Broadford
ExpressBy Colin Hogarth
Leave the car park, cross the main street through Broadford and head for the junction of the A87 and B8083, next to a hotel. Follow the B8083 south out of the village. The road crosses open moor, a large forest plantation to the right.
A kilometre from Broadford, leave the road and take an obvious, well surfaced path on the left. This leads up to the trackbed of the former railway that was used to transport marble from the quarries at Kilbride to Broadford Pier. The path curves right and heads south-west over open moor, running level round the hillside.
Further on the way curves sharp right and then left and continues along the lower slopes of Ben Suardal to the crofting community of Suardal. Here the path reaches a junction. Go left here and the way rises gently to another junction half a kilometre on, a track on the right descending over grazing land to join the public road below. To reach the lower marble quarries, carry straight on. The walk follows a steep incline through a gate and up to the higher quarries where there are various remains of this rural industry, including a stone turntable used to marshal railway wagons.
Sporadic extraction of low quality Brucite marble was undertaken from the mid-18th century on the island but it was not until the early 20th century that the industry found a more professional footing. Skye Marble was established in August 1907 to develop the quarries at Kilbride. Three years earlier a new pier at Broadford opened, putting in place vital infrastructure for such an enterprise.
At least £20,000 was initially invested in the new venture. A four-mile long 3ft gauge railway was built from the pier, on the west side of Broadford Bay, to the quarries and a processing works, housing the most modern marble cutting and polishing equipment, was constructed at Kilchrist, below the quarries.
The date of the railway’s opening is uncertain. One account suggests a rope-way was used ahead of the line opening in 1910. Construction of the railway was certainly underway in 1908 and in November 1910, Skye Marble Ltd acquired a small tank engine which was named Skylark. A number of small wood wagons were also purchased. The train was known locally as the ‘Broadford Express’.
Early on the business hit problems and the veins of pure marble were quickly exhausted. In 1913 Skye Marble Ltd went into voluntary liquidation and the assets were sold. The quarries re-opened briefly during the 1930s.
Return to the track junction just north of the lower quarries, turn left and follow the grassy track down to the road, passing the ruins of the Kilchrist processing works just before the tarmac is reached. Turn left at the bottom to take the short detour to the delightful ruined church and graveyard at Cill Chriosd where there is a useful interpretation board giving details of the quarry industry and including a colourful artist’s impression of the old train.
From the church, head north-east along the road and follow it back through Strath Suardal to Broadford.
Distance 6 miles/10km.
Map OS Landranger sheet 32.
Start/parking Public car park at Broadford Bay, Broadford, grid ref NG 641235.
Grading An easy, fairly level route along good tracks and a single track road.
