The Isle of Skye is a beautiful place to visit. There are many attractions in the area such as waterfalls, mountains and castles. The Isle of Skye is a destination that should be on everybody’s bucket list. We highly recommend incorporating the Isle of Skye into your NC500 road trip or just dedicating a trip there!
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The Old Man of Storr
The Old Man of Storr is a rock formation near Staffin Bay in the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye. The Old Man is a 175-foot-high basalt stack with two arched openings resembling eyes and a large natural arch at its summit. Visitors can walk to it along an easy path from the car park.
The Old Man has been used as a symbol for Skye since prehistoric times. In Gaelic folklore it was said to be occupied by fairies and other supernatural beings; today, it is regarded as one of Scotland’s most iconic landmarks and attracts thousands of tourists every year.
Try to go to the Old Man of Storr on a clear, good weather day to ensure that you will actually be able to see it once you get up to the top of the hike! The hike is roughly a 2 hour round trip from the car park.
Fairy Pools
The Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye are at the foot of the Black Cuillins and are surrounded by the most incredible mountain views. The pools are a popular spot for wild swimming if you can brave the cold waters!
Fairy pools are small, round pools that form in glacial valleys. The water is typically cold and crystal clear and the rocks around it have a thin layer of green algae that makes them look like emeralds. Fairy pools are normally surrounded by dark green moss, giving them an almost magical appearance.
The name “fairy pool” comes from Celtic folklore about fairies living under tree roots, which also might be why some people think they’re dangerous to go near or cross over. Aside from being small and beautiful features for hikers to admire on their way up a mountain, fairy pools can be used as a watering hole for other animals such as deer and sheep.
Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls
Kilt Rock is a sea cliff which was named for the resemblance to a kilt, which is a skirt-like garment worn by men in Scotland. Mealt falls is a waterfall that falls 55m from the cliff top to the sea.
This is not a spot where you will spend lots of time, but is well worth going to see anyway. This spot does get very busier, so the earlier you can get there, the better, and the better views you will have without crowds of people.
Black Cuillin
The Black Cuillin is a mountain range in the south of Scotland. It is one of the most dramatic parts of Skye, with its jagged peaks providing a stunning backdrop for views from Portree. The Cuillin’s have been carved out by sharp glaciation which has formed high cliffs, steep slopes and narrow corries. There are many routes up the mountains to enjoy but beware that in winter months there can be very icy conditions and treacherous terrain so be prepared with waterproof gear, sturdy boots and appropriate clothing.
Talisker Distillery
Talisker Distillery is located on the shores of the Isle of Skye. It is a single malt whisky distillery, which means it produces only one type of whisky.
The distillery was founded in 1825 and has been producing whisky ever since, even though it has been closed for a period in between (1914-1954).
Taliskers are sold under two distinct types: the “standard” Talisker as well as Talisker Storm, which is made from double distilled beer and bottled at 46% ABV. The founder, Hugh Fraser was from Glasgow and had moved to Skye to become an agri-farmer but later decided that he would rather have a small farm with nine cows instead.
He bought some land at Carbost which consisted of three different component farms: Achnabobblaig (from where he took his name), Achadh na h-aibhnichean (from where he took his surname), as well as Borra Glebe Farm. The distillery itself was named after its founder’s father, Thomas Fraser who came from North Kessock in Scotland.
Quiraing
Quiraing is a path in the Trotternish Ridge on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The word Quiraing is Gaelic for “fairy hill”, and it is often described as “a two mile long ridge of exposed rock with dramatic cliff faces on both sides.” The Quiraing was created as a result of landslides, which are still active.
The Quiraing was one of the first areas to be mapped by Ordnance Survey in 1856 and has been an area used for recreation since Victorian times. Most people hike up to the ridge from Harlosh Bay or follow a circuit that begins at Whitebridge and goes via Druim Fada then descends to Sligachan Bay. However anyone hiking these hills should be extremely careful as there are many steep drops, loose rocks and sudden changes in altitude.
Portree
Portree is a small town on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It was established by David Carnegie, 10th Earl of Northesk in 1790 who built a pier with an inclined railway to allow boats to be loaded at high tide and then hauled up the steep slope to the quay.
The village of Portree is situated on the south coast of Skye, at the end of a peninsula. It has a population of around 2,500 inhabitants. There are many different attractions in and around Portree including: a museum, golf courses, an art gallery and a theatre.
Portree is also well-known for being one of the few places where visitors can see seals from land as they come ashore on nearby beaches to breed in winter months. Other animals that may be seen in this area include otters, dolphins and whales. Many people choose to stay in hotels or holiday homes when visiting Portree because it is so busy during high season with tourists coming from all over the world to enjoy its spectacularly beautiful views. The west side beach provides calm water for swimming while other parts have strong waves which make them popular with surfers and kayakers alike.
We hope this blog post has helped to give you some inspiration for the best things to do on the Isle of Skye and hope it has helped you to consider taking your own trip to this wonderful part of Scotland!
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I love everything about travel, from seeing new places, learning about new cultures and trying new foods! I believe that travel is one of the best forms of education you can get, I have learnt so much about myself and about the world from travelling all over. Travel is something I feel so passionately about, and I love the fact that we are now lucky enough to have this opportunity to do what we love as much as we can, it’s a dream come true.
Before we started travelling, I worked in local government in administration. I had been in this job for several years and had reached a complete brick wall where I was so fed up, but didn’t know what else to do. The only thing I knew that I wanted to do was to travel, and had wanted to do that for many years.
There were hundreds and hundreds of places on my wishlist that I wanted to go to, and I knew that going on a weeks holiday maybe twice a year if we were lucky wasn’t going to cut it.
After being in lockdown due to the Covid pandemic, and working from home staring at the same 4 walls every day, 2021 seemed like the perfect time for us to take the risk to finally do what we had dreamed of for so long.
It was a hard decision to completely change our lives, but so far it has been the best decision we have ever made!
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