- Isle of Skye
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- Highlands
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United Kingdom
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.
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.
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