A place like no other
The Postman’s Path symbolises Rhenigidale’s rich and tempestuous history. Until 1990, when settlement became the last place in Britain to be connected by road, the Postman’s Path was one of the main access routes to the village.
In the 1970s and 1980s, local postman Kenny Mackay who still lives in the village, tramped the steep and winding path to Urgha and back three times a week with the post. Essential supplies were brought in by boat from Scalpay or sometimes from Maraig on the shores of Loch Seaforth.
When work began on the Rhenigidale road in 1989 it marked the triumph of a 60-year campaign by local residents. A place that had been settled with difficulty by crofters cleared from land on the west coast of Harris was saved from the same fate as St Kilda and countless other abandoned settlements on the Outer Hebrides. Subsequently, Rhenigidale was incorporated in the community-owned North Harris Estate. Learn more
A walk back in history
Today, the Postman’s Path is a popular walking route. The starting point is a few minutes’ walk from Sith-Phort. As well as offering spectacular views on to Loch Trolamaraig, the Shiant Islands and Skye, the path is a trip back in time. A little beyond the starting point on the outskirts of Rhenigidale, you come upon the abandoned village of Gearraidh Lotaigear, which was inhabited until the 1970s with a shop on the shoreline. Further on, a subsidiary path leads to Molingeanais, another abandoned village. It lies in a beautiful sea-scoured bay, and two of the houses has been restored.