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Fort William to Portree

We will have just completed a 9 day self-guided walking tour of the W.H., and plan to spend the last night of that tour in Fort William. From there, we head over to Portree (citylink bus?) where we will stay for 4 nights and we've rented a car to be used there. I cannot tell if the bus between the two towns is direct or has a couple of stops; ideally, we'd like to stay in a picturesque town between the two for one night....if not, we'll spend another night in Fort William (there appear to be no rooms available via booking for the that extra night in Portree).....

any recommendations? thanks! Sandy

Posted by
8034 posts

The Citylink bus is direct, as in no changes, but it has 25 intermediate stops- see page 2 of this timetable- https://www.citylink.co.uk/timetables-service-updates/glasgow-to-skye/

Most of those stops are little villages- only really 3 of them are worthy of consideration-

Kyle of Lochalsh- the railway town on the mainland side of the Skye Bridge-

Kyleakin- the former ferry village on the island side of the Skye Bridge-

and

Broadford- a large village about 1/2 way across Skye

OR on certain buses, you could continue beyond Portree to the ferry port at Uig, but that is hardly a bustling metropolis!.

My own choice would be either Kyle of Lochalsh for facilities, or Kyleakin for being picturesque. Others may feel different, I know many like Broadford.

At this time of year you should find somewhere to stay (especially the Kyle)

Hopefully Jacqui (skye girl) will pick this up with ideas on late availability in Portree. Places there may have closed for the season by now.

Posted by
28190 posts

I spent a night at Kyle a few years ago. My travel mate wanted to go to Eilean Donan Castle and I wanted to see Plockton. There's a train from Kyle to Plockton, though it leaves you with quite a walk to the picturesque area along the coast. I think my friend took a bus to (or close to) the castle. We didn't have a car.

Posted by
1300 posts

Hi there. What dates are you looking for in Portree? The hotels will still be open but they are not really budget options. If B&Bs aren't coming up on booking dot com, then my best advice would be to have a look at the Visit Scotland website which will give you more options (and contact details) for small B&Bs. You may need to phone or email to check availability as these will be small operators who might not have websites. Or alternatively you could phone the tourist information office in Portree on +44 (0)1478 612992 and they will definitely be able to help you find a room. Another option could be the Facebook Group Skye Rooms, which aims to match those looking for rooms at short notice with those who have vacancies.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)