Uig
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Uig (Gaelic: Ùige) is a village in the north of Skye. It's a ferry port with regular services to the Outer Hebrides, and most visitors are just passing through for that reason. However it's an alternative to Portree as a base for exploring the scenic Trotternish peninsula. Those sights round as far as Staffin (eg the Quirang) are therefore described on this page, and see Portree for those on the east side (eg the Storr).
Get in
See Skye for transport options from the Scottish mainland.
By bus: Scottish Citylink bus 915 / 916 runs twice daily from Glasgow via the airport, Fort William, Kyle of Lochalsh and Portree to Uig, 7-8 hours; it's timed to connect with the ferries. The buses from Inverness to Skye terminate at Portree.
Stagecoach Highland 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 M-F plus Sat in summer.
By boat: Calmac car ferries ply to Uig from Tarbert on Harris and from Lochmaddy on North Uist. Both crossings take about 1 hour 45 min, with two sailings most days Apr-Oct and one Nov-March.
Get around
Uig straggles along the hillside around the amphitheatre of the bay, so from the Bunkhouse at the southern end to the ferry terminal at the other is about 1.5 miles. On a nice day it's a pleasant 20-30 minute walk. See bus routes above for Trotternish.
Uig Taxis are on +44 7770 710050.
See
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phone: +44 1470 552206address: Kilmuir IV51 9UEPreserved township of thatched cottages, displayed as at the turn of the 18th / 19th C.
- The Grave of Flora Macdonald is in the cemetery 300 yards up the lane from the Museum, marked by a high Celtic Cross. Flora was born in 1722 on South Uist but grew up on Skye. In 1746 she was visiting Benbecula when the fugitive Bonnie Prince Charlie arrived; she helped him escape to Skye disguised as an Irish maid. They parted in Portree whence he continued to Raasay. Flora and others were arrested and thrown in the Tower of London but she was bailed and later pardoned. In 1750 she married and came to live in nearby Flodigarry. The couple emigrated to North Carolina in 1774 but, as loyalists, were captured by the Americans and lost their lands there. She managed to returned to Skye in 1780 and died in 1790.
Duntulm CastleBuilt from the 14th C as the stronghold of the Macdonalds, but abandoned in 1732 when their clan Chief built a new house 5 miles south and recycled much of the masonry. It's nowadays tumbledown and unsafe, you come for the views towards the cloud-wreathed Outer Hebrides.
QuiraingThe east coast of Trotternish was formed by a huge landslip 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. The ice had been supporting the mountainside, which collapsed leaving strange exposed rock formations. The Quirang takes its name from Old Norse Kví Rand, "round fold", for its little plateau hidden by rock pillars, a natural pen for concealing sheep. You only get a limited view from the road, so unless the weather's foul, take the four-mile loop walk to get close.
- is a sea cliff that looks not very much like a kilt, but the basalt columns are supposed to be the pleats and the dolerite sills the plaid pattern. It's viewed from the point where Loch Mealt flows out, with a waterfall cascading almost 200 feet over the cliff towards the sea.
- See Portree for info on the .
Do
- Any walk which gains height above Uig will be rewarded by views over the Minch to Harris. The Falls of Rha are a few hundred yards off A855 as it begins its hairpin ascent of the hill behind the village.
- A pleasant stroll close to the village is the Fairy Glen, a little valley of grassy hillocks, with gnarled old trees, quick-running streams and a turret of rock known as Castle Ewen, which you can easily climb. It's a good picnic spot. From A87 at the Uig Hotel take the side lane for Sheader and Balnaknock. Parking is limited and it can become congested.
- The headland at the north tip of Skye is Rubha Hunish. It can be hiked from Kilmaluag or Duntulm, or as a loop using the bus along the road between.
- Boat trips: Skye Cruises do 3 hour tours of Loch Snizort at 09:30, 12:30, 15:30 and 18:30.
Buy
- You really need to stock up at the co-op in Portree before you reach Uig. The options in the village are the shop at the filling station near the ferry pier (M-Sa 08:00-20:00, Su 11:00-17:00), and Rankins store near the Ferry Inn (M-Sa 08:30-18:30).
- Uig Pottery, next to the pier, is a pottery and shop open M-Sa 09:00-18:00 and Su 11:00-16:00.
Eat
- Ella's Cafe and Shieling secondhand bookstore is near the ferry pier, open Tu-Sa 10:00-16:00.
- Hungry Gull cafe is near the ferry pier, open M 12:00-16:00 and Th-Su 12:00-20:00.
- The bar and hotels in Uig, and the Flodigarry Hotel, serve meals. You'd do well to book a table at the hotels as they have limited capacity.
Drink
- Bakur Bar is by the ferry pier, open daily 11:30-23:00 and does food.
- See Sleep listings for Ferry Inn and Uig Hotel.
- Isle of Skye Brewery is in Uig a few yards uphill from the ferry pier. You can buy their ales throughout the island or at the shop here (M-F 10:00-18:00, Sa 10:00-16:00, Su 12:00-16:00). Main products are Black Cuillin (a dark porter), Red Cuillin (an amber) and Hebridean Gold (a golden ale). The shop is simply an off-licence not a pub so you can't sample before buying, and (in 2019) they don't offer brewery tours.
Sleep
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phone: +44 1470 542714address: Uig IV51 9XUOn slope, top end is for tents, lower part is hard standing for tourers. Decent facilities though toilet block is elderly. Well run, dog friendly. They also have B&B rooms for up to six, and bike rental and repairs.
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phone: +44 7917 536820address: Uig IV51 9YDBunks and private pods. Dogs welcome in pods.
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phone: +44 1470 542205address: Uig IV51 9YEOpen all year, with 11 rooms in an old coaching inn plus restaurant and public bar. Dog friendly.
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phone: +44 1470 542300address: Uig IV51 9XPFour rooms all on first floor, with two-night minimum stay, so it's not a layover for the ferry. No pets. Bar is open from 17:00 Tu-Sa, meals served 18:00-20:30.
- There are some half-a-dozen B&Bs in the village plus self-catering cottages.
On Trotternish peninsula, self-catering cottages and B&Bs are strung along the A855, with clusters at Kilmaluag, Flodigarry and Staffin.
phone: +44 1470 552212
address: Flodigarry IV51 9HZ
Offers 6/8 bed dorms, camping, and twin or double-bed ensuites.phone: +44 1470 552203
address: Flodigarry IV51 9HZ
Upmarket hotel & restaurant.address: Staffin IV51 9JX
Basic campsite, open April-Oct.Go next
Back to Portree, other parts of Skye, and the Scottish mainland, or take the ferry to the Outer Hebrides.