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First-Timer's Guide to the Isle of Skye

Isle of Skye guide

First-Timer's Guide to the Isle of Skye

A practical plan for your first trip to Skye: what is open in winter, whether to drive or take a tour, how many days to allow and where the Fairy Pools, the Storr, the Quiraing and Neist Point fit.

Skye is the largest of Scotland's Inner Hebrides, and it rewards a first visit with sea cliffs, ridges, waterfalls and a harbour town, but it is bigger and slower than it looks on a map. Roads are often single-track, distances are long and the weather changes quickly. Most of the best sights are free to visit, which means the planning is about time, daylight and road conditions rather than tickets. This guide is written for a winter visit, so it states plainly what is shut and what is open.

What is open and what is not

From 1 April to 15 October Dunvegan Castle and Gardens are open, but they are closed outside those dates, so they are shut in November. The boat trips to Loch Coruisk from Elgol run from April to October, weather permitting, and the harbour boat trips from Portree are seasonal too, so do not plan on either in winter. Talisker Distillery stays open daily from 10am to 4.30pm from November to February, apart from 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January, and can close at short notice in bad weather. Eilean Donan Castle keeps shorter winter hours, so check before you drive.

What to book ahead

Book your beds first, because winter closures mean fewer places are open, and ask about parking when you do. Book a Talisker tour if you want one, since booking ahead is strongly recommended. If you will not drive, reserve a day tour from Inverness or a multi-day tour from Edinburgh, which are the two common ways to reach Skye without a car. Everything else on this list is free and needs only good weather and a sensible start.

Getting around

A car gives the most freedom, because the best viewpoints are spread across the island and buses are infrequent. The Skye Bridge is free to cross and Portree is about three hours from Inverness by road. Public transport links Portree with Dunvegan, Uig, Staffin and Broadford, but timetables are thin in winter. Drive slowly on single-track roads, use passing places and let faster traffic pass. If you prefer not to drive, a small-group day tour covers the highlights, though only briefly.

How many days

One day from Inverness gets you a taste, and two or three days let you see the island properly. A good three-day plan is the north on day one, with the Old Man of Storr, Portree and the Quiraing, the south-west on day two, with the Fairy Pools and Talisker, and the far west on day three, with Neist Point and Dunvegan village. Add a day for Eilean Donan and the drive in and out. In winter, daylight is short, under seven hours around midwinter, so plan one major outdoor activity a day and finish the rest by the fire.

Where the sights fit

The Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing sit on the Trotternish peninsula north of Portree, within about half an hour of each other. The Fairy Pools and Talisker are in the south-west near Carbost and Glen Brittle. Neist Point and Dunvegan are on the Duirinish peninsula in the west. Eilean Donan Castle is on the mainland at Dornie, just before the Skye Bridge. Portree sits in the middle of the north and is the natural base.

Weather and safety

The Quiraing and Neist Point are unsuitable in wind or mist because of high cliffs, and the Old Man of Storr can be muddy with a danger of rockfall at higher levels. Wear waterproof boots, carry a torch and a charged phone, check the forecast the night before and be ready to turn back. Choose hotels to match your plan, with Portree for the north, Sligachan for the Cuillin and south-west, Sleat for a quiet stay or Kyleakin for a first night, as described in our where-to-stay guide.

Mentioned in this guide

The Fairy PoolsDo

The Fairy Pools

A string of crystal-clear pools and small waterfalls on the River Brittle, with the Black Cuillin rising behind. Free to visit at any time, but in November the water is icy, the path is wet and daylight is short, so treat it as a winter walk rather than a swim.

The Old Man of StorrDo

The Old Man of Storr

A tall rock pinnacle on the Trotternish ridge, reached by a steady 3.8 km out-and-back walk from a roadside car park north of Portree. The view over the Sound of Raasay is wonderful on a clear winter morning, but mist and mud are common.

The QuiraingDo

The Quiraing

A dramatic landslip of cliffs, hidden plateaus and rock pinnacles on the northern Trotternish ridge, with a 6.8 km loop walk rated hard. Spectacular on a calm winter day, unsuitable in wind or mist.

Neist Point LighthouseDo

Neist Point Lighthouse

The westernmost tip of Skye, with a lighthouse on a finger of cliffs and some of the best sunsets on the island. A short 2.2 km out-and-back path, steep in places, at the end of a single-track road. Not for windy or misty days.

Talisker DistilleryDo

Talisker Distillery

Skye's oldest working distillery, on the shore of Loch Harport at Carbost. Open daily through winter with shorter hours, with tours and tastings that need booking ahead. Closed 25 and 26 December and 1 and 2 January.

Stay

The Bosville

An upscale hotel with a bar and restaurant on Bosville Terrace, about a three-minute walk from Portree harbour and Somerled Square. A central mid-range base, but with no parking of its own.

Stay

Cuillin Hills Hotel

A four-star country-house style hotel in fifteen acres of grounds on the edge of Portree, with views over the Sound of Raasay to the Cuillin, a whisky library of more than 130 bottles and a restaurant with bay views. The splurge pick.

Sligachan HotelStay

Sligachan Hotel

A Highland basecamp at the head of Loch Sligachan between the Red and Black Cuillin, with a whisky bar of 400-plus malts, its own microbrewery and Talisker about a thirteen-minute drive away.