Base for hiking in Skye … and car necessary?

The Walk Highlands website is the walker's 'Bible' and it has loads of ideas for Skye. Most of the starting points are going to be well off a bus route, so a car really will make things easier. Portree is the usual base of choice as it has the most options for accommodation and gives access to Trotternish Peninsula as well as the North West.

If you decide on the southern part of Skye, then Broadford may be the best choice.

BUT NOTE accommodation books up on Skye very quickly and for may places may already be fully booked. start looking ano as it may be a caser of where you can find somewhere....

The same proviso applies for booking camping sites well in advance too.

Thanks for the quick replies. Another question…. Could someone direct me to the best website for understanding the ferry system and bookings require requirements? Before I finalize our lodging, I want to make sure we can get to it! Thanks again for your insights and time.

calmac.co.uk for the ferries

But one way at least you'll probably be using the Skye Bridge- which replaced the old Kyle of Lochalsh to Kyleakin ferry.

Do also look at https://skyeferry.co.uk. for the little Glenelg turntable ferry, and see if you can build that unique wee ferry into your schedule. The last such ferry in the world.

Thanks for the ferry information. We are figuring out accomodations now -- and those who advised it would already be limited are correct. We do enjoy camping when at home, but for this trip we prefer to stay in a hotel or B&B.

I have a room for our first two nights in the North West of Skye on the Duirinish peninsula. Ideally, we will do one more night in Skye before transiting back to Inverness. Appreciate thoughts on another general area we might look for accomodations in to give a different experience / access to trails?

One consideration is Isle of Raasay ... ?

I realize it may come down to what is available but if anyone has thoughts we would love to know!

Wasleys I was referring to freedom camping not using campsites.
I don't think there is much accommodation available on Raasay other than Raasay House. We had a brilliant and very discreet location for our van.
It is a short ferry ride so easy enough to do DunCaan and return the same day.

Raasay is a good idea. The comment/observation I would make is that it is a ferry crossing back to the mainland of Skye. Like all ferry crossings in Scotland it can get disrupted due to bad weather and whole day cancellations can happen. It is a fairly sheltered route so such events are not massively common. In May pretty unlikely but a storm can come in at anytime.
Not a big risk, but a risk nonetheless.
The vessel used is a very reliable one but could 'go tech'. CalMac would likely charter the Spanish John from Mallaig or another vessel in that event but that takes time to organise. Another low risk to think about.
Me, I'd probably put Raasay at the start not the end of the stay to mitigate the risks.

But I don't know if you are flying home from Inverness or just elsewhere in the UK- if the latter then you could gain back any day lost elsewhere in the trip.

I don't want to say don't do Raasay, I want to say the opposite, but I have to be responsible to you as well. You can then decide what to do on that basis.

I was referring to freedom camping not using campsites.

We call that wild camping in the UK and you need to be aware of best practice advice

...

You could consider a night in the south of Skye. Elgol might be a good bet. There are many suggested hikes on walk highlands.co.uk in that area. One place that gets good reviews and has an excellent restaurant is Coruisk House.

Raasay is another option. In addition to Raasay House, there is also a distillery, which has B&B rooms and a restaurant. I have friends who have stayed in both and much preferred the distillery.

Hello again. We are working on our hiking plans for our days on the Isle of Skye in May — we will have 3 full days plus most of our arrival day. We decided to do two nights in Portree, our last two, after two nights in NW on Loch Dunvegan (selected largely based on availability of lodging options we liked).

A few people mentioned Raasay. Checking back to see whether this community recommends taking one of our days for a day trip / hiking on Raasay? And the feasibility of that from Portree.

Also are (car) ferry reservations recommended for purchase in advance? Or can they be pretty readily obtained on arrival?

Thank you.

The Raasay ferry is a no reservations ferry- turn up and go. On turn up and go routes you can purchase a ticket ahead but it is an open ticket valid for the day (actually the season- so summer or winter).
Or equally just buy on the ferry.
The MV Hallaig takes 23 vehicles and 150 passengers on each sailing, assuming no trucks are shipping over.
They only do turn up and go on routes where vehicle capacity is normally sufficient. The other option if the boat is unusually full is to park at Sconser ferry terminal and rent bikes on the island from Raasay House for £5 an hour- 2, 3.5 or 7 hour rentals.
Or maybe plan to do that anyway.
As far as I can see they don't have electric bikes on the island.
Assuming you can cycle of course.

Sconser is only 20 minutes from Portree, + 10 minutes in line, so say 45 minutes for good measure.

This was pre covid and before the distillery was in operation so things may be a little different now.

We paid on the ferry and were one of only 2 cars going over and again on our return.
We had a pod of dolphins escort us most of the way over so keep a lookout.
We did not encounter any traffic on the way to the Dun Caan trailhead, no other hikers on trail.
We also encountered no other cars on the way out to Brochel Castle or on Calum's Road up to Arnish. Google Calum's Road, it's a good story.
Also no other cars up to North Fearns nor any hikers on the trails out there.
I did a couple of 10 km runs while on the island and didn't encounter either foot or vehicle traffic.
Quite a few kayakers about near Raasay House, I was very jealous as I am a keen paddler.
It was a lovely experience for us. I always enjoy that feeling of isolation. The views from Dun Caan are amazing.

If you are avid hikers there's a bothy at the northern tip of Raasay.The bothy books go back years and full of good stories.Its about 2 and half hours from Arnish from memory.At low tide to can also walk over to a small islet even futher north
The track from Arnish is generally decent.
Often deer on the little isle ,naturally great seascapes.
A friendly local ,Iain ,on Raasay ran me and hiking pal up to Arnish ,and allowed us to call him for a return trip after we had gone to the bothy.
We had got chatting on the ferry

An ideal way to do Dun Caan on Raasay is to simply go over as a day trip.If you take the car, you can cut a lot of the time /distance by driving to the high start point(signposted) for the walk instead of a village start.
The views are out of this world.

My own list of favourite hikes on Skye in this link, if of interest, including a link to a write up in detail of our Dun Caan hike winter 2023.

https://annestravelsandhikes.com/2017/05/25/my-favourite-skye-walks/

I’d second skyegirl’s suggestion of an Elgol base (or down that southern end of Skye, if anything is still available.) The hike from Kilmarie parking area to Camasunary is, for me, my top relatively easy hike on Skye.About a 200m climb each way if you go right down to the beach(which you should.) Absolutely glorious walk.

This route can also be continued by strong hikers up onto Sgurr na Stri, below 600m in height but probably the best mountain viewpoint on Skye with the Cuillin rearing all around.No technical difficulties at all but map and route details understood.That add on makes it a 7-8 hour day instead of half that.

You also have the option of doing the boat trip from Elgol to Loch Coruisk, involving a short walk to the loch itself once off the boat.Truly Gothic mountain and loch scenery amidst the Black Cuillin.

Glamaig is also superb but it’s helluva steep( not technically, just grass/moorland and it has a path) but the views are out of this world too.

Beinn Dearg Mhor at Sligachan also gives you a mountain hike with no difficulty apart from the slog!

You could also escape the crowds at the Quiraing and head along the Trotternish ridge in the opposite direction to everyone else , making for Beinn Edra, or as far as you want to go.Sensational views and perfectly easy walking on a clear path.

The Storr also offers an excellent hike to the summit itself.

Definitely hire a car.