We'll be on the Isle of Skye in May with a cruise. We've signed up for one of the ship's morning excursions. It is a 4 mile hike around Portree Bay and then around Ben Chacraig and Torvaig. I look forward to the exercise as well as the beautiful views. Our excursion is only 2.5 hours so we will have plenty of time to do something else. The pics I see of the Isle of Skye are amazing and I want to be sure to see the most beautiful sights. I'm not sure whether or not our morning hike will have the dramatic views we're looking for. I tried unsuccessfully to find a half day afternoon tour on Viator or Tours by Locals. If I can find an afternoon tour guide or driver, what should be our priority? Should we ditch the morning hike and spend our time and energy (I think about 4-5 miles we be our physical limit.) hiking at Quiraing or The Man of Storr?
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
162 posts
We spent five nights on Skye two Augusts ago. We visited the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing on two separate afternoons and encountered very harsh weather at each.
Portree is a wonderful little town but doesn't encompass the stunning sites that Skye has to offer. If I could go back and only visit one spot, it would be Neist Point. If I had time to add a second destination, it would be the Fairy Glen.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1835 posts
I'm assuming this covers part of the walk you are planning and the photos will give you an idea of the scenery. It will be an easier walk than either Old Man of Storr or the Quirang. .
Depending on what time your walk finishes, there is this half day tour from Portree leaving at 12.30.
The other alternative would be to book a taxi in Portree for the afternoon - either do a loop of the Trotternish Peninsula (about 50 miles and around two hours plus time for stops) or else a circular down the A87 to Sligachen and Broadford (for views of the Cuillins) and then back to Sligachen and A863 Bracadale and back to Portree along the B885... This is just under 70 miles and will take about 2.5 hours to drive plus any stops on the way. Taking out Broadford reduces the distance to aaround 35 miles and probably 90 minutes plus any stops.
Posted by
Yorkshire
1212 posts
From memory a day ticket covering all the buses on Skye is about £8 unlimited
Its certainly worth going the 57C is very scenic.
If the bus us running ahead of time,even though its just a city bus,Robert often stops the bus to give a little bit of a lecture for a few minutes in the history of the north coast
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1117 posts
Skye is really not at all well set up to deal with the massive influx of visitors that cruise ships bring. We are a population of approx 10,00 people dispersed across a large island and organised tours (e.g. Rabbies are run by companies not based here and start from other locations). Local tours and taxis generally book up well in advance, so if you see a tour you fancy then I'd say book it now. One reputable local company is Skye Jeep Tours, but I'm not sure if they do half day tours. You'll probably want to to do the Trotternish loop which would take in the Quiraing and the Old Man of Storr. Everything else that most visitors want to see (Fairy Pools, Cullin Hills, Neist Point, Coral Beach) will take too long if you've only got half a day free. A local bus as recommended by others could work as there is one that does the Trotternish loop (route 57). Stagecoach Skye Timetables
Posted by
Washington DC
27120 posts
Complicating the matter (though perhaps more for full-day rather than half-day activities) is the extremely high frequency of rain in western Scotland. I'm not thrilled at the idea of paying 100 GBP (guessing) for a tour with a lot of outdoor time on a really rainy day. I canceled the bus tour I had booked on Skye because of the (accurate, it turned out) weather forecast and just took the bus around the Trotternish Peninsula. It was still raining, but I was dry and hadn't spent much money. Yes, I know there's no bad weather, just bad clothing, but when you only have a few days in a very wet area on a long trip, it doesn't make sense to carry rain pants around for 4 months!