The Isle of Skye is a well known Scottish island to visit and because of this you are unlikely to be all alone anywhere on the island during the summer months. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. There are plenty of places that are worth visiting and many that are not on the standard cliché checklist. So perhaps try to avoid the main summer months and don’t just visit the usual places spread across social media, then you may just find a quiet spot!
Table of Contents
Arriving on The Isle of Skye
To get to the Isle of Skye you can drive over from the mainland via the Skye Bridge, it’s the way most people arrive on the Isle of Skye.
Alternatively you can catch the ferry from Glenelg to Kylerhea on Skye (it’s a car ferry) and is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world. It only operates from April to October and has different hours throughout the seasons. So please do check before travel.
The final way to arrive on Skye is the Calmac ferry from Mallaig to Armadale. This is less well used, but a fun way to arrive to Skye, particularly if you are staying in the South West of Skye.
Broadford and Southern Skye
Unless you arrive to Skye from the Hebrides via Uig in the North, it’s more than likely you will start your trip to Skye from the South. It’s always busy coming into Broadford and it’s where to buy fuel and food before heading North.
Broadford also has a whole host of craft shops and great little cafes to grab something tasty eat. There are also some short walks along the bay and further out toward the Southern peninsula.
If you arrive via the Kylerhea ferry then you will definitely want to visit the otter hide nearby. It’s a short walk along a rough path to a huge hide where people love to stare out to sea for a long time. If you are very lucky you may just spot an otter swimming close to the shore. It’s worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Just North of Sconser (not exactly Southern Skye, but doesn’t fit anywhere else here) is the Isle of Raasay. You can catch the ferry from Sconser itself and spend a few hours walking around the little island. There are few places to stay on the island if you would like some peace and quiet to explore! The island has a distillery and plenty of different walks. For some more adrenalin filled fun try Raasay House for kayaking, coasteering or mountain biking amongst other activities.
Sleat Peninsula
Further South of Broadford is the Sleat peninsula. This is where you arrive if you get the ferry across from Mallaig. There is definitely a lot less to do on the usual toursit checklist in this area. So it does tend to be a quieter part of Skye, whilst everyone else is further North near the Cuillins and other areas. There are still plenty of interesting off the beaten track places to visit though!
Armadale Castle
Armadale Castle is is now a ruin, but it’s still impressive to see. It was the former manor house of the MacDonald chiefs. When the castle was abandoned by the chiefs to move to a smaller house the castle became derelict. The Clan Donald Lands Trust now look after the castle and gardens (which are beautiful in the spring and summer!). The Clan Donald museum is accredited by the Museums Galleries of Scotland and tells the clans story over time.
Dunscaith Castle
A short walk from Tokavaig on the North coast of the Sleat peninsula is Dunscaith castle. Once the seat of the MacDonald’s it now stands in ruin, a small islet holds the castle ruins with a rather broken stone bridge clinging on between the mainland and islet. The bridge is not safe to cross and may be degraded further by attempting it, instead check the tide times and cross over on the rocks below to get to the castle.
Ord Coral Beach
Park near the bay at Ord and walk along the shore of Loch Eishort. Follow the route in this blog post to find the coral beaches, which will be a lot quieter than those further North near Dunvegan! It’s only a 1.8 mile walk, so easy enough for families and those who can’t walk so far.
Ornsay
The attractive village of IsleofOrnsay is where steamers used to stop on their way from Glasgow via the Crinan Canal. It’s a pretty white washed village with views out to the little Island of Ornsay. It’s a mile walk out toward Ornsay across the mudflats at low tide (check the tide timetables before attempting it). The lighthouse is just past the keepers cottages, which are owned and still lived in, so please respect their privacy. The lighthouse has amazing views over to the mountains and is the perfect spot for some quiet contemplation.
Point of Sleat
To get to the Point of Sleat you need to park at the small parking area at Aird of Sleat. From here it’s a 2.7 mile walk out to the Point of Sleat with some amazing views. Take a detour down to the stunning white sand beach of Camas Daraich. If you arrive early you may even have the place to yourself.
Elgol
You will of course have heard of the Fairy Pools by the Cuillins, but the marble pools at Torrin will give them a run for their money! It’s not completely unknown, but it certainly has a lot less visitors compared to the Fairy Pools! The marble pools are found on a burn just North of Torrin, a 5 minute walk up the burn, take your swimming costume if you want to go in for a dip! There is a grassy parking area beside the road which is often used to camp on during the summer.
Continue along the road toward Elgol. This little village on the steep hill down to the sea is where you will find plenty of tourists catching the boat across to Loch Coruisk or watching the wildlife from the sea. It’s also a perfect spot for a little swim in the sea with the Cuillin hills looming behind you. The trip to Loch Coruisk can be for just an hour or so to half a day to walk around the loch. I recommend walking around the whole loch if possible, it’s easy going, although you might get your feet wet! It does mean you get away from the short stay tourists who crowd around the area just up from where the boat docks.
Glenbrittle and Western Skye – Visit Isle of Skye
Cuillins
Glenbrittle is famous for the majestic Cuillin mountain range, which is definitely a great place for walks. You can climb most of the Cuillins without any extra equipment, but you must have a map, be prepared and understand the route in advance. Even those that do not need climbing equipment still require scrambling over rocks and walking along narrow ledges. Paths aren’t all obvious due to walking over rocks near the tops of the mountains rather than grass and gravel paths. You can always hire a guide to show you the route, or take one of the many beautiful walks lower down around the Cuillins.
Glenbrittle
At the end of Glenbrittle is the beautiful beach, perfect for a rest after a day walking. The other famous location in Glenbrittle are the Faery Pools. Please be aware that it gets incredibly busy here, we arrived at 9am (on a miserable wet day) to find the car park half-full already! The path is quite muddy and well trodden and you will find a huge number of tourists whatever the weather. The car park requires payment and has parking wardens during the summer, although there are toilets available free of charge. I did manage a swim, but this was easy as it was a cold, wet day and not many others seemed to want to get in!
I imagine on a sunny day it would be difficult to find space to get in the water when it’s busy with other tourists. If you would like a quieter experience try the Torrin Marble Pools instead. Or just swim in the sea at Elgol or Glenbrittle with the Cuillins behind you.
Talisker Beach
A little further North you will find the Well known Talisker Distillery, great for whisky tasting! But if you’re looking for something more fun for a family head across to Talisker Bay Beach instead. You can park near the end of the road from Carbost to the bay and it’s a 20 minute walk to the beach from there.
Dun Beag Broch
North West of the village of Struan is Dun Beag Broch. Brochs are distinctive to Scotland and were built and used during the Iron Age as defensive round tower home. Although only a ruin is left it is likely it was around 10m tall and would have housed many members of the same family and livestock. Dun Beag Broch is only a short distance from the road, so very easy to visit.
Oronsay Island
Park the car at the end of the road by Ullinish Point, then follow the path (it’s only a 5km round trip) to Oronsay Island and back. Check the tide timetables before you go to time it for low tide and the hour before and after low tide. There is a causeway between the mainland and Oronsay island, so it’s easy to see the route across. You will find beautiful views and wildlife too.
North West Skye – Visit Isle of Skye
The North of Skye is very popular with tourists, so expect to see lots of other people wherever you go!
Neist Point
You will feel like you are driving into the middle of nowhere to Neist Point, yet when you arrive there will more than likely be many others parked up already! It’s a large parking area, but during the summer you will find it very busy, very quickly. The walk is short, but requires a very steep downhill section at the start and of course a very steep uphill on the way back. It’s not suitable for prams or wheelchairs due to the angle of the slope and steps. Most people stay on the grassy area around the lighthouse. We decided to head across the rocks as we are all very used to jumping across rocky areas by the sea. However, if you have younger children or those who tend to fall a lot I recommend staying on the grass!
Dunvegan Castle and Gardens
Dunvegan Castle is the seat of the Chiefs of Clan Macleod. It’s more of a stately home than a castle, with the current family still living in part of the castle (which is out of bounds). You can book a tour around the areas of the castle that are open and of course stroll the gardens to your hearts content.
This is also where you can book a trip out on the boat to look at the seals along the coast from Dunvegan. Dunvegan is a popular place to visit, so try and book tickets for early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the worst of the crowds!
Coral Beaches
Continuing up the road from Dunvegan Castle you follow a windy road to a car park (don’t park in field entrances/passing places etc.) for the coral beaches. The car par gets very busy very quickly, but please don’t park anywhere else.
The walk to the coral beaches is well worn. We visited most recently on a day with gale force winds and rain, yet there were still many people around! We found a spot to ourselves for a short while, but it wasn’t long until others joined us.
The coral beaches are beautifully white in colour and the sea beside is turquoise. You can also climb the little hillock behind for great views.
Macleod’s Tables
When visiting the North West of Skye you will definitely notice the two flat topped hills, Maclead’s Tables. These are perfect for a days walk, starting at the roadside North of Orbost you can fit in a loop climbing both hills. Check out the Walk Highlands page for the route.
North East Skye
Portree
This is a quaint little town where you can easily buy supplies. Whether it’s food or outdoor clothing, you will find it here. It’s also where to find dozens of beautiful craft shops, although my favourite may well be Skye Batiks. Their beautiful are made ethically in Sri lanka and then made into different items back in Scotland. We have a couple of soft toys and bags from here, although I particularly admire their clothing!
Old Man of Storr
Everyone wants to visit the Old Man of Storr to get that iconic photo! So you will certainly not be alone, but head up early and it might be a little quieter.
it’s just over an hour walk up to the rock formation from the car park. It will take longer if you have lots of stops. The rock pinnacle looks pretty spectacular and gets its name as it appears to look like an old mans face in certain lights. Find the route on Walk Highlands and be prepared for the weather.
Quiraing
The area known as Quiraing is a beautiful set of geological features. Most people go for just a short walk into the area, however the hill circuit is only 4 miles long. It takes you to the ‘prison’, ‘needle’ and other features before returning back to the car.
It’s definitely worth a visit if you have time and good weather. Don’t attempt it if the weather is windy or misty as there are some cliff edges. Use the Walk Highlands web page for the whole route and map.
Staffin Dinosaur Footprints
Dinosaur footprints are enough to capture any child’s (or adults!) imagination! Wander along the rocks at the front of the coastal car park in Staffin (at low tide!). There’s a sign in the car park telling you a little more about the footprints. However, they are not all that obvious when the rocks are all wet! So look carefully and only go at low tide, otherwise the rocks are under the water!
Duntulm Castle
At the North end of the Trotternish peninsula is Duntulm Castle. It’s a rather ruinous site now, but it’s a nice walk along to the cliffs. Beware that some of the castle has fallen into the sea and it’s very unsafe around the cliff edges.
There has been a fortified castle here since the Iron Age. Built by the Norse and later added to by the MacLeod’s of Skye and then the MacDonald’s of Skye. It is said the MacDonalds abandoned the castle when an infant son of the chief’s accidentally fell from a castle window above the cliffs and died. The nursemaid in charge of the baby was killed in retribution and is said to haunt the castle to this day!
Rubha Hunish
The walk along to Rubha Hunish begins at Shulista where there is a small car park. Many people visit to go to the view point above the promontory. However fewer people appear to walk all the way along to the end. Using Walk Highlands we followed most of the route, although we returned the same way back to the car at the end due to incoming rain.
The only part that is a bit difficult is the section down from the cliffs. It looks much steeper and scarier than it is. But once you’re round the first few bends of the path it’s not that bad at all and our kids (aged 7 and 9 at the time) were absolutely fine. Perhaps not for anyone scared of heights though. I’d also suggest to try it when dry, otherwise rocks might be slippy and the views won’t be as good!
Skye Museum of Island Life
The Skye Museum of Island Life is located just South of Duntulm. There are 6 traditional buildings to explore, from the croft house to the Old Smithy. Each building tells the history of the people living on the islands and how the buildings were used.
It’s an interesting visit and quite peaceful on a sunny spring day. However, it can get busy during the summer holidays.
Just up the small road from the museum is Flora MacDonald’s grave in Kilmuir cemetery. Flora MacDonald is the famous woman who helped Bonnie Prince Charlie evade government forces and assisted him ‘over the sea to Skye’. She is considered a heroine for her brave actions. However she was ultimately caught and sent to the Tower of London, before returning to Skye.
Fairy Glen
To the East of Uig is Fairy Glen, a strange looking landscape considered to be made by fairies. A new car park has been set up and the site is no longer a melancholic fairy landscape. Instead there are very well worn muddy paths and a huge number of people walking through. When we first visited it was completely different, but now I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have extra time to kill in the area.
St Columba’s Island
A lesser known walk is to St Columba’s Island. Situated on River Snizort by the road between Dunvegan and Portree. Park at the Skeabost Memorial Hall and walk along the well worn path to the bridge over to the island.
The island is an ancient burial ground of the MacNicols Clan and was also the seat of the Bishop of the Isles for hundreds of years. It’s said that St Columba (or the famous Iona Abbey) established 5 monastries on Skye, with Saint Columba’s Isle the most significant. You can find out more on the Clan MacNicol website.
Leave a Reply