Local Info
For those of you who have never visited the Isle of Skye we are sure you will be amazed by the majesty of the island. The scenery is truly spectacular from mountain and moorland to lochs. The sheer scale of it is very humbling and makes you realize, really, how insignificant we all are. The geographical location of the island means that it virtually has its own climate which is usually milder than much of the west coast of Scotland. There is never a bad time of year to go to Skye (believe this from people who went at the end of January to a small Scottish island that could only be reached by the causeway at low tide!).
There are such a wide variety of things to do and see that we are only going to try to give you a flavour of them here and, hopefully, provide you with some useful links that you can follow to find out more.
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A View of Broadford Bay |
A View of the Skye Bridge |
Getting to Skye
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There are two main routes onto Skye with a car. Most people travel from the Kyle of Lochalsh (on the A87) over the bridge which is now free. Otherwise ferries operate a short crossing from Mallaig on the mainland to Armadale on the Sleat Peninsula on the south side of the island. To check out ferry times etc take a look at www.calmac.co.uk. It goes without saying that all ferry crossings are subject to weather conditions so check out the ferry service, particularly in the winter.
There is a lot of information about getting to Skye by plane (nearest airport is Inverness) or by train (at Kyle of Lochalsh) on the web sites we will link you to so take a look there if you need to. If you do fly in from far flung places you really need a car. |
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A View of Mallaig Harbour |
Things to Do on Skye
The list is truly endless and there really is too much to do for just one visit to the island, even if you are lucky enough to go for two weeks. Walking, climbing, mountain biking, birdwatching, eating, drinking (there we go again!) are just a few of the pastimes available. Add to that a visit to Dunvegan Castle (the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland, home to the chief of the Clan MacLeod) www.dunvegancastle.com, listening to local musicians and seeing some of the many wonderful crafts and you will certainly have a holiday to remember.
We’ve tried to group some useful links together for you here
Isle of Skye General
| www.isleofskye.com |
excellent source of information about Skye in general, crafts, shopping & services around the island |
| www.aros.co.uk |
“the home of culture and hospitality” in Portree, has a varied activity of programmes through out the year, shopping and a restaurant – well worth a visit! |
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A View of Portree Harbour |
A View of the Cuillins |
Activities
| www.white-wave.co.uk |
details of kayaking (sea and loch), canoeing, windsurfing, hillwalking, climbing & archery activities available under the guidance of experienced instructors. |
| www.guidingonskye.co.uk |
information about guiding available in the Cuillins (picture above), on fells and also coastal walks |
| www.isleofskyegolfclub.co.uk |
A very informative site giving you lots of details about the golf club, how to play as a visitor, location, charges etc. |
Wildlife
| www.eileanban.org |
wonderful site all about the Eilean Ban Trust and its work with wildlife in general (not just otters as everyone associates with Gavin Maxwell who lived here). |
| www.otter.org |
all about the International Otter Survival Fund and its work. See lots of photos of baby otter cubs recently rescued – adorable! |
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A View of Loch Dunvegan where otters have been spotted |
Music
| www.skyemusic.co.uk |
provides information and a programme of events for the Isle of Skye Fiddle & Accordian Club who regularly perform traditional local music in Portree |
| www.skyelive.com |
provides a really useful guide to all the venues where Scottish & Celtic bands will be performing. |
Local Crafts
| www.craftsonskye.org.uk |
provides outline information and location and contact details for a wealth of crafts throughout the island. |
| www.skyebrewery.co.uk |
tells you all about the brewery, its history and the range of products |
Edinbane
The village of Edinbane is the perfect place to explore Skye from. The first time we drove into it we were heard to exclaim something along the lines of “what a great little spot” and, believe us, the weather was not behaving at all well that day. To be honest, we only went to look at Colgrain because it was designed by Skye Homes and, eventually building our own house had been something we had wondered about. There we are – we’ve admitted to the world we were having a sneaky peek at the finished product!! However, when we saw it, we felt that the combination of the house and its location were ideal.
There are two hotels in the village which are open to non-residents for meals, the Edinbane Hotel and the Lodge. The Edinbane Hotel is very friendly and frequently has local musicians playing. The food when we last went (mid February, not exactly high season!) was excellent and nothing was too much trouble for the landlord and his good lady. The Lodge hotel serves both bar meals and has a restaurant as well. Again when we ate there last (still in February) the food was delicious with a really good range of dishes. The whole place was really friendly and the white wine was served at the perfect temperature! They have an excellent web site which tells you all about the hotel itself but also has some really interesting information about the area – check out www.the-lodge-at-edinbane.co.uk.
Still on the food and drink theme, there is also nearby the Greshornish House Hotel. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to eat there yet ourselves as the kitchen was being refurbished. However, several local residents have told us it is really excellent so we are sure it is worth a visit. Have a look at www.greshornishhouse.com. Also the world famous Three Chimneys restaurant is just the other side of Dunvegan –you need to look at their website to see just how many different awards they have won – www.threechimneys.co.uk.
The village is also very well known for the Edinbane Pottery which produces, on site, a fabulous range of products inspired by the beauty of the local nature. You really won’t be able to resist spoiling yourself with something. Log on to www.edinbane-pottery.co.uk.
The village also has a local shop which, as well as stocking essential items, is a mine of useful information about what goes on in the area (aren’t all village shops!?!)
We are sure that you will be delighted with Colgrain and Edinbane – we are just sorry we can’t spend more time there ourselves (yet!).
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