Skye

Sleat is the gently rolling southern part of Skye where almost all visitors first arrive. Most use the road bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh to . Once the main ferry port, it's now a quiet place with a small castle. Towards the southern tip of Sleat, has ferries from Mallaig on the mainland. Both routes converge on .
Minginish is the central body of Skye, grouped around the dramatic Cuillin mountain range. A lane runs west from Broadford to from where you can take a boat to Loch Coruisk and walk to the fine beach at Camasunary. The main road hugs the north / east coast, passing through Sconser (with ferries to Raasay) and . From here a road branches west towards on Loch Harport, home of the Talisker whisky distillery. Side lanes wind inland to , a good base for climbing the Cuillin.
is the main village of Skye, and has the most accommodation and other amenities. North of here, the island breaks into three stubby fingers.
Trotternish is the largest and most frequently visited of these, having the stunning rock formations of the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. The A855 (and buses) circumnavigate this beautiful area, with plenty of options for walking and climbing. You also come this way to reach , ferry port for the Outer Hebrides. Uig has a notable brewery, the Fairy Glen and the Skye Museum of Island Life.
Waternish in the middle has some pretty villages, especially , but is often overlooked by tourists. See also the ruins of Trumpan church.
Duirnish is the peninsula west of , best known for Dunvegan Castle. Further up the lane are Glendale and . The lane ends at Milovaig but you can hike to the lighthouse at Neist Point.

By plane

Skye has no air service. The nearest mainland airports are Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

By car

The main road to Skye is the A87, which branches off A82 (Fort William-Inverness road) at Invergarry, to run west via Shiel Bridge (for Glenelg), Dornie (for Eilean Donan Castle) and Kyle of Lochalsh, crossing the toll-free bridge to Kyleakin. It follows Skye's north coast via Broadford and Portree to Uig.
Or take the A830 "Road to the Isles" from Fort William via Glenfinnan to Mallaig and thence by ferry to Armadale as described below.

By bus

Scottish Citylink Bus 914 / 915 runs twice daily between Glasgow and Skye. The route north is from Buchanan St Station via Glasgow Airport, Dumbarton, Loch Lomond west bank, Crianlarich, Glencoe, Fort William, Invergarry and Kyle of Lochalsh. The route continues across Skye via Broadford, Sligachan and Portree to Uig, about 7 hours in total.
Bus 916 / 917 runs twice daily from Inverness via Loch Ness and Kyle, then via Broadford and sligachan to Portree; 3 hours 30 mins.
Stagecoach Highlands Bus 55 runs three times M-F from Kyle to Kyleakin and Broadford, with two continuing to Torrin and Elgol.
Bus 51 / 52 runs from the ferry pier at Armadale to Broadford and Portree several times a day.

By train

There is no railway on Skye. The two mainland stations with connections to Skye are and . From London they're both about 11 hours by daytime train, 13 hours via sleeper. Kyle has trains from Inverness, and is the better linked, with buses onward to Skye. Mallaig has trains from Fort William and Glasgow; from Mallaig you take the ferry to Armadale as described below, then a bus.

By boat

Calmac car ferries ply between Mallaig on the mainland and Armadale near the south tip of Skye. They take 45 mins and sail daily, every hour or two Apr-Oct but only a couple per day Nov-March. Fares are about £10 per car plus £3 per person.
The tiny Skye Ferry runs April to mid-October between Glenelg on the mainland and Kylerhea, which is up a minor road south of Kyleakin. It's an odd contraption, with a swivelling deck, and its capacity is only six cars per trip or 18 per hour; there's no bus from Kylerhea. This ferry is best regarded as a tourist sight, not a practical transport option.
From Uig in the north of Skye, Calmac car ferries sail to Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist - buses from Glasgow and Inverness traverse Skye to connect with these ferries. Those Outer Hebrides can be reached by other routes from the mainland (chiefly Ullapool to Stornoway, and Mallaig to Lochboisdale - see relevant pages "Get in" for details); so you could reach Skye that roundabout way.
There's also a ferry between Sconser on Skye and the little island of Raasay. But there's no other way on or off that island so you have to double back.

By bus

Buses run along the main highways between the bridge, Armadale, Portree and Uig as above.
Stagecoach Highlands Bus 57 circles between Portree, Uig and the Trotternish peninsula. Bus 57C is clockwise, Portree > Uig > Flodigarry > Staffin > Portree and 57A is anti-clockwise the reverse route. It runs every 3 hours or so Mon-Fri plus Sat in summer.
Bus 56 runs 3-5 times Mon-Sat from Portree to Dunvegan, with a couple continuing west to Colbost.
And that's about it. Individual village pages describe some other buses but they're of limited use to the visitor. Many are in effect school buses: anyone can use them, but they only make one run early morning then in late afternoon, Mon-Fri in termtime, so they don't run in the summer holidays. A good example is Bus 154 from Portree to Carbost.

By car

The main road A87 and the roads to Armadale A851 and Dunvegan A850 are undivided highways, in good condition though winding and very busy in summer, so overtaking is hazardous. Almost everything else is a single lane with passing places, although the Trotternish road A855 section between The Storr and Staffin has now been widened. Always have in mind whether your nearest passing place is ahead or behind you, and be prepared to respond to other vehicles accordingly. Out of season the roads are very quiet, but some of those sheep ought to be made to attend road safety awareness training.
Car hire is available in Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh, but can be expensive. Book well ahead as their fleets are small. If you flew into, say, Glasgow, you'd do better to hire from the airport.

• Skye Car Hire

  phone: +44 1599 534323
  address: 4B Station Road, Kyle of Lochalsh
  Based at Kyle of Lochalsh, can pick up / drop off at many Skye locations plus Inverness airport and railway station.

• Morrison Car Hire

  phone: +44 1478 612688
  Based in Portree, can pick up / drop off at many Skye locations.

• Morar Motors

  phone: +44 1687 462118
  Based in Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh, can do one-way rentals between.

By bicycle

Many of the roads in Skye are well cyclable, although traffic can be a problem in late summer. If you're cycling, make sure you have good raingear; Skye is wet even by the drizzly standards of Scotland. The ferry from Mallaig accepts bicycles, and the ride from Armadale north to the bridge is pleasant.

By thumb

Hitching is never 100% safe, but residents of Skye are generally very open to giving rides in remoter areas (especially if you've missed the last bus of the day or it's raining).

• Rock formations and sea-stacks:

• Castles:

• Neist Point Lighthouse is a one mile walk along a firm path above Colbost.
• Loch Coruisk is a scenic loch near the west coast, usually reached via Elgol.
• Skye Museum of Rural Life and Flora Macdonald's grave are north of Uig.
• Nearby islands: Raasay is a short ferry ride from Sconser. Rona just north is sometimes visited by boat trips from Portree.

• Learn Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye's Gaelic college. Attend one of their short courses or do a full degree.
• Go walking in the Cuillin, Skye's most famous group of mountains, or enjoy the coastal treks elsewhere on the island. Visit Walkhighlands (Isle of Skye walks), a free and independent guide to walks on the island.
• Bag all the Munros, the mountains over 3000 ft / 914.4 m in Scotland. By far the most difficult is Sgùrr Dearg above Glenbrittle, as it's topped by a sharp blade of rock rightly named "The Inaccessible Pinnacle", requiring rock-climbing skills and gear to surmount.
• Boat trips mostly sail from Portree, with some from Uig and elsewhere. The visit to Loch Coruisk is usually done as a boat trip from Elgol.
• Events: live music, ceilidhs and concerts are held year round, but mostly July-Aug.

Fill the car tank before you leave central Scotland, and drive cannily. You'll do a lot of mileage just to get here, with not many refueling options en route. The filling station at the south end of Portree has fuel for only a few pence more than city supermarket prices.
Most of the larger villages on Skye have some kind of small shop, but don't expect a broad range or supermarket prices. Portree has the biggest selection of shops, including two Co-op supermarkets. Broadford has a few shops including a small Co-op supermarket.
Woollen goods are a noted product of Skye. Look for them at the gift shop at the Clan Donald Centre (above) or in Portree or Armadale.

• Cuillin Brewery in Sligachan is a micro-brewery that offers tours.
• Isle of Skye Brewing Company in Uig has brewery tours and a shop. Their most popular bottled beers are Black Cuillin (a dark porter), Red Cuillin (an amber) and Hebridean Gold (a golden ale), available in many pubs across the island.
• Whisky distilleries: Talisker in Carbost is the best known, but there's also Torabhaig in Sleat, plus Raasay an easy day-trip from Sconser. All three can be toured; Raasay whisky won't go on sale till Dec 2020, but While We Wait is an ersatz offering meanwhile.
• Isle of Skye Whisky is perfectly quaffable, but it's a blend of whiskies produced at Broxburn near Edinburgh, with no base on the island.

The main tourist season is from Easter through September. The bridge has made Skye very accessible and popular, outstripping the supply of accommodation, and some hotels are block-booked in summer by coach excursions. So you need to book well ahead, and never try to come here in July / August without a booking. It's got so bad, at the height of summer the police have to turn people back on the A87 if they haven't booked anything. Off-season is quieter and some places hibernate, but it's never as shuttered and boarded up on Skye as it is elsewhere in the Hebrides.
Camping is popular with visitors to Skye, but it's even more popular with the midges, who greet each new tent with hungry clouds. You might do better in pods where you can shut them out. Camp sites are dotted around the island, some in very picturesque settings. You can probably wild-camp in a tent most places, but camper vans and caravans attempting to park by the road overnight are liable to be moved on by the police. There are Hostels in Broadford, Glenbrittle, Portree and elsewhere.
The main concentration of hotels and B&Bs is in Portree. They're pricey! Self-catering cottages are simply everywhere, some very out-of-the-way; they usually book by the week.

• Return to the mainland via the bridge to see Plockton, Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie, and Loch Ness.
• Or return via ferry to Mallaig to visit Glenfinnan, Ardnamurchan and Ben Nevis above Fort William.
• The Small Isles are Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna, reached by ferry from Mallaig; in summer a day-trip may be possible.
• Outer Hebrides: ferries sail from Uig on Skye to Tarbet on Harris and to Lochmaddy on North Uist.