The Isle of Skye is obviously one of the most popular tourist destinations in Scotland, probably even the whole of the UK. The fact it’s an island which is also accessible by bridge probably contributes to its appeal but largely its appeal is that it is an absolute beauty of a place to visit. It’s full of amazing attractions, but sometimes it does seem that tourists seem to gravitate towards the same ones and so they end up way too busy – in my case this seems to be the Old Man of Storr, and the Fairy Pools.
So if you think Skye might be on your agenda at some point once lockdown ends and we’re allowed to travel again, I wanted to suggest some other places to visit on the island!
ELGOL – the road to Elgol is very dramatic and once you reach Elgol itself, the views of the mountains across the loch on a clear day are absolutely stunning (it did take us three different attempts on trips to Skye to see the views on a clear day, admittedly, but it’s worth the journey just for the road.
DUNTULM CASTLE – sadly you can no longer access the ruins of the castle itself, but it’s a small easy walk and the views over to Lewis and Harris are amazing
GLENBRITTLE BEACH – if the Fairy Pools seem really busy and, like us, you are trying to avoid too many other people in the wake of a pandemic, you may wish to continue on this road along to this beautiful beach, which also has a great view of the mountains from it.
WATERNISH PENINSULA – one of the many peninsulas in Skye, the Waternish peninsula starts with the magical little Fairy Bridge, and then you can drive on until you reach the ruins of Trumpan Church, ruins with a tragic history. The road itself has amazing views too.
CORAL BEACH – a wee bit of walk from the car park but worth it . . . just make sure you keep walking after you reach the first small beach as we only realised five years after our first visit that there’s more to it than the first beach – and it’s honestly absolutely stunning!
DUNCSCAITH CASTLE – more ruins to explore on the south of the island. It’s a relatively short (but boggy) walk and the sheep have pretty much taken it over but they largely just stare while you explore.
THE QUIRAING – this landslip doesn’t seem to be quite as popular as its neighbouring Old Man of Storr but there’s plenty of (payable) parking and it’s one of my favourite places as you don’t have to walk far for unspeakably dramatic scenery. (You can also walk much further if you want, but my nerves weren’t really up to it given some of the drops to the side of the path)
NEIST POINT – I’ve got a whole separate post about Neist Point so feel free to check it out here. The walk down to the lighthouse is definitely worth a visit.
TORABHAIG DISTILLERY – not only is it a highly instagrammable little building on the south of the island, the tour is inexpensive and informative, and there’s another bonus castle ruin a short walk away. We were lucky that it was actually only about a twenty minute walk from the place we stayed last time we were there, so we didn’t even need to drive there!
Hopefully this has given you some Skye inspiration – if it is your first time there though (and this stands for anywhere in the north of Scotland really) make sure that 1) you’re familiar with passing places and how they work as you’ll find a lot of single track roads 2) don’t park like a knob and 3) remember it’s Scotland and, even in the height of summer, the weather here can be completely unpredictable!
Do you have a favourite attraction in Skye?
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