safety at the popular beauty spot.
SCT built the wooden and steel viewing platform at Lealt in 2018 and a new upper car park, as part of its heritage project, the Skye Ecomuseum. SCT had observed the growth of bushes in recent years, as shown in the photo below from last spring, and had begun to obscure sightlines of the bend on the main A855 road across the river.
With the roads set to get busier as the days lengthen SCT employed local landscaping and fencing contractor Euan MacArthur who did an excellent job cutting back the scrub and tidying up the site.
The car park is one-way and it is important visibility is maintained for drivers, particularly as they are leaving the car park and looking south and north on the A855. The 'after' photo below shows how sightlines have been improved significantly thanks to Euan's work. It comes after SCT's contractor Brian Irving repaired the damaged low-lying timber fence, which separates the lower car park from the A855, last summer. It ensures vehicles do not park on the verge and visibility is kept clear for traffic.
SCT has donation boxes at the platform and uses the proceeds to make a contribution towards the site's costs such as repairs and insurance.
The viewing platform provides commanding views of two waterfalls, the Trotternish Ridge and across to Wester Ross.