We are a family of 4 (our two girls will be 11 and 14 at time of travel)
We are doing a road trip through Scotland next summer (July)
My question is;
We have two nights booked on the Isle of Skye in Portree.
I know that Scottish weather (particularly in the highlands) can be very mercurial :)
So, since we only have two days in Skye, and if the weather is bad (with low hanging clouds, rain and wind etc). What could we do?
Driving around trying to sightsee might not be a good option with bad weather.
Posted by
1219 posts
Go see Dunvegan Castle no matter what the weather. Their gardens are quite extensive if it's nice. I also believe though check for sure that there is a cairn you can visit, seal watching, and the grave of Flora McDonald which I think is in a spectacular setting.
Posted by
Folsom, California, USA
316 posts
We were in Scotland, including Isle of Skye this summer (July 2017). It poured one day (Stirling), drizzled a few times, and was overcast and cool most of the time. I would recommend at a minimum that everyone have a good waterproof jacket (ie, Marmot) and waterproof shoes. I also had waterproof rain pants that I only used twice but were always in my daypack, and mittens/hat which I used frequently...keep in mind, I am from California! Remember what Rick says "no bad weather, just unprepared travelers."
Most of what you will want to do on Skye is outside. I would recommend Dunvegan Castle for both the castle (inside) and gardens (outside). We ended up skipping the Fairy Pools hike due to bad weather and spent that afternoon in a pub listening to local musicians. Kids of all ages were present in the pub. Maybe bring cards/easily packed game the family likes or use rainy time for eating, journaling, writing postcards while hoping for a break in the weather!
Kaye
Posted by
3122 posts
I second the vote for Dunvegan Castle, and can also recommend Eilean Donan Castle. The latter is on the mainland, of course, but just a few minutes' drive from the Kyle of Lochalsh bridge. Each of these castles is worth a good hour or two of indoor recreation as you self-guide through the various rooms and exhibits.
Posted by
Centennial, CO, USA
1883 posts
Heck, it's Scotland, and you will have bad weather, don't let that stop you from going outside. Just dress correctly and you will have a wonderful experience.
We were on Skye for 3 days in September. The days were mostly cloudy. On the last day we visited the Fairy Pools, and it was raining. We had on our rain coats and water proof hiking boots, and we hiked past the pools as far as we could go until it got too boggy, and we lost the trail. We had the best time exploring. Even though we didn't put on our rain pants, we had on KUHL nylon pants and they dried as soon as we got back in the car.
There is NO bad weather, just unprepared travelers. Part of the experience of being in Scotland is experiencing the weather.