Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye: Which Parts Are Worth the Drive

Skye is a large island - 50 miles long - connected to the Scottish mainland by bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. It has enough distinct landscape zones that a single visit struggles to cover them, and enough minor roads that navigation without a detailed map or offline GPS causes problems. Three days is a reasonable minimum. A week is not excessive if you like walking.

The Trotternish Ridge

The northeastern peninsula of Skye contains the island’s most distinctive geology - a long escarpment of landslip terrain where basalt has collapsed over older sedimentary rock, creating formations that don’t look entirely geological. The Old Man of Storr, 8km north of Portree, is a 50m basalt pinnacle at the escarpment’s southern end. The walk from the car park takes 45-60 minutes. The view on the descent is better than the approach.

The Quiraing, at the northern end of the ridge, is a longer and more complex version of the Storr landscape: a series of collapsed columns, grassy terraces, and rock pinnacles over a 2-3km walk that circuits the main features. The single-track road to the car park from Staffin involves passing places; go early to avoid meeting tour buses at the summit.

The Cuillin

The Black Cuillin is the main mountain range, a 12km horseshoe of gabbro ridges with 11 Munros (peaks above 914m). The traverse of the full ridge is considered the hardest mountaineering challenge in Britain - it requires roped climbing and takes experienced climbers two days. The majority of visitors do individual peaks or lower walks into the corries.

The Fairy Pools on the western side of the Cuillin (signposted from the B8009 at Carbost) are a series of linked pools and short waterfalls at the base of the mountains. The approach walk is 3.5km return from the car park. The water is clear and cold; swimming is possible in summer. The site is heavily visited in summer - the car park fills by 10:00 on clear days.

Dunvegan Castle

The MacLeod clan’s seat on the western coast, occupied continuously since the 13th century and the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland. The interior is open to visitors (entry approximately GBP 15) and includes the Fairy Flag - a silk textile of eastern Mediterranean origin whose arrival on the island is unexplained and around which considerable mythology has accumulated. The castle gardens overlook Loch Dunvegan and run to the shoreline where boat trips visit a grey seal colony.

Eating

The Three Chimneys at Colbost (Michelin-starred since 2004, set menus around GBP 90-130 per person for dinner) requires booking months ahead. For less elaborate food, the Stein Inn at Waternish is the oldest inn on Skye (1790s), serves local seafood and decent whisky, and has tables overlooking the loch. Portree’s harbour has several restaurants; the Café Arriba on Quay Street is reliably good for lunch.

Skye has a distillery - the Isle of Skye Distillery in Portree, opened 2017 - with tours and a bar. Talisker, the more established single malt associated with Skye, is distilled at Carbost on the southern Minginish peninsula; distillery tours there run GBP 15 and include a dram.

Practical notes

Rain is frequent year-round. Waterproofs are not optional. Midges (biting insects the size of a full stop) are severe from May through September in still, humid conditions, particularly at dawn and dusk in sheltered areas. Midge repellent with DEET is effective; midges cannot fly in wind above about 7mph. The roads in the northwest of the island are largely single-track. The ferry from Mallaig to Armadale (foot passengers: GBP 4, cars: GBP 24) gives an alternative approach from the south and is more scenic than the bridge crossing.