Isle of Skye Travel Guide
Skye is the showpiece of Scotland’s beautiful islands, a place of black Cuillin peaks, sea cliffs, green glens and a coastline that seems determined to outdo itself at every turn. It is now justifiably famous, which is both its gift and its curse, because the crowds have followed the reputation. A little planning turns the hoardes into a minor detail and leaves you with one of the best landscapes in the whole of Britain. These are the practical essentials I carry with me from many visits.
Getting There
Most people drive over the Skye Bridge from the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh, which is quick, easy and toll free since the long campaign against the charge succeeded. The alternative, the small ferry from Mallaig to Armadale in the south, is more scenic and makes a lovely relaxed way to arrive with a vehicle, crossing the waters between the islands on a proper sea crossing. The nearest rail stations are Kyle of Lochalsh, on a famous dead end branch line with a genuinely stunning approach through the mountains, and Mallaig further north. Once you are on the island, a car or camper van is the practical way to reach the far flung western viewpoints that define the place, because public transport is thin away from the main routes.
Where to Stay
Portree is the main town, its harbour pretty enough to grace the postcards, with the widest choice of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and the biggest buzz in the evenings. For convenience to the north, consider Staffin or Uig, which put you a short drive from the Quiraing, the Old Man and the northern coastline. Carbost on the west, by the Talisker distillery, makes a quieter base near the Fairy Pools. Camping and camper vans are hugely popular but the wild places get busy and the rules are strict; book proper campsites ahead and check the byelaws before you park overnight anywhere, because the island enforces the tight restrictions on wild camping seriously.
The Big Sights and the Crowd Reality
The Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and the Fairy Pools are the trinity that everyone comes for, and they are genuinely magnificent, worthy of every inch of their fame. The honest advice, learned from my own early queues, is to get to each one by early morning or late afternoon, when both the light and the crowds behave and the car parks still have spaces. The parking at these three sites is small and fills fast in summer, so plan around that. The Cuillin Ridge, hard going for experienced mountaineers only, gives the wildly dramatic black backdrop that defines the island, and even non climbers should stop at Sligachan and Glen Brittle to drink in the view.
Beyond the Famous Three
Skye has a great deal beyond the headline acts, and the quieter corners often reward the most. Dunvegan Castle offers gardens, seal-spotting boat trips and the long spell of clan history. Neist Point gives a grand clifftop lighthouse walk with unforgettable sunsets. The Talisker distillery pours its famous smoky single malt from the western shore, and the town of Carbost around it is worth a stop. Portree harbour is lovely for a stroll and a seafood supper, and there are peaceful sea lochs, waterfalls and quiet fishing villages to find all over the island, away from the crowds.
Midges and Weather
The two things to plan around are the midges and the weather, and whining about either will not help because both are part of the deal. Midges, the tiny biting flies, are fierce in warm, still, damp conditions, mainly in the height of summer and the calm evenings and dawns, and a proper repellent plus, if you are sensitive, a head net make an enormous difference to comfort. The weather is fast moving and changes gear hourly, so pack layers and a genuinely waterproof shell and wear them everywhere; even the famous sites stay grand in the wet, and the rain rarely spoils the drama, just the comfort and the photos.
Give It a Full Few Days
Skye deserves two or three days at the very least, and ideally more, and attempting it as a rushed day trip from the mainland is a genuine mistake. The distances are shorter than they look on a map, but the sites deserve unhurried visits and the weather may happily reshuffle your whole plan. Time your visits to the famous sights for the calm, early hours, keep a flexible, loose schedule around the forecast, and leave room for the moments when the sun finally breaks over the Cuillin. That is when the island truly shows why it has stolen the hearts of so many travellers, and why they keep coming back.
