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Vriskaig Point Mine

Vriskaig Point, SE of Portree, Skye, Invernessshire.

Coal mine (19th century).

One of two coal mines opened by Lord MacDonald in the parish of Portree, c. 1800.

The entrance of this old mine, cut into a vertical rock face some 30' above sea level, is almost entirely obscured by falls of rock from the cliff above; the drift itself is filled almost completely with rubble. No buildings or other adjuncts survive... A number of experienced colliers were obtained but, owing to the thinness of the seam, its discontinuity and the great difficulty in mining the coal, the work was finally abandoned after repeated trials had been made to strike profitable seams. [Canmore]

Alternative Names: None recorded.

Notes: 'Coal Drift (dis)' labelled on present OS map, and 'Coal Mine (disused)' on 1882 OS map (see link) . Coordinates from Canmore (see link).

As well as being unusual by being one of the few coal mines in the Highland region, it is unconventional in that it extracted coal of Jurassic age (as opposed to Carboniferous coals in Central Scotland). However, the poorer quality / continuity of the seam relative to the coalfields elsewhere contributed to the short lifespan of the mine. Although similar in age to the commercial Middle Jurassic coalfield further east at Brora, the coals of interest on Skye were deposited in a separate depositional basin (Sea of the Hebrides) during the Aalenian, as opposed to the Inner Moray Firth during Bathonian-Callovian times.

See also: 'Braes Mine (The)' [6998]