Isle of Skye

One of the strange mountains of the Trotternish ridge, the Quiraing

The north of Trotternish peninsula : Rubha Hunish

The isle of Skye, the biggest of the inner Hebrides, is also one of the easiest to reach, there is a bridge since 1996 from Kyle of Lochalsh and this bridge is now free. The landscapes of the isle of Skye are numerous, from the fantastic Black Cuillins to the particular geological patterns like the old man of Storr and Kilt Rock. The isle is also a gaelic culture stronghold and the spirit of Flora MacDonald and of "Bonny" Prince Charlie hover still in the air. Last, the isle of Skye is a very good spot for prying wild life (seals, otters, sea eagles,...). With all these trumps, tourism is a major ressource for Skye. The only problem with Skye is the weather, always inpredictable and mostly very wet. There is a good reason for Skye to be nicknamed the misty isle. One has to be extra careful when one goes hillwalking, especially in the Cuillins.

Map of Skye

The small village of Stein and its old pub on Waternish peninsula

General view of Portree from the road to Penifilar, Storr and its old man in the background

We present here a mix of our trips to the isle of Skye. We start at Portree, the capital and biggest city of Skye. This town offers many accomodations and shops including a real supermarket, a luxury in the highlands. Portree is a useful base for exploring the northern half of Skye.

Escaping the crowds of Dunvegan castle, pay a visit to the coral beaches, one of the MacLeod tables in the background

Near Neist point, a small loch and the sea

From Portree, the first place to go explore is Trotternish. Although its height is not as impressive as the height of the Cuillins, the geological patterns of Storr and its old man and of the Quiraing are quite interesting. When going north along the eastern coast, one can enjoy beautiful views of the island of Raasay and of the mountains of Wester Ross. If you are lucky, you will see the Outer Hebrides when you reaxh the north of the penisula.

Somewhere on the Western coast near Carbost

The Red Hills from the road of Elgol

Waternish is the wildest and less visited of Skye's peninsulas. Unfortunately, during our only trip there, the heavy clouds allowed us to see little more than Stein village. The main western tourist attraction is Dunvegan and mainly its castle, the castle of clan MacLeod and northward lies the coral beaches. Westward is Duirnish peninsula. Duirnish is not easy to go through, it is still wild and is a good place for hillwalking with MacLeod's tables and the high cliffs of Neist Point and the Hoe.

Neist point and its cliffs

View from Armadale Estate towards mainland Scotland

Elgol on a very clear day with wonderful views towards the Cuillins Hills

Next on the circle around Skye is Minginish. The road of the western coast is nice to drive on and is a good idea to use when the sun is playing hide and seek. The main settlement is Carbost with Talisker distillery. Going south one comes across the Cuillins and Glenbrittle, its black sand beach and the starting point of walks in the Cuillins hills. After the Black Cuillins, sharp and hostile, lie the Red Hills, these have gentler slopes and are round-toped. The small road of Elgol goes right and left through the Red Hills. Elgol and its magnificent view over the Black Cuillins and Eigg reward the difficulty of driving along the heavy traffic of the single track road.

Busy roads of Skye

At the end of the day, the clouds finally rise

The tour of Skye ends with Sleat peninsula nicknamed the garden of Skye. The main settlement is Armadale. Armadale is the ferry terminal from Mallaig. It harbours also the head of clan MacDonald. A bit off from the castle lies the clan MacDonald center. But the main reason to go visit Armadale estate is the visit of its gorgeous gardens and the park around. The beaches of Tarskavaig and Ord are on the north-west coast and are a lot less visited. By good weather one can have good views over the Cuillins and the small isles from these beaches. Nothing can be seen on a cloudy day, but there remains the quietness and a romantic atmosphere.

Skye lights

A wall somewhere on Skye but we cannot remember where

Some links:
Skye official website: www.skye.co.uk
Dunvegan Castle: www.dunvegancastle.com
Armadale Estate: www.clandonald.com
Kilmuir museum: www.skyemuseum.co.uk
Uig pottery: www.uigpottery.co.uk
Skye in focus: www.skyeinfocus.co.uk