Things to do in Isle Of Skye
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Café Arriba
Arriba is a funky little cafe, brightly decked out in primary colours and offering the best choice of vegetarian grub on the island, ranging from a veggie breakfast fry-up to Indian-spiced bean cakes with mint yoghurt, as well as carnivorous treats such as slow-cooked haunch of venison with red wine and beetroot gravy. Also serves excellent coffee.
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Skye Guides
A five-day basic rock-climbing course costs around £800 and a private mountain guide can be hired for around £190 a day (both rates apply for up to two clients).
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Aros Experience
On the southern edge of Portree, the Aros Experience is a combined visitor centre, book and gift shop, restaurant, theatre and cinema. The visitor centre (adult/child £3/2) offers a look at some fascinating, live CCTV images from local sea eagle and heron nests, and a viewing of a strangely commentary-free wide-screen video of Skye’s impressive scenery (it’s worth waiting for the aerial shots of the Cuillin). The centre is a useful rainy-day retreat, with an indoor, soft play area for children.
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Cuillin Hills
Rising to the west of Broadford, the jagged peaks and ridges of Britain's most impressive mountain range saw at the usually grey sky. Climbers and walkers see them as the challenge in Scotland, particularly the highest summit, Sgurr Alasdair (993m). The crossroads at Sligachan (Sligeachan) are a good starting point for hikes as well as the preferred photography stop - you'll know it by the tangle of tripods.
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Dunvegan Castle
Skye’s most famous historic building, and one of its most popular tourist attractions, is Dunvegan Castle, seat of the chief of Clan MacLeod. It has played host to Samuel Johnson, Sir Walter Scott and, most famously, Flora MacDonald. The oldest parts are the 14th-century keep and dungeon but most of it dates from the 17th to 19th centuries.
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MV Stardust
MV Stardust offers one- to two-hour boat trips to the Sound of Raasay (£12 to £15 per person), with the chance to see seals, porpoises and – if you’re lucky – white-tailed sea eagles. On Saturday there are longer cruises to the Isle of Rona (£25).
You can also arrange to be dropped off for a hike on the Isle of Raasay and picked up again later.
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Shilasdair Yarns
A few miles north of Stein you’ll find Shilasdair Yarns. The couple who run this place moved to Skye in 1971 and now raise sheep, hand-spin woollen yarn, and hand-dye a range of wools and silks using natural dyes. You can see the dyeing process in the workshop behind the studio, which sells finished knitwear as well as yarns.
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Old Man of Storr
At 50m (164ft) high, the potbellied pinnacle of crumbling basalt known as the Old Man of Storr can be reached by foot from the car park in the woods to the north of Loch Leathan. The round trip takes about an hour. It's one of several natural features on the Trotternish peninsula that are among the island's most beautiful and bizarre.
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Seamus’s Bar
This place dishes up decent bar meals, including haggis, neeps and tatties, steak and ale pie, and fish pie, and serves real ales from its own microbrewery plus a range of 200 malt whiskies in serried ranks above the bar. As well as the adventure playground outside, there are games, toys and a play area indoors.
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Harbour View Seafood Restaurant
The Harbour View is Portree’s most congenial place to eat. It has a homely dining room with a log fire in winter, books on the mantelpiece and bric-a-brac on the shelves. And on the table, superb Scottish seafood, such as fresh Skye oysters, seafood chowder, king scallops, langoustines and lobster.
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Sea Breezes
A good choice for seafood, Sea Breezes is an informal, no-frills restaurant specialising in local fish and shellfish fresh from the boat – try the impressive seafood platter, a small mountain of langoustines, crab, oysters and lobster. Book early, as it’s often hard to get a table.
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Lady B Boat Trips
The Lady B Boat Trips offers two-hour boat excursions from Portree harbour to the Isle of Raasay (adult/child £12/6, Monday to Saturday), offering the chance to see seals, porpoises and – if you’re lucky – white-tailed sea eagles.
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An Tuireann Art Centre
An Tuireann Art Centre, half a mile west of town on the B885, is an appealing gallery that hosts changing exhibitions of contemporary art. It also has an excellent café where you can enjoy homemade soups and imaginative vegetarian and vegan dishes.
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Lochbay Seafood Restaurant
Just along the road from the Stein Inn is one of Skye’s most romantic restaurants, a cosy farmhouse kitchen with terracotta tiles and a wood-burning stove, and a menu that includes most things that either swim in the sea or live in a shell. Best to book ahead.
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Bistro at the Bosville
This hotel bistro sports a relaxed atmosphere, an award-winning chef and a menu that makes the most of Skye-sourced produce – including lamb, game, seafood, cheese, organic vegetables and berries – and adds an original twist to traditional dishes.
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Dandelion Designs
At Stein on the Waternish Peninsula is Dandelion Designs, an interesting little gallery with a good range of colour and monochrome landscape photography, lino prints by Liz Myhill, and a range of handmade arts and crafts.
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Edinbane Pottery
On the way to Dunvegan from Portree you’ll pass Edinbane Pottery, one of the island’s original craft workshops, established in 1971, where you can watch potters at work creating beautiful and colourful stoneware.
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Talisker Distillery
Talisker Distillery produces smooth, sweet and smoky Talisker malt whisky. It is the only distillery on Skye; the guided tour includes a free dram.
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Skye Batiks
Skye Batiks is a cut above your average gift shop, selling a range of interesting crafts such as carved wood, jewellery and batik fabrics with Celtic designs.
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Island Outdoors
This store stocks a good range of equipment, clothing, books and maps for climbing, walking, camping and kayaking; it also has public internet access.
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Skye Museum of Island Life
The peat-reek of crofting life in the 18th and 19th centuries is preserved in thatched cottages at Skye Museum of Island Life.
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Granary Bakery
Most of Portree seems to congregate at the Granary’s cosy coffee shop to snack on tasty sandwiches, filled rolls, pies, cakes and pastries.
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Over the Rainbow
Crammed with colourful knitwear, tweeds and country and casual clothing, as well as glassware, crafts and all kinds of interesting gifts.
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Isle of Skye Soap Co
A sweet-smelling gift shop that specialises in handmade soaps and cosmetics made using natural ingredients and aromatherapy oils.
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Isles Inn
The Jacobean bar, with its flagstone floor and open fires, pulls in a lively mix of young locals, backpackers and tourists.
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