There are many destinations you shouldn’t miss out whenever you plan to have a trip to Scotland. And one that should definitely be on your list is the beautiful Isle of Skye. Isle of Skye is an island that has the most breathtaking views, dreamy scenery, mouthwatering food, and many enjoyable activities for both the young and the old. Travellers make it a point to always stop by and see why this is considered a must-visit location in Scotland. It is the perfect place to have that amazing vacation which is why Kay and I decided to drive from Edinburgh to Isle of Skye. 

Wondering how to plan the best Isle of Skye Itinerary? Read more below to learn about the things to do in Isle of Skye

Must See in Isle of Skye :

Isle of Skye Itinerary

Day 1

1. Old Man  of Storr

A very popular Isle of Skye point of interest is the Old Man of Storr. The Old Man of Storr is a large pinnacle which stands steeply on a rocky hill that can be seen from miles away. It is located on the East side of the Isle. Because of its popularity, it is a busy place. It is very iconic that there are tons of pictures of the Old Man of Storr that is used in many guidebooks and travel ads in Scotland.

With my visit in the Old Man of Storr, I did experience that busy scene. I suggest that you either go really early or later in the evening. There are a lot of people who do day trips and this would be part of their routine stops. I expected that the weather would be quite cloudy and rainy during the trip, like what most people experience, but luckily, on the day we went to the Old Man of Storr it was actually sunny. The sun was shining and all that so of course, we were excited to go for the hike. It was quite traffic on our way there but this didn’t stop Kay and I.  I must warn you though that the highway was packed with cars going to the same destination and the parking lot was nearly full so again, time this well.  I mean, this is to be expected  in a place  with such fantastic views. 

The hike itself going to the Old Man of Storr was a fun experience. It was an easy hike but the ground was quite uneven. I found it easy  because I’ve had my fair share of experiences in hiking . I do love to hike  but even for beginners, it’s not such a hard trail. The path was wide and covered with gravel, on a rainy day, I could imagine that this could be muddy and slippery .  Make sure to wear proper footwear and you’ll be fine. 

While walking, we took a lot of photos. Every angle of it was picturesque. The terrain itself was beautiful, the long and expansive view of green grass and huge scattered rocks. During the trail, you will see gates that you need to open to enter. Don’t forget to close them. Don’t get disheartened by the initial steep path it does get simpler later on. I guess, the steep starts just prepares you for the climb.

 

 The view from the top was sensational. The view from the pinnacle was gorgeous but then again as mentioned earlier we were lucky because it was sunny. I could imagine it being misty and cloudy should the weather not cooperate but the view was perfect nonetheless. Again, what can you expect? Scotland is known for rain but  Old Man Storr is beautiful whether its sunny or rainy. .   After the long hike up and hike down including the million pictures we took, we couldn’t help but feel so hungry. So once we got down, we just decided to eat in the car.Yes, we were hungry. Kay and I decided to go grocery prior to the trip. It’s always good to bring food after all in road trips, you never know when you need it. 

Another reason why this trip was one for the books was that we created new friends. We met two new friends here, they were hitchhiking and we decided to pick them up. And from there on our party of 2 became a party of 4 people and the adventure just became even more exciting. 

 

General Tip: If it does rain during your trip, try to wait out. The rain doesn’t last very long or at least it has short breaks in between. During those short breaks you will see the real beauty of Old Man of Storr. Make sure to bring your cameras because incase you haven’t noticed, it’s a photographers paradise. 

2. Brother’s Point

It is absolutely amazing how there are a lot of treasures found in the Isle of Skye. Rubha nam Brathairean is one that I loved. But don’t worry this destination which is mouthful to say has a simpler name, Brothers Point. This treasure is a place that isn’t known to many visitors of the country but let me tell you that going here was one of the best moments during the entire trip. And since not many know about it, we got to enjoy and appreciate the peninsula peacefully.

With the dozens of blogs and articles found online on places to visit in Scotland, this place is rarely spoken about. I barely even find it in the usual lists. For this reason, I wasn’t expecting to see much when I arrived, but I was wrong. 

Getting there wasn’t that difficult but we did have to look at the signs closer than usual. Brother’s Point was situated in Trotternish Loop on the Isle. There is also an available car park in Culnacnoc for those who want to visit Brother’s Point. Although it’s not that big so it can’t fit a lot.  I suggest getting there earlier or just look for other places. For us, we parked by the Sky Pie Café. (You will see a dirt road entrance which is how I found out you can enter— it was only later on that I saw the sign). From here, you can find the trailhead by crossing the street and head south. There will be a sign that will show you to Brother’s Point. From there, just continue your path on the driveway where you’ll pass through a gate and see more signs that will show you to the shore.

Disclaimer: You might actually miss the signs at first glance. It’s so close to the stop but we missed it the first time. Yes, they do have a sign but it’s nearly erased so you can’t see it.

Many of the must-visit destinations in the Isle of Skye were crowded and busy, so once we arrived at the Brother’s Point, it was a different scenario. When we walked out to the peninsula of Rubha nam Brathairean, we were shocked. Where are all of the people?  There were absolutely no people.

The whole place was better than what I had imagined. It was absolutely gorgeous. Many people have no idea what they’re missing! A lot of people travel to the Isle of Sky and have left the place without even knowing about Brother’s Point. It was such a breathtaking view but no one was there to see it. But I did see from a far a couple walking out as we were entering. But other than that we had it all to ourselves which at that time I enjoyed. We were able to take in the beauty and its peacefulness. It was like paradise, although it would be nice for people to know about it as well. There were lots of sheep and greeneries. It was a nice sight to watch the sheep just stroll through the grass.

It was an easy hike and it had a cliff edge that overlooks a view no one should miss out. The breeze even made the experience better. You can feel the cool wind breezing through the grass and see the grass sway with the wind as if it were dancing with it. And you can even go down near the beach, which is like a hidden gem within the hidden gem. I was walking through the rocks and I saw one of the woods burned and there was a piece that kind of looked like a snake. Of course, out of panic, I jolted up but duh, I was hit with a realization that it was just my imagination, thankfully!

We enjoyed this part a lot! It was so pretty and it was away from the crowded city. It felt as if though going here was a break from being in places with a lot of people and just being one with nature. But, Taylor ( our new friend)  was having a diabetic attack though so we had to walk her back tothe car and stay there a bit just for her to get her meds. But nonetheless, we all enjoyed the trip to Brother’s Point.

This was one of my favourite stops and I know that if any you get the chance to see it, it will be one of your favourites as well.

3. Kilt Rock

We drove to Kilt Falls, on our way to our next destination which was Quiriang. This is just a view point so we spent around 15 minutes here. 

4. Quiraing

After Kilt Falls, we drove to our final destination of the day, Quiriang. This place is known for its dramatic cliffs. We tried to inout Quiriang in google maps but we ended up in the village part of Quiriang. It took us awhile to realized that this was not actually where we were supposed to be.  Eventually we found our way to the jump off point of the hike.  

Quiriang was majestic and outstanding. Although,  the narrow paths that required us to have a fit body in order to get around the slopes tested our strength and endurance, this didn’t stop us. Kay and I found ourselves repeatedly saying “Omg, ang ganda” which translated to OMG, it’s so beautiful. We were lucky to be there during golden hour, although we had really wanted to spend sunset session here and we made the right decision in doing so. This would be the best time to see the sun’s rays hitting the waves and the ripples of the sea. It was absolutely stunning. I  was speechless. We were silent apart from repeatedly saying, “This is too beautiful” we remained silent and we took in everything it had to offer. 

There are two common routes to take for the Quiraing, the 5km and the 7km. The 5Km is for a direct route while the 7Km would be  where you reach the summit.  Both hikes starts at the same point. 

Most people take the route of the dirt track and also use the same path when returning. The walk was easy at first because the trail was quite broad and was flat enough to make it a decent walk. But as you walk further, the climb does get steeper. So if heights isn’t your thing, you better grit up and take a deep breath because trust me, it will be worth it. Overall, I can say that the hike had a moderate type of difficulty to it. It was pretty straight forward, thin edges with sheep and awesome views all over.

We took the 5km route because we  no longer saw the point in moving forward so we turned back around after we’ve reached the point we wanted to.  Most of the people who were making their way back said that it was pretty much the same and we’ve seen the most beautiful part . At this point we were also starting to get hungry so we decided as a group to turn around. On our way out we saw a lot of people preparing to camp here, I would have loved to do this but we weren’t ready for it.   Aside from our lack of tents and equipments, I was worried that it would be too windy. I mean, as it was, we were already cold. 

Even on our way back,  Taylor, John, Kay and I were just saying “It’s so beautiful.” We felt like crying as we walked because it was that pretty.

This was one of my favourite stops on our itinerary apart from Brother’s Point but this one during sunset just made me speechless.

This was a good end to our first day, and as we drove back to bring our new friends home, we saw the sky turn from pink to purple before it gave way to darkness.  That was a nice cap to our first day in Isle of Skye. 

Day 2 

5. Fairy Pools

We started our second day by driving to another famous site called Fairy Pools. Well, it’s  famous for its fairly easy walks that makes anyone  going here have a beauiful experience  of seeing a series of cascading waterfalls. And on top of that, the Cuillin Mountains becomes the backdrop of that fantastic view.

Again just like the other sites, this one has a parking lot that is quite small and fills up easily so be patient with that.  From the parking area, the walk wasn’t too bad. The trail had signs and marks along the way. It was obvious that it was a traveller friendly area. It had a clear path with some boggy sections. You can walk along River Brittle and admire its beautiful crystal clear aquamarine coloured water. Watch the water as it goes down stream and listen to how it flows. While we were there, it was peaceful and quite. A lot of media articles actually use photos of Fairy Pools to be included in promotion articles for the Isle of Skye.

Many locals see this place as a magical place. And if you see it for yourself, just like how we saw it, you would also agree. You can hear the wind hustle, the water flow, and the grass sway. Going here on a sunnier day would make you appreciate the landscape more but even so, everything was still magnificent. There were a lot of mud puddles during our walk. Better be careful for those of you who don’t want to get your shoes dirty.

It would have been nice to have a drone then, but anyhoo, it’s fine, we just walked. Even if this was a fairly easy walk, the terrain was a bit steeper than expected but overall still easy.

Getting to Fairy Pools wouldn’t be too difficult. From Portree you can head on to Carbost and from there just follow the signs that lead to Fairy Pools. The staple advice I would have to give anyone travelling in the Isle of Skye is to get there early to have parking spot for your car. These sites are quite popular so expect that you aren’t the only one who is travelling by car to get there.

Just in case you want to be a bit more adventurous, you can bring a bathing suit and take a dip in the pools. Beware though , there are a lot of insects in the area so you should either bring insect repellant. Also, depending on the season, the water may be really cold. Given that Kay and I are both tropical girls, we opted to not swim. No one did actually during the time we were there.

For some reason  Kay and I found weird paths to get down to the falls. Weird but it had an exciting feel to it. We even jumped over rocks just to get nice photos. You know how photographers are; we would do anything just to get that perfect shot. Luckily, some guy helped us. It wasn’t that hard but the water was cold so we preferred not to get wet. Plus we had SLRs with us— so yeah, we had to protect that too. 

6. Talisker Distillery

   

   

Our next stop after that adventurous morning is the Talisker Distillery. We also opted to do this because the rain was relentless so we looked for something quite near to pass the time .  The entrance to the tour costs £10 and with this you get  the chance to taste the whiskeys they have made. I almost bought a bottle cause it was that good but then we didn’t have much space  so we couldn’t. This was definitely a good way to pass the rain plus a good way to warm us up on a cold day. 

7. Dunvegan Castle

At this point, the rain  stopped so we decided to visit the Dunvegan castle where we learned about its history. We also enjoyed walking the garden and the grou

nds. 

Day 3

8. Fairy Glen

Just when I thought there aren’t any more magical places the Isle of Skye can offer, I learned about Fairy Glen. Fairy Glen is another place in the Isle that isn’t really popular among visitors but it does make you think that it should be. This place on the island I would have to say could actually be the cutest or at least one of the cutest attractions here. It had such a fairytale feel to it to the point that I would actually think I am literally in a fairies’ playground.

Fairy Glen isn’t really big, it’s just a small area where it would be nice to play and relax. The walk is short coming from the path on the hill. In this path, you would encounter unique trees all around you that are covered in moss and have stretched out braches. When you look at it, you would think that a fairy can live there. The whole area was dry and was covered in grass. It is such a peaceful and magical place. Kay was being silly, she asked me to remove my shoes and pretend as if though I was a fairy. Well, as you know, I am one that never gives in into silly requests, I didn’t do it. JUST KIDDING! I DID! I can be crazy and so I did it. The grass felt nice on my feet. I liked it when I brushed my toes across the grass. The trees and everything felt so enchanting! And they were all just hills, all easy to climb and easy to get to.

Just try to explore the place, there isn’t really a set route for you to take here since every part of Fairy Glen is wonderful. You can explore the highest point of that area which is commonly known as the Castle Ewen. You’d know it when you see it; it is the most obvious peak in Fairy Glen.

Kay and I parked in the parking lot but you can do what others choose to do as well. They take their car and park it on the side of the road while they climb and photograph the mini hills.

NOTE TO SELF! Kay and I were having too much fun and we made a mistake. So we saw this tall structure that we wanted to climb just to see the view. Being the crazy girl that I am— DO NOT DO THIS, I saw that you can rock climb the front. So I just started climbing— in my defense, it did look like a path. The top portion looked scarier so we backed out— I was thinking hmmmm there must be another way. Damn, true enough, the back side of it had a straight forward very easy path—except for the thin part where you have to lift yourself up — it wasn’t actually hard.  More likely, it was tight but that’s just one part of it. Everything else was super easy to get up to! So next time, check before risking your life!

Going to Fairy Glen does bring out the child in you.

 

9. Portree

This is the largest town on the island, but despite its size there isn’t many restaurants found here. Although, what makes is great is that, the restaurants that are found here serve dishes that you would wish you can eat everyday, most especially their seafood dishes. Often people use this as their home base but by the time we booked everything was sold out and so expensive. 

9. Neist Point

It is found in the west of Isle of Skye. Here you can find a one of the most beautiful light houses in the country. If you want to see a breathtaking sunset from high cliffs, here is where you should go.

 Funny story, when we got back to the car, after our hike, Kay spotted a scenic spot. At this point, I must say, we turned the back of the car into a changing room. Isle of Skye can have different weathers at one time. Sometimes, it’s hot then by the next second it’s raining. So we prepared our car to have most of our things, apart from food. 

Here, Kay spotted a photo area and so she said, “Karla, change to a dress” and being me, because I really do love dresses. I did. You see, it’s not like we always change attires for photoshoots but then we were having fun and we had time. We  were literally two crazy good friends who was enjoying the place and of course, we wanted to get good photos too. 

10. Sligachan Bridge

 This wasn’t really part of our itinerary but as we were driving by, we found it to be really cool so both Kay and I decided to stop. I mean,  that’s the benefit of having your own car after all. We stop when we want. Also, since we had several days in the Isle of Skye we had freedom to  pass the time and this was an excellent spot for it. 

Where to Eat in Isle of Skye

The marketplace near Portree

Food here is absolutely fantastic. The taste is like you ordered dishes from classy and expensive restaurants, but in reality there are inexpensive that definitely does not make your pocket cry after ordering. Shellfish dishes here are fresh and cooked to perfection

The Oyster Shed near Talisker Distillery

Craving for the best tasting oysters after having a couple of sips from the Talisker Distillery? There is an oyster shed found just nearby that have oyster dishes cooked in various ways that you are sure to enjoy.

Personal Tips:

• Try to rent a car since the bus system isn’t as efficient.
• If you do find a car, the best place to get cheap gas is at Broadford.
• Get yourself some food at the Coop so that you always have food to munch on during your hikes or road drives.
• Since the weather maybe a bit tricky at times, it is best to prepare for all types of weather, just put the basic things in the trunk of the car.
• BOOK IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ACCOMMODATIONS! This is the most important tip in my perspective because most place of accommodation in the Isle of Skye is always full. So try to call in even months before your trip. And don’t worry a lot of the accommodation places here are beautiful.
• There isn’t a lot of cell signal here. So for directions, try to download maps beforehand so that you don’t get lost on the way.

Other Tips: JUST ENJOY! Take as much pictures as you can and take in the beauty of the Isle of Skye