Isle of Skye: SUV or don't bother

I spent 5 days with a Ford Focus on Skye and never had a problem.

It's not Rick Steves' job to let you know about road conditions in any place - that's your responsibility. Would you expect him to warn you about walking on cobblestone streets?

You also might want to keep in mind that people (both locals and tourists) drive those roads every day of the car and do just fine. In fact, if you would have read some of the posts here, you would find that most people recommend getting a smaller car due to the one track roads (which again, is a common topic on this forum).

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience but I think that if you would have done proper research and not relied on someone handing you the information on a silver platter, you would have been prepared for the rural one-track roads and had a better time.

It seems Philip Roth was right: sanctimony is the true American pastime.

In fairness, the roads are not uniformly poor. But some of the destinations (neist lighthouse to give one example) are only accessible by roads that will bottom-out a compact hatchback. If there's been recent rain, it will be impossible to tell which puddles are only 2-3 inches deep and which are 2 or 3 times that. If that's user error, then we were in mighty good company judging by the number of vehicles in the car park with damaged lower trim.

For reference, we are 2 people traveling in a rented MB A-class, which seems to be just about the perfect vehicle on the mainland.

Did you not read the post on this forum a few weeks ago from Skyegirl warning you of exactly that problem?
That there isn't enough tax money to repair all the roads.
How on earth is RS meant to notify everyone about every road in Scotland, let alone the whole of Europe?

It seems Philip Roth was right: sanctimony is the true American pastime.

No one is being sanctimonious here. We're just telling someone who obviously didn't research driving in Scotland that he shouldn't blame the owner of the travel forum. And believe me, we're being nice compared to responses you would have gotten on Trip Advisor or Reddit. 😊

If there's been recent rain, it will be impossible to tell which puddles are only 2-3 inches deep and which are 2 or 3 times that.

Oh dear. Unfortunately you will find many rural roads like that not just on Skye.

As best I can tell neither RS tour of Scotland includes Skye.

Why would you expect RS to provide road condition reports for somewhere they do not go?

Did you ask or do any research about the road condition?
Took me less than 30 seconds to find this---
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=isle+of+skye+road+condition&tbm=isch&source=univ&fir=awHq3_2uNvNLgM%252CrlYOGT7Gppc5HM%252C_%253Bq87WZ-OoA86czM%252CAhKycN0qmOn0oM%252C_%253Buyf98NT_i98Y9M%252CRli5QyJf85sv3M%252C_%253BhisztOhIodv9DM%252CrlYOGT7Gppc5HM%252C_%253ByQjoQdSw6nQejM%252CKFpXDoC9mAVm7M%252C_%253B95baKcMY5IoLLM%252Ccrs-4_spOE-OPM%252C_%253BsxT77SkOV2o3nM%252CzUKBproYmKlvVM%252C_%253Bf3zTm5NoZI1aAM%252CTfAblRE6AxNFTM%252C_%253BKgQ6_8YUMpnldM%252CCc-2tH_8kp5TGM%252C_%253BMyv6IIt6zIqP-M%252CrlYOGT7Gppc5HM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kQnuZemBeXtPlu5gMBGOVGjjEP_1w&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5oMO9rK_-AhU1ADQIHWKPA3oQjJkEegQIMBAC&biw=1257&bih=611&dpr=1#imgrc=yQjoQdSw6nQejM

To be a bit fair, I read about the perhaps worse than usual road conditions (with photos) in posts by locals on a Skye FB page, as well as the other thread here mentioned above. It sounds like in some places it’s worse than it was last year when I was there.

This comment is not directed at the OP, but it might be a thought for later readers. I know some of you are renting and taking your car for the entire trip. I rented on Skye. I feel like the attitude of the rental car companies might be different locally as opposed to say a company in Edinburgh. No idea it that is true, but having had a rental out of both places plus Lewis and Harris, it just felt like the Skye company had differing expections for minor stuff.

And we all know a lot of newcomers think RS monitors these pages - as opposed to letting us mostly roam freely here. 🤣

We have our fair share of rural roads in Cumbria (the English Lake District) like that.
One of our mountain roads- known as the Corney Fell Road- is not only potholed but is crumbling away at the sides. Traditionally it was 1 1/2 cars wide with passing places. Now in many places it is 1 car wide and quite a few of the passing places are gone.
But it doesn't serve anywhere that non residents need to get to. There is a perfectly good A road at the bottom of the fell, but people use the fell road to shave a minute or two off their travel time, and drive like lunatics.

The answer, would be to charge a hypothecated tourist tax and/or to make certain roads turnpike roads to non-locals.
In the Lake District where many people come on day trips it would have to be a toll on all roads to enter the area, as bedroom tax wouldn't work, with no tax charged to those who travel by the perfectly good transit which exists.
It will never happen because it would be too unpopular.
But radical solutions are needed. People expect to drive to wherever they want to do and contribute nothing to the upkeep of the roads, then complain when the roads are not up to scratch.

People ( tourists, presumably?) expect to drive to wherever they want to do and contribute nothing to the upkeep of the roads, then complain when the roads are not up to scratch.

So what is the government doing with the 20% tax it collects on rental cars? Where does the fuel tax go?
(This is not unique to the UK. Rental car tax in Hawaii is 30% )

Those taxes go into the general tax pot. The main highways- the motorways and the A roads which are designated as Trunk Roads are maintained by National Highways- essentially nationally.
But all local roads (non trunked A roads and lower category roads) are looked after by local authorities. They get a block grant from Government for all services and raise the rest from local taxes, prioritising all kinds of spending.
So on Skye all roads, except maybe the main road from the Skye Bridge to Portree, are looked after by Highland Council. If the main road is trunked (which I doubt) that will be the Scottish Government.
Increasingly local authorities are going for dry filling of individual potholes, rather than comprehensive re-surfacing. The problem is that doesn't last.
That is where a local tax of some sort, call it what you will, would help.
In Cumbria it could get more interesting, now that we are divided into two unitary authorities of Cumberland & Westmorland and Furness again. Maybe Cumberland will decide to spend more per capita on roads than Westmorland or the other way round. Interestingly one of Westmorland's first acts has been to improve bus services, long left without subsidy by the former Cumbria.
I can't trace Jacqui's post about the roads on Skye, but I think she said that this winter has been hard up there.
The increasingly extreme weather, driven by global warming, certainly isn't helping matters on the roads.

Hi isn31c,
You are right - I did write a post warning about the poor state of the roads here on Skye, but it was within someone else's thread asking general questions about Skye - not sure where it went.

Anyway, the main A87 from the bridge to Uig is a 'trunk' road maintained by BEAR on a contract from the Scottish Govt. All other roads on Skye (even the ones classed as A roads) are maintained by Highland Council. There is a constant barrage of reports to the council by us locals but they can't keep up with all the potholes and don't have the finances - or so they tell us. Local politicians and the BBC have taken up our case but no real progress yet, apart from three sections - on the Dunvegan bound road at Sligachan, near Skeabost Hotel and at Fanks near Edinbane - have been fixed. Glendale hill is on the list but for sometime between now and August. Milovaig and the road to Neist point is in a really terrible condition.

Facebook group called Fix Skye Roads will give up to date info and photos, including some by yours truly of the road where I live, which is just off the road to Neist.

Anyway, I sympathise with all who suffer damage to their cars. My only advice - take it slowly and treat puddles as potholes.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

The best maintained roads I've ever seen were in Germany. Of course. I can see why they're the dominant economic country in Europe.

I still say that we need someone like Calum MacLeod, but multiplied tenfold!

Mike (Auchterless)

p.s.: On second thought, perhaps the Council could save some money (and aggravation) by having the road menders put traffic cones in all the larger potholes. That way, there would be no need to repair the potholes, and drivers would be forewarned. The B884 could be turned into a slalom course.

I still say that we need someone like Calum MacLeod, but multiplied tenfold!

What does a cricket player have to do with potholes?

To answer your question about Calum MacLeod

https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/raasay/calumsroad/index.html

Rick Steves never rents cars as far as I know.
He takes local trains and buses.
This post is about something no one could predict.

Rick Steves never rents cars as far as I know.

It has been known to happen. https://inews.co.uk/essentials/lifestyle/cars/car-news/american-travel-writer-who-filmed-selfie-video-at-the-wheel-on-m6-admits-he-goofed-up-after-being-told-off-by-police-319632

Skyegirl, are you saying that the 3 sections you mention have been repaired OR have not been repaired? Would you advise against driving to Neist Point?
Thank you,
Karen

Skeasbost, Fanks and Sligachan have been done, but no work yet on the road out to Neist point. It's supposed to be being done next week, but only the Glendale hill section, not all the way to Neist. As it stands right now I wouldn't drive to Neist. A friend came over to mine from that direction this evening and said she saw several stranded rental cars.

Skyegirl, we will be there in June. Is there any news on whether the road will be fixed all the way to Neist Point by then? We can always ask at our hotel when we arrive. If they tell us the road isn't fixed, then we definitely won't drive out there. Not going to risk damaging our car. Thank you so much for your helpful advice. It's great to have "boots on the ground"!

I'm not sure about the roads on Raasay right now as I haven't been over there this year, but I'm not hearing any horror stories.

As for when the road will be fixed all the way to Neist point, I wouldn't hold my breath.

The council prioritise what the maps tell them are the major roads, seeming to completely ignore the fact that on Skye the roads travelled by the largest numbers of people are the minor roads to out of the way places, because that's where tourists want to go! We seem to be hampered by Visit Scotland too. The tourism body obviously wants to encourage large numbers of visitors, but when local business owners contacted them (in significant numbers) to ask for their help in lobbying the local councils to fix our roads they consistently got replies saying it wasn't appropriate for Visit Scotland to get involved! Locals have also contacted the BBC and ITV (tv channels) and there have been a couple of reports about the roads in the Highlands. Indeed the road at Skaebost on Skye was featured and lo and behold got fixed soon afterwards. But the media then move on to another story.

So what is the government doing with the 20% tax it collects on rental cars? Where does the fuel tax go?

These are not hypothecated taxes. When we had window taxes in the old days the money wasn’t spent on windows.

The council prioritise what the maps tell them are the major roads, seeming to completely ignore the fact that on Skye the roads travelled by the largest numbers of people are the minor roads to out of the way places, because that's where tourists want to go! We seem to be hampered by Visit Scotland too. The tourism body obviously wants to encourage large numbers of visitors, but when local business owners contacted them (in significant numbers) to ask for their help in lobbying the local councils to fix our roads they consistently got replies saying it wasn't appropriate for Visit Scotland to get involved! Locals have also contacted the BBC and ITV (tv channels) and there have been a couple of reports about the roads in the Highlands. Indeed the road at Skaebost on Skye was featured and lo and behold got fixed soon afterwards. But the media then move on to another story.

Highland Council has a bit of a double whammy there. They maintain over 6,700 km of roads, roughly 13% of Scotland's roads, in an area the size of Belgium. Most have a strict formula for when roads get maintained and when as a regular basis depending on classification, most of the access roads will not be an A or a B number, and at the bottom of the list even if they are tourist busy.

I'm puzzled. We spent three days on Skye last June and I remarked at the time that the roads were vastly improved since our last visit in 1997. Wider, smoother, passing places galore. We hit all the usual spots and never bottomed out or even scratched a mirror. But then we live in a very rural area and have learned how to deal with downed trees, deer carcasses, or bottomless chasms.

The roads deteriorated significantly this winter. They were indeed much better last summer. But this year it's a nightmare. I live here year round and am used to potholes, road slips, animal carcasses, floods etc. Trust me - it's awful this year.

I feel awkward about not engaging much in a thread that I started, but it really was intended more as a warning than as a discussion. The best summary I can give is

Skye is fantastic (and the west coast, in general, is great). Definitely visit.

If you're making a quick run to Portree, along with a drive around the peninsula...with maybe a trip to the Quiraing...you can ignore this warning. Skill & experience are enough to get by.

The situation deteriorates as you go further west, toward the Duirinish peninsula, or south toward the Cuillin hills. The frequency and proximity of large potholes means you cannot avoid entering one before clearing another. Experience is great, but it doesn't trump geometry and physics.

By chance, I ran into a local guide, while visiting the glenfinnan viaduct (we were both looking to get that perfectly-timed photo of the steam train) Paraphrasing his words: some roads on Skye have deteriorated significantly over the past 2-3 years. They weren't built to handle the traffic they're getting (he acknowledged that tour bus/van traffic is partly to blame).

In hindsight, I'd definitely recommend the optional liability reduction, but I would compare the cost of an SUV to the cost of a compact car. If it is more than 100GBP, I would just get a smaller car and plan on being charged for damage. We were charged £100 for damage (no surprise), but that's probably less than than the extra up-front cost for an SUV. The main benefit would be comfort.

Cheers,
Chris

Chris, thanks for your more detailed description. So it sounds like we should be fine driving on the Trotternish Peninsula but to stay away from the Duirnish Peninsula and Neist Point, as Skyegirl recommends.

To Chris, Skyegirl, or anyone else, what is the road like to Dunvegan Castle? I have crossed Neist Point off my sightseeing list, but I would love to visit Dunvegan Castle.

Thanks,
Karen

Dunvegan castle is on the edge of Dunvegan village. The road to it is fine.

Skyegirl, Thank you! You are a wealth of helpful information.

My apologies, Karen -- the more detailed description wasn't detailed enough. The A850 out to Dunvegan is no problem. It was the road to Neist that was dicey. On the topic of island castles, I'll plug Duart Castle (Isle of Mull). They have some great artifacts, and a super informative & friendly guide (friendly even after we admitted our connection was by way of Campbell, not MacLean).

To the brave and noble keyboard warriors, I'll reiterate that none of the roads are remotely difficult to traverse - you're not going to get stuck. The concern is specific to foreigners whose insurance offers little or no coverage to rental cars, and who may be driving with 2 or 3 adults & a week's worth of luggage, and who want to keep an almost-new rental car spotless. And, again, it's just a warning. Folks can take it or leave it.

One thing, because of the pandemic there are a lot of road repairs that have been put off and are now overdue. Not helped by budget cuts, but there are jokes that you can tell when you've crossed the local authority boundary by braille.

If the signs are in blue or green they tend to be ok to good, as most are maintained by the Scottish Government. If in white it can be a gamble as they will be maintained by the local authority.

"To the brave and noble keyboard warriors, I'll reiterate that none of the roads are remotely difficult to traverse - you're not going to get stuck."

Actually you might get stuck! Last week a car went too far to the verges of the road on the hill back out of Glendale, on their way back from Neist Point. They didn't realise the verges are very soft and their car slipped a few inches to the left and they were wedged into a drainage ditch. The recovery truck from Portree took several hours to arrive, but which time there was chaos and the road into and out of Glendale was completely impassable.

On the topic of island castles, I'll plug Duart Castle (Isle of Mull). They have some great artifacts, and a super informative & friendly guide (friendly even after we admitted our connection was by way of Campbell, not MacLean).

Thanks, that's good to know! I have that on my list of places I would like to see in Mull. And fun connection! I'm reading some historical fiction right now that takes place during that time - in fact it just covered the execution of the Earl of Argyll for his participation in the Monmouth Rebellion.

I am pleased to report some progress with the roads on Skye, specifically the section out to Neist Point via Glendale. The road crews have been very busy and have replaced several entire sections of road in Glendale. There are still isolated bad potholes so visitors still need to be careful, but the very worst sections are now like driving on carpet.

Best wishes
Jacqui (Skyegirl)

Thanks, Jacqui!!! I leave Wednesday so I'm happy to know that things are better now!

Jacque, thank you so much for this information. We leave on May 29. I will put Neist point back on my itinerary but will be aware of the occasional bad pothole.

I am pleased to report some progress with the roads on Skye, specifically the section out to Neist Point via Glendale. The road crews have been very busy and have replaced several entire sections of road in Glendale. There are still isolated bad potholes so visitors still need to be careful, but the very worst sections are now like driving on carpet.

@skyegirl

That is good news, also I can report the other councils around here are also doing a lot of repairs that had been put off during the pandemic.

For @mardee and others collecting cars at Glasgow International or in Glasgow, this thread is possibly the best, at the moment the M8 into the city from the airport has some major road works and road repairs with a lower speed limit of 40. Out of rush hour this will probably be ok, but just a heads up as there will be narrower lanes with average speed cameras.