Isle of Skye - 36 places to stay
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As a day trip to the Isle of Skye comes to its end, the sun begins to set, casting an orange/pink glow over the cuillin ranges, there is every excuse to miss the last ferry back to the mainland. Skye is like that. It’s persuasive. The most northerly of the Hebrides is a beguiling island, every bend in the road reveals another dramatic vista, another towering mountain bearing down on the mortals below. Skye is iconic alright – it’s quintessentially Scottish, a microcosm of the Highland wilderness, sculpted by relentless glaciers and the thumping swell of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a mass of peninsulas, like tentacles they stretch into the sea, offering shelter to hundreds of seabirds and etching a solemn gravitas into the landscape. Stealing your heart and taking your breath, Skye should come with a health warning. The second largest of Scotland’s islands, Skye’s main settlement is the harbour town of Portree . A modest waterfront, with the odd yacht and cabin cruiser moored in relative shelter – when a storm front visits Skye, one can imagine no hiding place, no shelter. Even in Portree, with its coffee shops, bars and restaurants, there is still a sense of splendid isolation, as if it were an accidental civilisation on a mythical outpost. The landscape is prehistoric. The culture is definitely Scottish. The isle is one of the few places where the gaelic tongue has not been silenced after the Scotland’s wholesale adoption of English. Chancing upon Loch Harport may bring you in close proximity to one of Skye’s (and Scotland’s) most fabulous exports; Talisker single malt whisky. The west coast of the island, secluded from the rest of humanity, seems an apt place to distill such a complex and potent drink; though, on its arrival in the east, and thereafter the mainland, it could never be more welcome. The Isle Of Skye Brewery, inspired by the island’s cuillins, offers another sterling contribution to the nation’s social life, with its Red and Black Cuillin Ales, and beers fashioned from fermented porridge oats. Skye’s inhabitants may live in isolation, but they certainly don’t want for anything. In recent years, Skye has also been garnering a fearsome reputation on the gourmet dinner circuit. A trip to Dunvegan will reveal all. There you will find the Three Chimneys guesthouse and restaurant, a five-star nirvana for those who love their grub. A cursory glance at their sample menu, put online for all to salivate over, is an ambrosian tease – when you are sitting at work, facing the prospect of a stale cheese sandwich, the mere mention of collops of venison and hand-dived scallops should constitute a mild form of torture under the International Human Rights Act. The Three Chimney’s concentration is firmly focused on fresh local produce, so it is a real taste of Skye itself, rather than a just another high-end franchise of global cuisine. Dunvegan itself is a town with a real past. Skye – like the Highlands whose council has authority over the island – has witnessed famine and rebellion, political upheaval as Highland and Lowland culture clash. At Dunvegan Castle , the seat of the Clan MacLeod for the past eight centuries, you can learn about the island’s place in the history of Scotland. Skye is hugely important to Scotland. This is reflected in popular culture, in verse and song. It’s not just a geological curio, a mass of basalt and gabbro mountains; Skye is in many ways a spiritual wellspring for Scottish culture and identity – that’s perhaps why the Skye bridge created such a political storm. While we campaign to keep Britain tidy, we should implore that Skye remains immaculate, unsullied, and in its own recalcitrant way, unassimilated into mainstream modernity. Some call Skye home. But for those visiting, to climb the twelve munroes of the Black Cuillin range, or spot eagles from the escarpment that runs past Portree and out to some of the most magnificent views in the world – Skye exists as an endorsement of nature’s perfection.
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Destinations
Recommended Hotels See Map
- Bosville Hotel Portree *featured*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Parking, Restaurant - Duisdale Country House Hotel Sleat *featured*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Parking, Restaurant, Satellite TV - Kinloch Lodge Sleat *featured*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Parking, Restaurant - Toravaig House Hotel & Restaurant Sleat *featured*
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Hotels bookable online See Map
- Cuillin Hills Hotel Portree *book online*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Restaurant, Satellite TV, Conference Facilities - Skeabost Country House Skeabost Bridge *book online*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Restaurant, Conference Facilities - Flodigarry Country House Hotel Staffin *book online*
Licensed, Parking, Historic, Restaurant, Conference Facilities
Bed and Breakfast See Map
- Dunollie Hotel Broadford *featured*
TV in rooms, Historic - Carters Rest Glendale *featured*
TV in rooms, No Smoking, Historic, Parking - Bayside Gallery Portree *featured*
TV in rooms, No Smoking, Historic, Parking, Disabled - Coolin View Guest House Portree *featured*
TV in rooms - Old School House Staffin *featured*
TV in rooms
Self-Catering See Map
- Cammard Cottage Ardvasar *book online*
Pub Nearby, Garden, Pets Allowed, Open all year, Parking, Credit Cards - Morrison Cottage Dunvegan *book online*
Pub Nearby, Garden, Open all year, Parking, Credit Cards - Blue Lobster Portree *book online*
Pub Nearby, Garden, Pets Allowed, Open all year, Parking, Credit Cards - Dunsgiath Apartments Portree *book online*
Pub Nearby, Open all year, Parking, Credit Cards
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