Driving from Inverness to Skye- quickest route?

As a newbie your best bet is what locals call the 'southern' route. This is the A82 south from Inverness, then at Invermoriston turn right onto the A87 and follow that road all the way to Skye. It is a good road all the way, but be aware that our roads have no 'shoulder'. Make sure you centre your call within the lane and try not to drift over to the left. I see lots of rental cars with blown out tyres on the passenger side, because the driver has gone too far left and hit the edge of the tarmac (which is often a very sharp edge).

The 'northern' route goes via Garve & Achnasheen before emerging on to the A87 near at Auchtertyre. It is not recommended if you are not used to our roads as there are several sections of single track (where both directions of traffic share the same lane and there are passing places where you let the traffic coming the other way past).

Best advice for newbies is a) remember to acknowledge drivers who stop in passing places to let you pass - a wave is good etiquette. b) pull over whenever possible to let faster vehicles pass you especially on single track roads. Locals drive to the speed limit (for better or worse).

Also both routes to Skye have a lot of tourist traffic and at the moment it seems lots of groups of motorcyclists. There have been 2 fatal road accidents on the A82 and A87 in the past week. Please be careful.

The southern route from Inverness city centre to the Skye Bridge will take you about 2.5 as long as the traffic is not bad. Then it's a question of where on Skye your accommodation is located. If your Airbnb is self catering and you need groceries then best to do that in Inverness where there's a bigger choice of supermarket. On Skye we have a COOP in Broadford and another in Portree, and several small independent grocery stores, but choice is more limited. If you need restaurant or pub food for dinner then you'll want to have made reservations as demand outstrips supply.

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Hi, Greenie,

I would add to what Jacqui has told you to hire a car with automatic transmission if you are at all nervous about driving a five or six speed manual transmission car on roads with which you're not familiar. One less thing to worry about!

I would also add that you will be tailgated mercilessly on the A82 on your way to Invermoriston. It's two lane road all the way. Do not let other drivers influence your driving. Drive at a speed with which you're comfortable. If you find yourselves with a long tailback behind you, pull over in to one of the many pull out spaces along the A82. They are marked by a white letter "P" on a blue background. You're usually given advance warning by a sign reading something like "'P' 500 feet ahead". Be sure to use your turn signal.

Just to avoid any confusion, those spaces marked "P" are also for parking. That's what the "P" stands for. From some of them along the A82, you can get good views of Loch Ness.

You should have no trouble getting to Skye if you follow Jacqui's advice. Enjoy your time in Scotland! How could you not?

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

Thank you both, Jacqui and Mike. This is very helpful information, and I’ll follow your advice. How lucky we are to have local experts here on this forum!
We are staying in Waternish (a b&b), which has a couple of nearby places to dine at (Old School Restaurant, Stein Inn), so I’ll add “make reservations” to my list of things to do before we arrive in August. The co-op may be quite handy for picking up snacks or quick/easy lunch items.
Thanks again,
Greenie

This May was the 3rd time I've driven in the UK. My first time I swore I'd never do it again. The 2nd time was a piece of cake in the Kent countryside.
This May I was driving on the Isle of Arran. The island roads are much narrower than on Great Britain. Usually striped for 2 opposing lanes, but you'll normally use up most of the road until you meet someone coming the other way. I drove 35 mph on roads with a speed limit of 60 mph. The biggest thrill were the signs at a crest of a hill "Oncoming Traffic in the Middle of the Road".
Added - This time we had GPS in the vehicle, which helped considerably at roundabouts.

Hi again, Greenie,

Just to add a wee bit to Jacqui's post, as you're approaching Invermoriston, you'll see a road sign (white lettering on green) for A887 (A87) Caol Loch Aillse Kyle of Lochalsh. This is where you want to turn off. You'll be going straight through Kyle of Lochalsh on the A87, on your way to the Skye Bridge.

Best wishes once again!

Mike (Auchterless)

Good point Mike, I'd forgotten that the A87 doesn't start right away at Invermoriston!

Greenie. The Waternish is a lovely part of the island. You also have the best restaurant on the island (in my opinion and I've tried most of them!) - which is the Lochbay. It's got a Michelin star and is the only place on the island to have one, but it the most unpretentious place with a wonderful seafood tasting menu at a lovely atmosphere. The Stein Inn is also good. The Old School is in Dunvegan, about a 15 minute drive away, where you'll also find Blas and The Dunvegan (a fire restaurant) which are also good.

Nearest small grocery stores are in Dunvegan, Am Fasgagh (like a 9-11) and Tony's Fruit & Nut (a vegan market with good fruit and veg in an old tin shed!).

Thank you both, Mike and Jacqui for the excellent tips all around. I really appreciate all the driving help I can get. And thanks for sharing your experience, Leonard. I hope any drivers behind me will be patient if (when) I’m slow, though I’ll pull over to let them pass as soon as I can, and I will have gps.

And Jacqui, I’d heard of the Lochbay restaurant; do you think it’s unpretentious enough for us to dine there without dressing up? We love seafood, so it would be a tempting splurge. And that’s good to know about the nearby grocers, etc. Thanks again!

Cheers,
Greenie

Gosh yes you can wear anything you like at any restaurant on Skye. Casual is absolutely fine. You could wear jeans or casual pants like chinos no problems. It’s my favourite restaurant, and I’ve eaten in some very posh places!

Thanks Jacqui- table reserved!!

Greenie. I hope you love it as much as we do!