From Portree on Skye to Armadale on Skye

Hi, Karen,

Give yourselves at least 90 minutes for the journey from Portree to Armadale. You need to be at the ferry terminal at least 30 minutes ahead of time, or your slot will be given to standby passengers. If you are at all nervous about arriving on time, give it two hours from Portree to Armadale.

You can do the drive in just over an hour if there is no traffic. However, from my experience, you will invariably end up behind a bus or large lorry, which will slow you down. There are very few safe passing places between Portree and Broadford, although the road from Skulamus to Armadale provides somewhat faster travel.

Best wishes for your travels, and Happy New Year!

Mike (Auchterless)

Mike, thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of information I am looking for!
Karen

I live a similar distance away from Armadale and allow 1.5 hours. If you get there early you can park up in the queue and have a look at the few shops, which include a coffee stand.

Skyegirl, thank you so much for your response. It's nice to know there are some shops and a coffee stand at the terminal. I know myself well enough to know that we probably will arrive early, and I was wondering if there would be shops at the terminal. I prefer to be early rather than late.

Hi again Karen

There is a rather nice shop selling clothes, hats, gloves, wool and souvenirs. There is also a wooden cabin shop selling wool and knitting related stuff. Also a souvenir shop called Grumpy George´s (I think) and then there is the coffee stand. There is also a small Calmac ticket office which has toilets and has a waiting room for foot passengers.

Best place to get fuel for your rental car is at the COOP in Broadford. Better to fill on the island than on the mainland as we benefit from a 5p per litre government fuel subsidy, which means our fuel is generally cheaper than on the mainland or at least competitive with supermarket forecourts on the mainland (which tend to be cheaper than independent fuel stations).
Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Jacqui, thanks again for the detailed information about the shops at the ferry terminal.

Based on my research, I know we should expect varied weather in Scotland, especially on the Isle of Skye. So I have a clothing question. I don't want to overpack but I want to make sure we have the right kind of clothing. I plan on bringing a waterproof windbreaker that has a hood. Should I also pack a second jacket, such as a fleece or other lightweight jacket? I will bring a few short-sleeve tops and some long-sleeve tops. Should I also pack a sweatshirt and/or pull-over sweater?

Thank you!

Hi Karen
I wear layers no matter what time of the year. In June I usually wear a short sleeve t shirt but have something long sleeved and waterproof to hand! If you live somewhere warm you will likely find it chilly here. Layers are the way to go and in my opinion it is rarely too hot for a lightweight fleece!
Jacqui

Jacqui, thank you again for your helpful advice. We live in Massachusetts which is in New England. June is generally warm enough for swimming, shorts/capris, and short-sleeved tops. No jackets necessary. So it sounds like it will be cooler on the Isle of Skye. Thanks!