Quirang, Isle of Skye

The strange rock formations were created by volcanic activity some 70 million years ago. Huge flows of lava welled out of fissures and covered many square miles. The lava cooled into basalt; its weight proved too great for the softer, more plastic Jurassic rock below, which cracked and slipped. The Quirang landslip is the largest in Britain.

As you cross the slope from the mountain road, wheatears and meadow pipits flit overhead. A large variety of alpine and rock plants brighten the rocky slopes, including moss campion, mossy saxifrage and roseroot. Soon, you come to the Prison, a mass of castellated rocks that look like a fortress. There is a narrow path into its confines if you wish to explore the natural gaol.

Nearby is the Needle, a stack of rock some 120 feet (37 metres) high. Its sheer sides are inaccessible to all but the most skilled climbers and to ravens, whose deep, croaking calls sometimes reverberate from the crags. Scramble a short scree slope beside the Needle into a high grassy valley, with vertical rock faces to the left and huge heather clad rocky outcrops to the right.

The route climbs steadily above the cliffs of Quirang, on the moorland slopes below the summit of Meall na Suiramach. There are wonderful views from here. Dark blue lochans dot the lower slopes. Further down are the bright green fields of the crofts around Staffin, and beyond is a lovely sandy bay. In the distance are the island of South Rona and the mountains of Wester Ross.

Nearby is one of the Quirang's best known rock formations. The Table, a grassy oval field, the size of a football pitch, is surrounded by towers and pinnacles of rock. The Table was used in the past for hiding local farmsteads cattle from raiders.

In modern times, the Table has provided an excellent venue for playing shinty, a game similar to hockey. It was also used for a famous commercial - a car sits in the middle of this impossible landscape, posing the question "How did it get there?". In reality of course, it was dropped in by helicopter. And retrieved the same way on completion of the promotion work.

The final section of the walk retraces your steps back to the car parking area. Note this area can become busy in the summer and in recent years over-parking has caused serious problems so do plan your visit with consideration.