2 Day Isle of Skye Itinerary
The Isle of Skye is a popular destination in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. It’s the largest island of the Inner Hebrides and is seriously beautiful. Most travellers visit to view the stunning landscapes which are perfect for hiking, although there are lots of other attractions, including castles, museums, a brewery and a whisky distillery. Here is our 2 day Isle of Skye itinerary – the Skye’s the limit!
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How To Get To The Isle of Skye
The island is located around 200 miles from Glasgow and it takes around 5-6 hours to drive there. There are some fantastic places to stop off along the way, though, either to stay for a night or two, or just to break up the drive for an hour or so.
If you are travelling from the Scottish mainland you can take a ferry ‘over the sea’ to Skye from Maillaig or drive to the Kyle of Lochalsh and cross the beautiful bridge.
Just before arriving at the Kyle of Lochalsh you can visit the 13th Century Eilean Donan castle located on a small islet just off the coast and accessible via a bridge.
2 Day Isle of Skye Itinerary
The Isle of Skye is much larger than it seems on the map – it’s 50 miles long! You really need a car to be able to explore it. The scenery is spectacular so take it slowly and enjoy a leisurely drive. Many of the villages marked on the map are very tiny, usually comprising just a few houses. Portree is the largest town on the island and would be a good central location to stay for a few days especially if you are exploring the northern attractions.
The Isle of Skye has some fantastic scenery although it can get crowded as it is a popular destination. A lot of the roads near the main geographical attractions are single track and it’s worth knowing the convention for driving on these sort of roads: Single Track road advice – Skye Guides Look ahead to see traffic that may be approaching and locate the next passing place. Only use the passing place to the left. If there is one on the right, wait on the correct side of the road and let the approaching car use the passing place.
If you have just driven by a passing place but you can see that it would be difficult for oncoming traffic to have to reverse their car in order to allow you to pass (for example, if they have to reverse up a hill or around a corner) do the decent thing and reverse up. Also, if you are driving more slowly than other traffic, it’s polite to move into a passing place and stop briefly so that other drivers can overtake you. Take your time. The scenery around you is guaranteed to be gorgeous so relax and enjoy the drive.
If you are travelling using public transport, then really you are limited to buses. Trains run from Inverness to Kyle or Glasgow to the Maillag ferry, but once on the island you will need to catch the bus. We recommend staying in Portree as that is the main town with most transport connections.
Alternatively, there are organised trips from Glasgow and Edinburgh – ranging between 1-3 days.
Where To Stay on the Isle of Skye
We stayed in Broadford which had some nice hotels and restaurants and was closer to the Skye bridge but further from some of the attractions. It meant more driving each day, especially as roads on Skye can be slow. But then if the view from your bed looks like this, you really can’t complain.
Oh yes, our hotel had a Cornetto hotline – free ice-cream on demand – which is a policy that should be implemented in hotels across the world.
Portree is further north and is a much larger town than Broadford – with a greater choice of hotels and restaurants.
2 Day Isle of Skye Itinerary – Day 1
On day one, we recommend exploring the Trotternish peninsular on the north eastern side of the island. With such spectacular scenery we recommend getting out into the Great Outdoors and walking in it. Popular walks are the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. These sites are really beautiful but can get busy so we recommend arriving early. Sometimes the car parks may be full. If this is the case, there may still be lovely hiking opportunities with other car parks along the coastline.
The Old Man of Storr is a distinctive rocky pinnacle on Storr mountain. Day trippers can follow a well-made path to explore this beautiful mountain and its curious rocky structures.
There are car parks scattered along the road for much of the northern part of the island and they are mostly free but you have to pay to park at some of the more popular attractions. They are usually not very far from a fantastic view.
The Quiraing also offers an amazing walk. Located right at the north of the island via a single track road the car park is located at the top of the hill. You can do a circular walk or just trek along the path and back. It’s absolutely manageable for the average walker but there are some sections where you may need to scramble. And the views are splendid.
Continuing to drive over the top of the hill from the Quiraing takes you to Uig, which has a pleasant harbour and also the Skye Brewery which makes cracking beers. They make a broad range of beers and because it was a cold and windy day we opted for two of their darker varieties. (Which, of course, we imbibed later that evening as it was a long-ish drive back to the hotel.)
Skye Tarasgeir beer has a wonderfully complex flavour and you can really taste the peat on the malts. It’s light on the palate initially but the flavour develops and lingers on the finish. A fine quaffable beer.
As expected, Skye Black is a very dark. On first taste it feels like a porter. Roasted malts give bitterness but this is tempered by the addition of local heather honey which comes through subtly. It also has rolled oats and hops which add to the flavour to the beer.
Close to Uig, at the end of a track off the A87, is the Fairy Glen, a delightful landscape.
If the weather is poor (or even if it isn’t), the Skye Museum of Island Life, north of Uig on the A87, has a collection of cottages which show how crofters lived and worked on the island in days gone by.
2 Day Isle of Skye Itinerary – Day 2
On the second day we recommend visiting the north western part of the island, the Duirinish peninsula. Neist Point is a remote lighthouse located on a peninsular and again offers spectacular and dramatic views. It is possible to walk to the lighthouse (just park with all the other cars along the roadside).
A Wee Dram
Further south on the western coast, the Talisker Distillery can be found in the village of Carbost. This is probably the best known and certainly the oldest working whisky distillery on the island. It’s well worth booking a tour in advance if you’d like to visit. There are a variety of tours depending on your enthusiasm for whisky – a basic distillery tour with tastings right up to a cask tour where you can taste five different whiskies directly from the cask.
Driving is the best way to reach the distillery but it’s not much fun for the driver, so if everyone in your party wants to visit and have a drink, the 608 bus from Portree to Fiskavaig will stop at the distillery. Make sure you check the timetable for your return to Portree.
Most of the attractions on Skye do involve outdoor activities and, while Scotland is the most delightful country, sometimes the weather can be cold, wet and miserable. So if the weather isn’t great on this day, Dunvegan Castle and Gardens, located on the A863 between Neist Point and Carbost, is somewhere to visit to escape the showers. Originally constructed in the 13th century it has since been rebuilt in the 19th century and is the seat of the Macleod clan.
Leaving the Isle of Skye
On leaving the Isle of Skye and heading back into the Scottish mainland there are some other interesting stop-off points.
We were generally blessed with uncharacteristically good weather for much of our trip to Scotland. Unfortunately on our way back from Skye the rain swept in and, while we went to the Five Sisters of Kintail viewpoint, reputed to be one of the finest views in Scotland, we didn’t experience it at its finest.
The Glenelg Brochs, Dun Telve and Dun Troddan, are amazing dry stone constructions over 10m tall with a concentric design that provides an outer and an inner wall. They date back to the late Iron Age and are around 2000 years old.
They are something of a cross between and fort and a mightily impressive house. You are free to wander around them.
Incidentally, the little village of Glenelg has probably the coolest twinning on the planet.
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Wow, what a stunning location. We had to choose between Mull and Skye and Mull won out at the time, but this is motivating us to take another trip!
Funnily enough, we had the choice between Mull and Skye and chose Skye! We will definitely return to Scotland and visit Mull.
Missed out on Skye when we were in Scotland . Looks like we need to take another trip. Beer, whiskey and natural beauty. What’s not to like.
Skye is unbelievably beautiful. Inevitably, there were some parts of the highlands and islands that we missed out on as well when we were on our road trip. We will definitely return – as you say, can’t go wrong with beer, whisky and natural beauty!
I always hear about the Isle of Skye but never really knew anything about it so I appreciate this post and the pictures. Some of those landscape photos are gorgeous. I must get to Scotland soon!
Thank you! We definitely recommend a visit to Scotland, it is stunningly beautiful.
The nearest I got to the Isle of Dkye was looking at it across the water from Mallaig. We skipped going there as it seemed huge to explore (and as you said, it is!). Wish I had gone over there now judging by the fab pics you got. Beautiful scenerey indeed.
You got my attention at the mention of Tarasgeir beer, that sounds just the type I like and the brewery visit would have been unique.
Such history in the Glenelg Brochs. I never knew something 2000 years old was there – I could kick myself for not going to Skye now!
Hopefully you’ll get a chance to go visit again. The Brochs were quite remarkable structures and it was amazing how well they have survived the centuries. Skye really is beautiful but it’s a large island. We did a lot of driving, albeit through the most spectacular landscapes!
What a stunning place Skye is its funny I lived inbthe UK for the first 25 years of my life and never crossed the border into Scotland must change that soon. This post has certainly given me inspiration to explore this part of the world
We’d definitely recommend a trip to Scotland – it’s a gorgeous country and the scenery is absolutely spectacular. Lots of culture in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well. Hope you get to explore one day!
These photos are absolutely stunning! Also, I love the idea of a cornetto hotline/on-demand service, haha! Genius!
You’ve brought back wonderful memories of my time in Skye. I loved the walks and continuing my whisky education. I stayed near the colourful town of Portree — I definitely should have stayed at a place with free ice-cream. What a genius move.
Lyn | http://www.ramblynjazz.com
We really loved Skye – it’s such a beautiful island and the perfect place to go walking. In retrospect we think we should have stayed in Portree but Broadford did have the free ice-cream!
I absolutely love the Isle of Skye! Your pictures sum up why – it’s gorgeous there. The weather can be crazy so definitely bring a variety of clothes. I love the on demand ice cream! That’s such a great idea!
Thank you! You’re absolutely right about the weather – you can get all four seasons in a day up there. And the ice-cream was such a fantastic idea!
Skye’s the limit – I see what you did there! 😉 although I wonder why you didn’t choose it as a title for the post. I have no idea that this part of Braveheart Scotland possesses such stunning landscapes. You can easily have this post as a picture post too – the pictures and sceneries can easily make any traveler – or not- go and see the otherwordly beauty of Scotland. Now, if I can only make-up my mind which Cornetto ice cream flavor I should be indulging on my future hotel stay, then we’re good 😉 #flyingbaguette
Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/
Hee! Thank you. Suspect there was a bit of a cock-up with the formatting on the post, will amend the title. Scotland really is the place for stunning landscapes, it is unbelievably beautiful there. And there are plenty of Cornetto flavours, so you could have a different one on each night of your stay!
Fantastic views, yummy brews and free hand delivered ice cream? Yes please. I really should have made it up to some of the Scottish islands but unfortunately I haven’t yet. That needs to change though. What a wonderful introduction to a phenomenal looking place. I didn’t realize the Isle of Skye was that big either
Yes, the Isle of Skye was much bigger than we thought it was and we definitely used the car a lot during our visit. We’d definitely recommend getting up to the Scottish islands as they really are stunning.
I went to the Isle of Skye ages ago as part of a Scotland round trip. I remember the scenery was breath-taking but it was also very rainy and misty. The iconic valley views have been spotted ever since in popular movies, e.g. Stardust, but I haven’t really felt a pull back to it. The island is best to see with your own vehicle as opposed to public transport. How cool is the Cornetto hotline of your hotel? Will definitely pin this on my Google maps.
Carolin | Solo Travel Story
Hee! The hotel Cornetto hotline was brilliant. It’s true that while Scotland is breathtakingly beautiful the weather can be very challenging and the rain and fog can obscure all that beauty. You’re absolutely right that the best way to see the island is using your own transportation.
I’ve had Scotland in my plans for a long time, but if there’s one thing that deters me from visiting, it’s the weather, which is always foggy and damp.
However, reading this post has rekindled my desire and given me a sudden urge to visit Scotland and not put off the trip any longer.
The Isle of Skye is absolutely enchanting and the landscapes, as your photos show, are breathtaking. What a magnificent place!
It is very true that the Scottish weather can be challenging. We were really lucky on our trip as the weather was generally pretty good but there’s no guarantee. The Isle of Skye is absolutely delightful and so stunningly beautiful.