The airstrip
December 2, 2007
While browsing the local newspaper, an item on the Ashaig airstrip caught my eye. Ashaig has the only available airstrip on the island however the last regular passenger flight service was in 1988. Now a number of improvement plans have been identified to bring the strip back to life. The plans vary from £11 million to £24 million to execute. According to the article, it was unlikely that air services to Skye will be introduced before 2012 - 2017.
We used the airstrip once, flying a Piper Saratoga from Holland to Skye. The local services are indeed very primitive and the tarmac of the runway is in very poor condition: holes everywhere, lettering and arrows hardly visible and the runway generally very bumpy. The flight to Skye was great with a custom clearance at Coventry airport. Especially spectacular was the approach to Skye: Cuillin in the afternoon sunshine, sparkling blue water and clear skies.
The return trip was pretty horrendous with very strong winds and rain. It was good that we had secured the plane with the concrete blocks which were available at the shed of the airstrip, otherwise the plane might have been blown away. Also, Scottish ATC let us fly above the clouds so once taken off, we were cleared from the bad weather.
Check out the Skye Map and drag the map so you have Broadford, just past the Skye bridge, in sight. The airstrip is just east of Broadford. I also dug up some pictures from that trip…
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