Hiking the Scottish Highlands:
4 Days in Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye is an island connected to the northern side of Scotland by bridge. It is a dramatic landscape of rocky coastlines and green plains, often shrouded in mist.
We flew into Glasgow on October 26, 2017 and stayed in the small town of Portree for 5 nights, which gave us 4 full days to explore Skye. Although many visitors visit Skye as a 1-2 day side trip, Skye was our main destination. Having so many days allowed us to be flexible with each day’s activities, which gave us the freedom to rearrange things when faced with inclement weather.
Getting There
If you're flying from another airport, the closest international airports to the Isle of Skye are Glasgow (GLA) and Edinburgh (EDI). We flew into Glasgow from Milan’s Bergamo airport (I was studying abroad in Milan at the time). Inverness Airport (INV) is a local airport, so it’s less likely that you’ll find flights to here, but it’s only around a 3 hour drive.
Regardless of where you fly into, I recommend renting a car from the airport to get to the Isle of Skye, as you will also need a car to get around once you’re there.
The drive between Glasgow and Portree take the majority of our first and sixth day. The drive takes a bit more than 5 hours, but we made a day out of it by stopping at several scenic stops along the way (see our route here).
Where to Stay
We stayed in Portree (our Airbnb) for the entire trip. Portree is centrally located and the largest town on the island, so this is a great place to stay. It’ll take no more than hour of driving to get to any destination on Skye from here.
We appreciated the flexibility of living in the same place since we were able to return multiple times to a few locations when the weather didn't work out. Each time was a new experience since the lighting and weather drastically changed how the landscape looked.
When it comes to staying in a hotel versus an Airbnb, I felt that an Airbnb was the best for our group. Since we had a kitchen, we shopped at the local co-op after each day of sightseeing, and cooked our own meals rather than eating at the limited number of restaurants in Portree.
Geography
In terms of attractions, Skye can be divided into a few regions. In the northeast is the Trotternish, which contains a large portion of Skye's most popular destinations: Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing, Fairy Glen, Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, Brother's Point, and the town of Portree. These can all be accessed via the A87 and A855 coastal roads circling the peninsula.
About an hour’s drive west from Portree will take you towards the western peninsulas Waternish and Duirinish, known for Dunvegan Castle and Neist Point.
The mountainous area towards the south of Skye is known as the Cuillin range. Here you can find the famed Fairy Pools, as well as Skye's more strenuous hikes to magnificent summit views from peaks like Bla Bheinn, Sgurr na Stri, and Sgurr Alasdair.
Hikes
Below you can find detailed reports of the hikes we did, as well as a post on the drive from Glasgow to Portree on Isle of Skye. Read more below!
Weather
Rain is common, but it is difficult and unnecessary to plan around the weather. It can be simultaneously raining and sunny on opposite ends of the island, making the weather forecast unreliable. The typical weather in late October when we went is cold, windy, and rainy.
Do yourself a favor and get a good quality waterproof, windproof shell jacket for your outer layer as well as insulating layers (down, fleece, wool) to wear underneath.
Waterproof hiking shoes also come in handy, especially if it is going to be raining. You will have to hike through bogs. We spent many hikes gingerly stepping into innocent-looking grass, watching in dismay as the water welled up around our shoes, and then squelching around in muddy water soaked shoes for the rest of the hike.
The Fairy Pools are a series of waterfalls and emerald pools formed by the River Brittle as it cascades down from the Black Cuillin mountains.