Isle of Skye

HI Jacque,

Yep, it's going to be a long day. Here's the recommended Michelin route. I think that I agree with it. The only thing that you might want to do is check the Scotland Traffic site to see if there are any issues with the A9, but I suspect that there won't be.

Pam

Thank you Pam!

Pam - just curious - it says about 5 hrs for the drive from Skye to Edinburgh. Realistically, how long does it take? We don't need to be in Edinburgh at any specific time. We are staying at the Hilton at the airport and so we will be able to maybe turn in our car and take the shuttle to the airport in the morning. We were thinking we would have time to stop somewhere for dinner when we get close. Not sure we want to drive much after dark.

The ferry operated by Caledonian MacBrayne runs all the year.

ViaMichelin tends to overestimate the time of a journey, but is a useful guide to what should be budgeted time wise given some of the roads you would be travelling on.

We will also be on the Isle of Skye in September. I was wondering, are you stopping at Eileen Donan Castle on your way to Skye or the way back? We are stopping on our way to Skye. On the way back to Glasgow we are taking the ferry from Armadale to Mallaig. Here is the website CalMac Ferries. I just bought our ticket. They suggest you have a reservation. Can't wait to see the beautiful isle!

Thank you Pfresh for the info. We are going to stop at Eilean Donan on the way to Skye from Inverness. I was looking for a shorter/different way back to Edinburgh and I saw the ferry from but couldn't find info on it. I will look at the link you sent me. When are you going to be there? We might run into you! Where are you staying on the Isle and for how long?

We are staying 3 nights at a cute B&B in Carbost called Wilmar B&B here. It has great reviews on Trip Advisor. We will be there starting September 23. It is on the west coast of Skye. It would be fun to run into you if you are there at the same time! The ferry asks that you arrive 30 minutes early and the ferry ride takes 30 minutes. So not sure if that adds too much time to your travels. We plan to drive from Mallaig along the coast to Glenfinnan viaduct (Harry Potter Hogwarts Express), to Fort William, Glencoe, then down to Oban to spend 2 nights. I think you can continue on from Glencoe towards Edinburgh. Our destination after Oban is Glasgow for 2 more days. I am sure others on here can advise the best direction after Glencoe if you choose to go that direction. So excited for our trip to begin! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time too!

pfresh3,

Sounds like you have planned a wonderful trip. We will be in London by that time - only on the Isle for a couple of days. We are a week in Scotland, 4 days in London and then we are off to Ireland for the balance of our trip.

Thank you for your input and I will look into the ferry but it might be easier to just go the way we came. We are going to have a long day when we drive from Isle of Skye back to Edinburgh!

Have a wonderful trip.

pfresh3

If you are stopping at Glenfinnan you will also have a chance to see the memorial of where Prince Charles Edward Stuart landed in August 1745. There is a good NTS exhibition there as well. Be prepared to spend a little more time in Glenfinnnan then you may have planned.

Our son did a similar drive last month. Leaving Edinburgh and going towards Inverness and then over bridge at Kyle of L to the Isle of Skye took 6+ hours with no stops except a dinner break. Driving back with a reservation on the ferry took only 4.5 hrs. They needed to be in Edinburgh for a specific afternoon train reservation to London. Many people on the IoS told him to use the ferry to Malaig to Edinburgh route for the quality of the roads and driving time which was important to him for the return journey.

I usually add 25% to ViaMichelin. That allows for photo stops and driving slower than someone who is used to the roads and driving on the left. :)

Thank you MC! We will be taking our time and making stops along the way. I will write this down in my notes. We will definitely check it out!

Nae probs. If you are then proceeding to the central belt, either for Glasgow or Edinburgh, you will be going along one of my favourite stretches of road in Scotland, the A82 through Glencoe, across Rannoch Moor and then on to Crianlarach. Keep some space for there too.

I would just add, since you're catching a flight the next day: get an early start, call ahead, and make sure you have a Plan B in case of ferry cancellation or road closure. You never know if an unforeseen issue related to weather, repairs, or labour disputes could disrupt your plans.

We did this last summer. I would say it takes 6 to 6-1/2 hours to drive from Isle of Skye. Roads are narrow and not like US highways. Rotaries are everywhere and can be a challenge. Use Michelin, not google maps for better accuracy. Scenery is beautiful. We just took the Skye bridge both ways and it goes right by Eilean Donan Castle. You can tour that relatively quickly (hour is plenty). Hilton is literally at airport and you walk to/from airport.

Thank you all for the helpful information. We still haven't decided whether we will try to do the Ferry or just return via the bridge. Either way, it will be a long day but as some of you have said the scenery is stunning! Can't wait. Trip is just around the corner!