Skye is full of great stories but the legend of Sligachan Bridge is definitely one of my favourites. The tale starts with Scotland’s most fierce female warrior, Scáthach. It is believed that she lived in Dunscaith Castle in Tokavaig on the south of the island. Scáthach was extremely tough and could beat any man in battle. Rumours soon began to spread about her greatness and it was only a matter of time before she was challenged by renowned Irish warrior, Cú Chulainn. Determined to prove his strength, he set sail to Skye to defeat Scáthach. He aimed to crush her, proving his strength to all of the doubters.  Although he was half god with the strength of a thousand elephants, the pair were evenly matched and a fierce fight raged for weeks. The two warriors were so strong that their crushing blows caused the whole landscape to change. The earth shook as valleys were created and mountains were formed. It soon became clear the battle would not end until one of them died. Scáthach’s daughter was distraught, seeing no way that her mother could win the fight. She fled and ran to the Sligachan River. Here she emptied herself of tears whilst pleading for the fighting to stop.  Unbeknownst to her, the water acts as a gateway between our world and the faerie world. Her cries were so passionate that the magical sprites decided to help her. They commanded that the daughter dip her head below the surface of the water for 7 seconds to discover how she could stop the violence. She did as requested of her and emerged from the river enlightened. Legend has it that the beauty of Scáthach’s daughter and the tears of love she shed in the river, meaning that anyone brave enough to dip their face in the water will be granted eternal beauty by the faeries. source: wingingtheworld.com #isleofskye #scotland #legend #myth #fairies #andythehighlander #highlandertours #scottish #folklore #andythehighlander #skye #outlander #sligachan #sligachanbridge