Pink Carpet at Salt Marsh
Every year the sea thrift forms a glorious carpet of pink flowers over the Salt Marsh. Twice a day the tide floods the land around An t-Ob forming one of the largest Salt marshes on Skye. Specialised plants such as sea thrift, sea aster and sea milkwort manage to survive the extreme conditions of sea immersion. The Salt Marsh provide a rich feeding and roosting site for migrant waders and wildfowl such as greylag geese, and a permanent home for many birds such as herons and redshank. Otters can be spotted here and deer can be seen in the woodland above An t-Ob during the winter.
Ceum na Corraich-Salainn An Crodh air ais:20 an Lu\nasdal 1723 
Drovers and their cattle are gathering again on the flat pasture land by Kyleakin's river - An t-Ob (a Gaelic name meaning "inlet" or "creek"). They have come from all over Skye, and await a slack tide for crossing the narrows in the traditional manner. The cattle swim across the lines of five tied together, head to tail, with over a 100 cows crossing each day. They are heading South for market in the LowLands and Crieff where prices are rumoured to be good again this year.
"New Liverpool" In Kyleakin
In 1811 Lord MacDonald, landowner of Kyleakin, had grandiose plans to rebuild the village as a commercial and industrial centre referred to as "New Liverpool". His ambitious proposal was never realised.
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Copyright (c) Ray Shields, 2006.
Most recent revision, 11 September 2006