Over the sea to Skye for a week

For our first real trip to the Scottish Highlands, I must say Skye did not disappoint. This beautiful island lived up to all my expectations and more, and we were absolutely spoilt with the weather. We stayed five nights in Rosie’s gorgeous AirBnb in Orbost, a remote part of the island that really feels far from everything, in a good way. The cottage sits overlooking the beautiful Orbost Bay with a stunning view across the water and over to the trees. The photos on the listing don’t do it justice, it really is a lovely place to stay, made better by the friendly golden retrievers.

We drove to Skye from Glasgow, which took more than five hours of actual driving time to get to Orbost, but the scenic drive makes it absolutely worth it. We stopped in Fort William for lunch and can highly recommend The Old Deli for fresh and delicious sandwiches and soups. Fort William is also a good place to stop if you’ve forgotten any outdoor gear. One thing to keep in mind when planning your drive is that there are two ways to approach Skye - by ferry or by bridge. The car ferry is very small so it’s recommended to book if you’re planning this route, as the ferry leaves from a completely different location to where the bridge meets the mainland. From the bridge, there is just one road for quite some way and we did hit traffic due to a car crash. If you’ve got time, I recommend a quick stop at Eilean Donan Castle, which is about 14km before you hit Kyle of Lochalsh. This impressive castle has been built into the bay, surrounded by water in three directions from Loch Alsh, Loch Duich and Loch Long.

I was particularly excited about the outdoor hikes on Skye so on the first day, we headed to The Quiraing. This gorgeous hike has magnificent views across valleys and lochs, and over to the sea. There were also a few friendly sheep along the way, enjoying scrambling over rocks. The paths are well marked, which take you on a loop walk, with a few optional add-ons, so it requires minimal preparation. A few days later, we also hiked Old Man of Storr, but I found this hike annoyingly crowded and more touristy than The Quiraing so you may want to consider some of the less touristy hikes if you’re visiting over a long weekend or peak season. We found a really cute cafe near The Quiraing for a post-hike late lunch, The Hungry Gull. This cafe serves a range of hot lunches as well as delicious cakes.

After lunch, we took the long, but scenic route back around the top of the island, past Duntulm and down to The Fairy Glen. This mythical-looking place features unusual rock formations and undulations, making it appear like somewhere fairies could live. You don’t need to spend a lot of time here, 30 minutes to and hour should be plenty to explore the different rocks and take in the view.

We spent an afternoon at Dunvegan Castle but I have to admit, the real highlight was seeing the seals on the loch boat tour. This is an optional extra you can choose to pay for, but well worth it. We saw so many common seals, and even one grey seal, swimming and sunbathing on the rocks. The castle itself has plenty of rooms open for viewing, with a lot of historic items and antiquities that tell the story of its history, and how people lived on Skye in the past. The gardens are also spectacular, with several different types of gardens, including waterfalls, ponds and a walled garden. The one fact I learned and still can’t forget is that people on Skye ate puffins cooked in porridge!

We made a quick visit to Glendale, a viewpoint west of Loch Dunvegan. This pointy tip requires walking down some long and steep stairs across a narrow stretch of land and out to a point with a lighthouse. Unfortunately, the wind and rain picked up while we were on the walk so we didn’t stay long, but the views were definitely impressive.

It wouldn’t be a first trip to Skye without visiting the Fairy Pools. We were very lucky that we had excellent sunny weather and while it was still definitely below 20 degrees Celsius, we decided to take the plunge into the icy pools. Was it cold? Yes! But, was it worth it? Absolutely! To be honest, while the pools are pretty, there are much better views on Skye so I wouldn’t bother visiting if you’re not feeling up for getting in, as that’s where the real magic is. There are quite a few different shaped pools, some wide and shallow, some like plunge pools, and of course, many with many waterfalls flowing down them. Be brave and get in if you can.

I discovered too late that there is an incredible walk to McLeod’s Maiden’s, which starts right out the front of the AirBnb we stayed in. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to do this walk in full, but I did start a small section through the forest on our last afternoon and loved how it was so pleasantly quiet; with not a tourist in sight! If I had my time again and given we were staying on the doorstep of this walk, I would do the McLeod’s Maidens instead of the busy Old Man of Storr hike.

One of many delicious courses at The Three Chimneys

We pre-booked a dinner at The Three Chimneys restaurant and it was so worth it. This Michelin star restaurant serves up amazing food using local ingredients and the employees are all very welcoming and helpful. As we planned this holiday only a couple of weeks in advance, we were lucky to even get a table and all that was left was the Kitchen Table experience. While it was relatively expensive (£120 per person excluding drinks), the experience was absolutely worth it and in fact, I would still recommend it even if you do have the option of booking a regular table in the restaurant. We sat at a long table of eight people in the kitchen overlooking all of the inner workings and the impeccable preparation that goes into every meal. For each of the seven courses, the chef responsible would come to the table to explain the dish, where the ingredients came from and any significance. We could also chat with the chefs and were welcome to wander around and look at what the chefs were doing. The food was absolutely top-notch, as was the experience.

The Three Chimneys wasn’t too far from where we were staying but aside from this, there are limited restaurant options around Orbost so if you’re staying in this area, it’s a good idea to choose accommodation with a kitchen and cook. There are also limited local shops (it really is remote in a beautiful way) so it would make sense to either collect groceries from the Co-op just after the Kyle of Lochalsh bridge when you arrive or from the shops on a trip to Portree. It’s worth noting Portree is a 45-minute drive from where we stayed, so a bit far to just go for groceries.

Some of the many cute sheep and lambs we saw in May

The roads on the Isle of Skye are incredibly poor so keep this in mind when choosing what type of car to take; personally, I wouldn’t want to be driving over all of those potholes in anything too low to the ground. Most of the roads are also single lanes with passing bays, which is partly why it can take so long to get around the island. Take it in and savour the incredible views, there’s no point in rushing around Skye. If you happen to be there in May, you will also get to see many cute lambs, just be careful watching for them when driving as they usually roam freely.

We loved our time on the Isle of Skye, it’s easily one of my favourite places to visit in the UK.