10 must visit places in the Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye was one of the biggest reasons we decided to go to Scotland. And it did not fail our expectations. This small island has one of the best views I’ve ever seen. It’s also so much bigger than I expected and there is so much to see here. We still didn’t do everything and I would love to go back here someday!
This island has a lot of things to offer, like out of this world walks, medieval castles, a lot of fairytales and legends, wildlife or even seeing real life dinosaur fossils (which we sadly didn’t get to see). Be prepared to spend a few days here, because you never want to leave this place ever again!
For your information, all these pictures were taken in July 2022.
Table of Contents
1 | Portree
Portree is the capital of the Isle of Skye, but don’t imagine a big city. It’s a small village overlooking a bay, located on the east side of the island. The village is only 200 years old and it was created as a fishing village.
We just made a very small stop here, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an important village. You have everything here that you can imagine, like a big supermarket (that you probably will visit a lot), gas station, accommodations, restaurants, buses that get you to other attractions and so on. As a bonus, the bay is photogenetic, so you really can’t skip this place!
2 | Bride's Veil Falls
After a tiresome hike to the Old Man of Storr, this is the perfect place to visit. It only takes 3 minutes to drive from the parking of the Storr to this place and there is basically no need for hiking as it’s a roadside waterfall. The only downside is the limited parking. It could only occupy 4 or 5 cars, but it’s easy to wait for a free spot. People don’t really spend that much time here. You can get creative with photographs here as you can see the Old Man of Storr in the background. We didn’t get such a picture as the weather turned completely. Such a shame!
3 | The Old Man of Storr
If you only have one day in the Isle of Skye, this is a MUST visit place! You can’t skip this one. This was one of the best days of our trip in Scotland and I would be so sad if we didn’t get to see the Old Man of Storr. The area is huge and there is so much to explore here. You feel so small next to the Storr.
The hike is quite doable as it is short. You just need to be prepared that it is uphill for the most part and that the hike ends in climbing stairs. I wrote a whole article about this place so check it our by clicking here.
Hike length: It’s a 2.4 miles (or 3.8 km) loop and it takes around 2h. The trail has a height difference of 340 meters.
Parking: There is a big parking available, but it can get pretty full in the summer. It costs £3.00 for 3h, £5 for 6h and £7 for 12h with a 12h maximum stay.
Find out more about this hike on: Hiking to the Old Man of Storr
4 | Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls
On the way to the north of the island, you can make a pretty quick stop here. It’s another waterfall that doesn’t require walking, because the parking is basically at the waterfall. The view from the platform is only limited, but you can see the Mealt falls and the Kilt rock. It gets quite busy in the summer, so you probably have to wait for your turn to see the waterfall.
It’s not the most impressive place on the Isle of Skye, but as you pass it to your next location and it doesn’t require any activity, it’s easy to add into your itinerary. You don’t lose much time stopping here and if you’re lucky, you can see the waterfall drop into the sea.
5 | The Quiraing
I read somewhere online that the Needle is the little brother of the Old Man of Storr, so we searched for it online. Apparantly, the Needle could be found at the Quiraing so we had pretty high hopes for this one. Not only does the hike at the Quiraing has one of the best views, it also has a pretty challenging, but nice trail which I think is more fun! If you don’t feel like walking, still come here. The views from the car park are amazing too!!
On this hike, you can pass the Prison, the Needle and the Table (funny names, I know). Finding the Needle was the highlight of this whole place in my opinion. Especially when you go behind the Needle. The path isn’t the easiest one, but it’s SO worth it!
Hike length: The hike is a 4 miles (or 6.5 km) loop trail and it takes 3 a 4h to complete. The trail has a height difference of 370 meters.
Parking: There is a big parking available, but it can get pretty full in the summer. It costs £3.00 for 3h and £5 for 6h. It’s £5 for a minibus (57°37’41.2″N 6°17’25.9″W).
6 | The Fairy Glen
I didn’t have high expectations of this place and thought it was a good idea to visit with the bad weather we had that day. It turned out it was a really nice place and we got a lot of good pictures here.
It’s such a mystical place, but I need to dissapoint you. There are no stories involving fairies about this place. The name was given, because of the magical look. The spiral rocks have been placed by visitors apparantly and aren’t normally there. The locals try to put the stones back to keep the Fairy Glen at its natural state.
It’s a very small hike of around 10 minutes from the car parking to the famous point. There is a car parking at the start of the hiking trail, which costs £2 for up to 2h and £3 for up to 4h.
7 | Dunvegan Castle
A visit to the Isle of Skye would be incomplete without visiting Dunvegan Castle. We went to this castle on a very rainy and foggy day when we couldn’t hike and I don’t regret coming here. As we decided that we didn’t want to go inside the castle because of the price, we found a nice viewpoint to see the castle from afar! You can find the viewpoint here.
Opening hours: The castle is open daily between 10am – 5.30pm from 1 April – 15 October
Entrance fee: £14 for adults for the castle and the gardens. £12 for adults for the gardens only. Other pricing options are available.
Parking: There is free parking directly at the castle.
8 | Neist Point Lighthouse
Neist Point is located on the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye. It’s one of the most famous lighthouses of Scotland so don’t miss this place! The weather was very bad the first time we went here and (almost) couldn’t see anything. Because the lighthouse looked promising, we went back the next day in the hope the mist cleared up and we were in luck!
The road to the lighthouse is on a single track road. This means that there can only drive one car at the time. When a car wants to pass, you need to stop at the passing lanes that are there every hundred meters and you can continue your way.
If you don’t feel like walking or you just want to see stunning views, don’t forget to go to the viewpoint of the lighthouse. Here you can find stunning views over the cliffs with the lighthouse.
Hike length: The hike is 1.8 miles (or 3 km) one way and back and it takes more than 1h to complete. The trail has a height difference of 140 meters. Going down to the lighthouse is easy, but going back up is quite steep and can be tiresome.
Parking: Parking is very small and sometimes there will be no space. You need to be on time.
9 | Fairy Pools
The Fairy pools is a long stream with a lot of waterfalls filled with mountain water. The name is derived of a legend about the chief of a local clan that married a fairy princess. That’s why a lot of places in the Isle of Skye has a fairy name.
If you’re in luck and the sun shines in Scotland, the pools will shine with bright greens and blues. Not like in our visit, where everything was grey and wet. The Fairy pools are also very famous for taking a dip in one of the pools. Don’t except warm temperatures in the summer months. It’s still very chilly. Doing this in the winter is even more crazy!
Hike length: To get to the first main waterfall, it takes around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) and around 40 minutes to reach. You can still walk further to explore some of the smaller pools that lie ahead. The hike is one way and back.
Parking: There is a big car park that costs £5 for a whole day. There is a toilet available that is open till 17h in summer and till 15h in winter. If you don’t want to pay for the parking, there is a free parking available, but you need to walk for around 10 – 15 minutes extra.
10 | Sligachan Old Bridge
When leaving or entering the Isle of Skye, this is a perfect place to make a stopover. This bridge has a nice location, overlooking the Black Cuillin mountains. It’s the perfect place to take a nice walk and enjoy your surroundings.
The bridge was built between 1810 and 1818 and could only be used by pedestrians and cyclists. It consists of three arches with a hump in the middle. There is another, newer bridge right next to this one for cars.
Legend says that, by dipping your head in the river for 7 seconds, you will gain eternal beauty by the fairies, as the river acts as a gateway between the fairy world and the real world. You can always try this and see if this works. Doesn’t hurt to try, right?
Map of places in Isle Of Skye
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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