Isle of Skye recommendations

Hi emmye, I'm also going to Scotland in May, and have 4 nights in Portree. I asked almost the exact same question a few weeks ago. It sounds like you'll have a car, though, so your options might be less limited than mine. But you should read the replies I got.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/skye-without-a-car

By the way reading the news tonight reminded me that anyone going to Mallaig for the ferry should always check the ferry status on CalMac website or app before leaving Fort William, in case they have to divert via the Skye Bridge. CalMac will always call pre booked pax if there is a problem, but that can take time. Sometimes the ferry can be disrupted by weather, and sometimes like today by breakdown.

Hi emmye

Your 2nd day is very full. Basically you are planning to go south to the Fairy Pools (45 mins drive from Portree), then way up north to the Storr and Quiraing (allow 90 minutes from Fairy Pools), then across to the Fairy Glen (allow 30 minutes from Quiraing) and then over to Neist Point, which is way out beyond Dunvegan. You'd need to allow 90 minutes to 2 hours to get there from the Fairy Glen. That seems like a heck of a lot for one day, with little time left to enjoy the sites, all of which require some degree of walking.

If you choose option 2 you can add Neist Point to that as it's in the same general direction, although a good hour from Coral Beach, bearing in mind the traffic and single track roads, which be slow. Coral Beach is a 90 minute round trip walk to get from the car park (which is tiny and often full, with absolutely no possibility to park on the road) to the beach and back.

Option 1 gives you the option of a boat trip from Elgol (book in advance) which would get you up close to the Cullin Hills and would be my personal choice.

You need to book the ferry in advance and I'd suggest signing up for text alerts in case there's a problem (weather or mechanical) with the ferry, in which case you might need to be ready to drive to Skye via the bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh.

Hope that helps

Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Lane- Thank you! Will review your post.

Re: the ferry- yes, I will absolutely check the status to ensure that it is running. I actually received an email from them today changing my original time of 2:45 to 2pm!

SkyeGirl- Day 2 is with a small tour group; I'm not driving it! Some of the stops may just be for photos and others will include walking about. I'm not super keen to drive all around the Isle of Skye each day, so think this is the best option for us. And if we want to explore more of any of the sights, I figured we can do that on day 3.

I didn't realize that Coral Beach was such a trek! Think that'll get eliminated. Any other beaches up near Dunvegan that you'd recommend instead?

emmye, I have not yet been to Skye but will be there in May (I am also staying in Portree for 4 nights from May 14 to 18).

At any rate, there was a post here a few weeks ago about restaurant recommendations that you might find interesting. Some were for other places, but there were several good ones for Skye. I've already started booking restaurants, just to be on the safe side. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/looking-for-restaurant-recommendations-for-scotland

This thread also has a number of good restaurant recommendations for Portree: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/scotland/seeking-skye-itinerary-feedback-5-nights

You need to book the ferry in advance and I'd suggest signing up for text alerts in case there's a problem

Jacqui, unfortunately I don't think you can do that without a UK phone number. I tried and it kept saying my number was not valid. However, I have downloaded the app and will be checking that every day for status updates. Emmye, I would suggest you do that as well - just search for CalMac Status in the app store.

Hi, emmye,

I'm with Jacqui on this - day too is just too much travelling, and not enough time for sightseeing. As you have a car, you can revisit any of the sites which you didn't have enough time to explore in depth. I echo Jacqui's suggestion to take a boat trip out of Elgol. The simplest one would be to do an out and back to the Loch Coruisk jetty on the Bella Jane or a "Mini" sailing on the Misty Isle, which includes 30 minutes onshore. The best choice would be the standard Bella Jane sailing, which includes 90 minutes on shore to do a bit of exploring around the south end of Loch Coruisk. With any of those sailings, you are almost guaranteed to see seals, and possibly dolphins.

www.bellajane.co.uk

www.mistyisleboattrips.co.uk

If they don't sail due to weather conditions, you'll be notified of cancellation ahead of time if you have a reservation. If you don't have a mobile (cell phone) for the U.K., they will call your lodging on the morning of your departure. It's a pretty drive down to Elgol, but if they do cancel, it would give you more time to explore the rest of Skye. including a visit to the neighbouring isle of Raasay.

If you haven't heard from CalMac by the time you leave Fort William, there is a large lighted signboard on the A830 just outside of town, which will advise you of any cancellation or change of scheduled time of departure. That would give you plenty of advance notice to head for the Skye Bridge.

I hope that you and your mum have a wonderful time! (It's Scotland - how could you not!)

Best wishes,

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: If you are a total foodie, and don't have to worry about breaking the bank, The Three Chimneys in Colbost, and Scorrybreac in Portree are destinations for gourmets. If I remember, Jacqui has had some good suggestions on previous posts. I'm a fish and chips person, so I can't vouch for either of the above. They'd be lost on me!

emmye

Regarding beaches, Skye is not really a beach place - all the best sandy beaches are on the Outer Hebrides! If you do a boat trip out of Elgol you will obviously see the beach there and Broadford Bay is a decent stretch of sand but only when the tide is out.

I'd recommend walking along the cliffs at Neist Point (rather than walking the steep path to the lighthouse). It's a right turn from the parking area. You will have great views of the lighthouse and there are plenty of places to sit down and look out to sea in the hope of seeing whales and dolphins. Much better than the trek to the lighthouse.

Jacqui

Mardee- thanks for the posts about restaurants. It's a bit of a struggle because my mom is quite a finicky eater (at least in my opinion). She eats no seafood, lamb, game and nothing spicy or "unusual". Pretty much only American and Italian cuisines.
Regarding the ferry, I was able to book my voyage from Mallaig to Armadale about 2 months ago and only have a US phone number. Maybe they've changed the system since then?

auchterless- Day 2 is an all day bus tour; I am not driving it! All of those locations are listed in the itinerary, but perhaps they don't actually visit all? And some are merely photo stops, which is fine with me as my mom is not going to want to walk all day. And while I don't mind driving, I'd prefer to have someone else (ie- tour guide) navigate all of the Skye sights. I figured if we really want to spend a longer time somewhere we can revisit that place on day 3.
I've already drooled over the menus at Three Chimneys and Scorrybreac, but sadly my mom wouldn't touch any of it.

Skyegirl- thanks for weighing in on beaches. My mom just loves walking along any type of beach and looking at the water. Elgol and Neist Point are both on my list!

Hi, emmye

"...sadly my mom wouldn't touch any of it."

Easy solution: Mum gets burger and chips down at the harbour; you get a wonderful meal at Scorrybreac. Problem solved!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: Regarding the possible ferry cancellations, you could ring CalMac from your lodging on the morning of your departure. The telephone number is 01475 650397. If you don't have a UK mobile, you could ask someone at your lodging to ring for you, and offer to reimburse them for the call.

p.p.s.: You had mentioned going to Elgol Beach. It's not a sandy beach - it's fairly rock strewn. It does have some fascinating rock formations, and once you round the headland, there is a great view up Loch Scavaig toward Camasunary. It's one of the classic views in Scotland. Be sure to wear sturdy footwear.

By the way the direct telephone numbers are-
01687 310240 for the Mallaig office, and 01471 250090 for the Armadale office.

These numbers are taken from this morning's first update notice timed at 0532 and are the official advice. Things are so fluid that the 0532 notice was updated at 0543!

The above number is for the Head Office at Gourock- in the UK that office is a free phone number and is 0800 066 5000.
The number cited is for international use.

Regarding the ferry, I was able to book my voyage from Mallaig to Armadale about 2 months ago and only have a US phone number. Maybe they've changed the system since then?

Sorry for the confusion - I meant that you cannot sign up for text updates on the Calmac website using a US phone number - I just tried 2 days ago. You can certainly book a ferry, though, and give them your phone number. Mine have been booked for awhile and I had no problems with that.

Mardee- Whoops! My reading comprehension is lacking, haha.

Ha ha, no worries!

When our ferry was cancelled last August due to breakdown, we were notified via email 48 hours in advance. We diverted via taxi across the bridge to Kyle and took the most breathtaking regional bus ride through the Highlands down to the Glasgow airport. What a blessing in disguise that was.

It is possible to get a UK phone number through Skype.

https://secure.skype.com/en/skype-number

I

That’s true, but I don’t want to have to buy a phone number just to receive text messages, especially if I can check the status on the app. :)

We did Scotland in 2009. For Skye, we had about the same amount of time. The first day we got to our hotel in Portree and just hung out in town that first day and night. Walked around, and had good trad music and dinner. We went in April so things were pretty quiet. Day two was busy--Kilt Rock, hiked Old Man of Storr, Dunvegan Castle, and drove out to the small community of Stein on the sea and hung out at the pub there. Day three was a quick walk through farm countryside and photos outside of Portree then off to next destination (Inverness).