- Isle of Skye
- (19)
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United Kingdom
Skye is renowned for its wacky geology, and the northern peninsula of Trotternish boasts an array of bewildering natural weirdness; from a massive rock needle to an enchanting 'Faerie Glen'. The most bizarre place, however, must be inside the mind of the eccentric curator of this one-roomed 'exhibition' tucked away on the peninsula's west coast. Upon entering, the first impression is of nothing more than a collection of junk recovered from the beach, but a closer look reveals a surreal and often very humorous story or proverb attached to each artifact ("Life is like the wind- it's not there when there isn't any" is a personal favourite.)
Just outside of the village of Kilmuir on the A885 road north-west of Portree. The exhibition is signposted, but the road itself has no name (towards Bornesketaig on some maps). The exhibition is in a green-roofed shack about half a mile down the road towards the small bay.
Google map: bit.ly/qtW7ab
Waternish is the middle bit in the North of Skye. It is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt places I have ever been to. Fantastic views to the Outer Hebrides. Some interesting craft places dotted about. The clearest air I've ever breathed. Wish I could have bottled it to take home. I have to make do with the photo I took of the Minch (Loch/Sea?) which is now the background on my computer.
www.visit-waternish.co.uk
Google map: bit.ly/nSKaEf
Its a wool shop like no other! They sell naturally dyed yarn (including the softest, most snuggly double knit with cashmere in it) in a spectrum of sumptious colours. Some of the plants that make up the colours are grown locally too. They also sell natural yarns - I never knew sheep came in so many shades: nothing boring about these greys, browns and black wools. If you don't knit, you can come away with a hand made jumper or scarves, socks ... and wonderful buttons! There is also an exhibition about the process of dyeing and about the plants used.
I recommend it because the stuff in the shop is lovely, the people in the shop are friendly and helpful, and the exhibition is interesting.
And, Waternish as a whole is one of the lovliest places I have ever been.
www.theskyeshilasdairshop.co.uk
10 Carnach, Waternish, Isle of Skye, IV55 8GL
+44(0)1470 592297
Google map: bit.ly/qvYzq4
It may not be the warmest place around, but for sheer grandeur of scenery, there's little to beat Skye. Dark, muscular mountains, rising vertically from frothy waters, hauntingly beautiful drives along precipitous coastlines, skies that darken and light up at the will of a wickedly fierce wind. This is a land where you feel Mother Earth is on testosterone - it' s butch alright, but very, very beautiful. With wonderful accomodations (choose from delightfully homely B&B's, hostels and charming, boutique hotels) and great grub (as vegetarians our options were limited to wholesome soups and deliciously creamy jacket-potatoes, but sea-food lovers, I'm assured, are in for a feast), crumbling castles perched on glorious cliff-tops, there's really no reason to go to New Zealand to admire landscapes that haven't changed a jot since the last ice age. Travel to Skye by train (nearest stations - Kyle of Lochalsh, Mallaig or Inverness) after which a choice of bus/ferry will zip you across to the (in my opinion) most beautiful spot on earth.
Excellent vegetarian dinners at Portree - www.cafearriba.co.uk/
Quay Brae, Portree, Isle of Skye, IV51 9DB
01478 611 830
Google map: tinyurl.com/3ydsdfy
Just spent a week in this wonderful five-star thatched cottage. Booked it thinking the website probably wouldn't live up to the pictures, but it was way above what we expected. It is newly built but in traditional stone, so it looked really old. When we got inside it had a real "wow factor", pure luxury. The views were to die for and we spent most evenings outside watching the sunset. It also had a webcam trained on the croft hill, and we saw buzzards and eagles from the comfort of our chair, amazing stuff!
Did lots of walking and looked forward to returning to the luxurious bathroom in the cottage. The water came from a private underground spring and my skin felt amazing after a week, due to no chemicals in the water. Ate out at the Three Chimneys and Old School House Restaurant, both fantastic and nearby. Talisker Distillery was also a must-visit, especially the tasting sessions!
I hate to tell anyone of the cottage in case we don't get in next year but thank you to the owners for an amazing week. And thanks, Ally, the owner for getting us a fresh lobster, straight from the sea!
Can't wait to go back!
www.skyecrofterscottage.com
Balmeanach
Struan,
near Dunvegan
Isle of Skye
01529 304436
Funky, healthy and bang in the middle of the village. Top prices, great choices. Open till 10pm (There is also a great clothes shop downstairs). Don't miss it!
Uig is a little gem, the countryside around it enchanting and Andi and Vicki are fab hosts. Their B&B oozes coziness, their breakfasts are able to raise one from the dead and if you stay for dinner you won't be disappointed either (pocket or tummy-wise).
They also arrange a lot of outdoor activities but, alas, the weather has to be on your side!
Great to look at from low level and even better to get up close and personal with - although not so much at this time of year!
I have just spent the most amazing week at this house. It is directly across from Blaven (one of the black cuillins) and a one-minute walk from the loch. The house is fantastic with a large decking area to sit and admire the view. There is so much walking and climbing to be done from the house.
A beautiful village in Sleat, the garden of Skye, boasting an art gallery, a lively pub, a whisky shop, and a lighthouse that seems to have been painted on by Monet.
We took a boat to Eigg and got followed by a whale that stuck its head out of the water to see us better. The next day we caught 12 mackerel while boating in the sound and had them with mussels bought from a local fisherman. Just ask in the pub.
Also: you must go roamin’ in the gloamin’ on the Old Man of Storr, further north.
The Longhouse at Tokavaig on Skye was pretty quickly like home from home, only we felt a million miles from anywhere, which was exactly what we were hoping for.
The decking, set to look out over Loch Slapin, is perfect for lounging about and admiring the
Cuillin mountain range - what an outlook, especially with a dram or two.
The walk to the shore is recommended. We saw an otter and, to the delight of our teenage girls, you can actually get a signal on your mobile if you scramble to the top of the castle ruins!
Skye remains magnificent, even after so many people have said it. Getting there via the A87 is a blast (motorcycle heaven, alas literally on occasion). Pop over the hill to Glenelg (via stunning views of the five sisters mountains) on the way for a fine bar lunch in the local inn (sit out and enjoy the views). There is a ferry crossing from here to Skye in the summer months.
Traverse Skye (up the right hand and over to Uig), and take the ferry to Harris. Harris is a joy to behold; arrive by bicycle and head south after taking in the beaches on the west of Harris itself. Get the right weather and it is wonderful; I say this having travelled from the north of Japan to the south of Chile and too many points in between to recall; South Africa and the Rockies match the Scottish Highlands for sheer natural beauty, but in neither can you venture out on a clear night in midsummer to catch the elusive haggis.
One of the best restaurants in the world, tucked away in the far corner of Skye. Great food in a stunning location. I was slightly concerned that the service would be stuffy or too formal, but it was a relaxed place to eat dinner.
Not cheap but well worth splashing out for a special occasion. Bring your big chief i-spy book of celebs - you may spot a few in here.
THE THREE CHIMNEYS
COLBOST, DUNVEGAN, ISLE OF SKYE, IV55 8ZT
Tel: 01470 511258
Fax: 01470 511358
Email: eatandstay@threechimneys.co.uk
There are lots of choices on the Isle of Skye; hotels, B&B, hostels and camping sites.
Our family stayed in a camping site called Torvaig near Pontree for two nights. It was cheaper than the one we had stayed at near Ben Nevis. The services were the same; showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water for free, although at Ben Nevis there was a shop. The ground was hard, but there was a beautiful view at sunset.
We liked cooking so we didn’t eat out much. But when we did there were big portions. The food was similar to Irish food; haggis is just like a mix of black puddings and mince meat. If you asked for an apple pie you would expect to get a slice but there you get a whole pie. The Pike Hotel had particularly big portions.
When we cooked it was easy to find the supplies to cook on our own in any supermarket. There are also shops on the Isle of Skye so don’t fret.
We didn’t stay long, so we only got one trip done; a boat trip.
We saw a brochure in the campsite and my dad thought it would be a good thing to do. The boat left Armadale and got to Mallaig in 45 minutes. When you get there you can stay or you can walk back to the pier. It takes a couple of hours to get back on foot. It was a great boat ride. I even got to drive the boat. The view was spectacular. It was so spectacular - that I had a dream about it. When we pulled into the bay, it was lovely and calm. To the left of me there was a mountain sheltered under a beautiful white cloud. The bay had lovely turquoise water, warmer than the sea because of the surrounding rocks and big boulders. Just right for swimming. If you don’t like salt water there is a river up beside it.
The overall view from the high rock over looking the bay was really pretty, and one you don’t see everyday.
I would recommend the holiday to outgoing people and families with teenage kids.
I had a wicked time.
A couple of great websites giving free walks and downloadbale ordnance survey maps for walkers in Scotland. Both also contain accommodation guides for their respective areas.
Walks on Skye (www.skyewalk.co.uk) has almost 80 walks on the most spectacular of Scotland's islands.
Kintail & Lochalsh walks (kintail.walkhighlands.co.uk) is its sister site and offers similar information about the adjacent mainland.
Kintail and Lochalsh are easy to get to by Highlands standards (excellent buses from Glasgow or Inverness, train line from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh). They offer some of the best walking in the highlands.
Kintail is particularly good for those wanting to get into climbing the Munros - there are heaps of them here, and nowhere else can you climb so many in a short time. The ridgewalking here is also tremendous.
Lower level walks enable exploration of pretty villages such as Plockton. There is fine woodland in Lochalsh, a very different landscape from much of the Highlands. Also, it's easy to pop across from Skye....
Tiny village in the north of Skye, has an excellent youth hostel, but the best thing is to take the road over the hills to the east coast from there to see the Quiraing, spectacular almost lunar scenery and extraordinary views.
Northern peninsula of Skye.
This festival rocks. Who couldn't resist the lure of an enchanting landscape and one of the best line-ups I’ve seen in years? I’ll definitely be back. No other festival can quite compete with its wicked, friendly crowd, beautiful views and lovely weather (how did they manage that in Scotland?)
The Isle of Skye is the most northerly island of the Inner Hebrides.
www.skyemusicfestival.co.uk.
Skye has Britain's most spectacular mountains by far, the Cuillin. But what is less well known is that it also has probably Britain's most beautiful coastline. Could there be a better walking destination? The following website has a good guide to walks.
Is this your business?Search Been there
