The 7 essential things to do on the island of Skye

Visit the island of Skye: what are the best things to do and see on this island of Scotland, the country of the Highlands and the proud Celtic peoples!

Parted a month in this territory of the famous Pictes and Scots, we are two friends who have visited the island of Skye and its region and we have prepared a report of our stay in the form of itineraries. We stopped by chance on the island of Skye and were charmed by its landscapes... Discover so « An t-Eilean Sgitheanach » (his Scottish name) and a little bit of the Hebrides on the "west coast" of Scotland!

1. En route for Eilean a’ Cheò : « the island of Brumes »

After visiting Edinburgh and Glasgow , we went to the island of Skye by bus, thus crossing the valley Glen Coe . At the sound of Gérard de Palmas, we discovered a green valley: "The wind in the trees, outside something is different, engraved in the marble, my memories, my feelings" ... After a brief stop in Fort William – and 8h bus – we finally arrive on the island – which also has its own tartan in Uig.

2. The Quiraing & Uig

Uig is a strange and original city name. As soon as we arrive, we deploy our tent to a lawn in full shape Uig Bay Caravan ' Camping . Really welcoming owners, who allowed us to stay an extra night for free, because they did not have a bank card reader and that the latter (ours) had not worked at the small (and unique) distributor of the “city” (composed of a pontoon and a pub).

The next day, we took a bus to get to Kilt Rock, a waterfall running directly into the sea. Staffin! After arriving, unfortunately, the waterfall was barely larger than a net of water: because of the poor precipitation of the previous days... But we were able to admire the "orgues", columns made of basalt! We then went to Flodigarry to taste fries hot houses in a roadside restaurant. On the way, we made a stop and were able to discover the interior landscapes of the Quiraing, as well as count the scattered sheep on the mountain flans around us. In the evening, on the Uig pontoon, together with two fishermen, we were surprised to see a well-dodu seal swim with indolence near the shore. Wonderful meeting!

See: An Corran, ruins dating from the Mesolithic near Staffin ( by clicking on this link You will have an idea of hiking).

3. The Trotternish & Portree

On the third day, we posted again on the road and degained our thumbs. Two cars stopped instantly and brought us to Portree. After we were installed at the Torvaig Caravan ' Camping , a few miles from the city centre of Portree, we visited the surroundings: colorful houses on the seaside, welcoming pubs and the Old Man of Storr, of course! A gigantic sleeping giant, a rock detached from the Trotternish volcanic chain.

See: Isle of Skye Music Festival (Portree).

4. Stop Broadford

Once again, we land on Broadford the next day. We are heading to the A87 towards Kyle of Lochalsh, looking for a campsite. We finally fall on a Scottish lady, who generously offers us to stay with her. So we spent the night in comfortable beds, with the pleasure of eating a home meal made by our host in our honor. Trish, if you read these lines, we hope you received our postcards from Italy, when we left there 🙂

5. The Sléite & Armadale peninsula the magnificent

Day 5: We are caught in a stop by a photographer who went to Armadale and decided to go where the wind will carry us. And what a discovery! It was our real heart attack during our visit to the island of Skye. The weather was exceptional, the breathtaking landscapes and the sea, almost etal, gave an unreal character to the coast. We spent the night in an eco-camping ( Rubha Phoil Eco Campsite ), located on a tiny peninsula, where we were able to find the perfect location for our tent: sea view, away from the eyes and surrounded by vegetation...

To see: the museum near the Armadale Castle, fief of the Donald clan; listen to Gaelic music in Skye festival in Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (Slèite/Sleat); Torabhaig distillery.

6. The Cuillin Hills

Unfortunately, we could not do everything on the island of Skye. The Highlands of Scotland called us and we wanted to continue our adventure towards Inverness and the Loch Ness, to reach the East Coast and Aberdeen.

To see: Talisker distillery near Carbost (especial for their single malt whisky); Fairy Pools during a hike from Glenbrittle .

7. The Waternish

Located in front of the Trotternish, only separated by the “Loch Snizort”, the landscapes remain as beautiful as the rest of the island...

See: Dunvegan Castel, fief des MacLeod since the 13th century (degustation: the drambuie a Scottish liquor produced by the clan).

How to get to Skye Island?

Skye Island is accessible by car, ferry and bus. The simplest access by car is by the bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh level. From Glasgow take the A82 and the A87. The route to be expected from about 4:15 and 4:30 from Edinburgh, or only 2 hours from Inverness. These times are only the journey time to the bridge. On the island it is necessary to plan another 1 hour drive to arrive in Portree.

The ideal is to rent a car. You can find really interesting rates on the comparison Rentalcars . The road trip on the A87 along Glen Shiel and Loch Cluanie is one of the most beautiful roads in Scotland.

You can also visit the island of Skye by ferry. Ferry departures are made from Mallaig and Armadale (30 minutes by ferry), as well as between the islands of the outer Hebrides (Harris and North Uist) and Uig (2 hours by ferry). These ferries are accessible to passengers on foot and cars. If you are on foot, you can reach Mallaig by train from Glasgow. To book your ferry for the island of Skye, you can visit the site DirectFerries .

Finally, if you want to take the bus to the island of Skye, there are direct lines from Glasgow, Inverness or Edinburgh towards Portree. Once in Portree, there are buses (maybe frequent) inside the island. Glasgow Direct Line in Portree (Line 915 or 916); Inverness Direct Line in Portree (line 917); From Edinburgh, take line 900 to Glasgow and take a match.

To find cheap flights to Edinburgh or Glasgow, you can search our partner's website Ulysses .

Where to stay on Skye Island?

To stay on the island of Skye, you will have understood that there are a multitude of choices of campsites and BELIB all over the island. When you arrive, you can stay in Portree which is the main city. If you have your rental car, you can quite radiate from Portree throughout the island. You can find a cheap hotel in Portree by looking for this Compare hotels .