Unforgettable Things To Do on Isle of Skye: a 3-Day Itinerary

Written by Dalene Heck / Photography by Pete & Dalene Heck

The Isle of Skye is a dream destination for many, as it was for us for many, many years. It’s a paradise for adventurers who are eager to put hard-earned kilometres under their feet in exchange for transcendent views.

If the weather is perfect, three days is a good amount of time to spend there, and that is what we planned for. However, one rainy half-day meant we didn’t get to see everything we wanted, which made us wish we had planned for an extra day to make up for the lost time (and to spread out one jam-packed day, as you’ll read about later). 

That said, we completed most of the “must-do” things and then some, as such we feel sufficiently qualified to relay what we consider the “best” things to do on Isle of Skye. We chose mid-September for our visit and arrived with a series of beaming rainbows to welcome us, beginning with a stop at the picturesque Eilean Donan Castle, not far before our Isle of Skye journey truly began.

Unforgettable Things To Do on Isle of Skye

Note that we’ve grouped all of these highlights based on their proximity to each other, allowing you to plan your days accordingly. The previously mentioned jam-packed day falls within the first grouping: the Trotternish Route. Thus, if we had been able to spend another day on the island and the weather held, we would have broken the route up over two days.

Also, we’d suggest staying near Portree (on the Trotternish Route). It’s central to much of the island, and has the most amenities. We ended up staying a little further up the central coast, in a small cottage close to Earlish, and were happy with that location as well.

Map of Isle of Skye

Trotternish Route

Hiking Old Man of Storr

It’s the one you’ve seen and heard about: the Old Man of Storr is a 55m-high pinnacle of basalt rock sitting dramatically on the Trotternish Ridge. It’s all that remains of an ancient volcanic plug.

Getting up close to the Old Man is perhaps the most emblematic of all the things to do on Isle of Skye. This out-and-back hike is rated as moderate – it’s 4.5 km in distance with an elevation of almost 300m – but its well-trodden track makes it tolerable for even novice hikers. In other words, yes, you’ll be huffing and puffing all the way up, but the path is easy to follow and trust us, the effort is worth it.

Wear suitable footwear and layers (including rain- and windproof gear – this is good advice for everywhere you go on Isle of Skye), and bring plenty of water. There is a gravel path for part of the way, but other sections can be a bit tricky and steeper. Pay careful attention to the weather on the day you choose to do it; inclement conditions could make it much more challenging. We faced strong winds at the top, accompanied by sprinkles of rain throughout, but nothing could dampen our excitement for all that this hike had to offer in return.

Quiraing

This loop is about 8 km with almost 400 m gain in elevation; much of the terrain is rough underfoot, and some water may also need to be crossed.

Given that we drove up to the Quiraing trailhead exhausted from hiking the Old Man of Storr, and with more to do that day, we knew we wouldn’t be able to take in the whole hike. However, wooed by the spectacular scenery presented to us at the car park, we couldn’t resist taking in a small stretch of it.

We were gutted, honestly, that we hadn’t planned better so that we could have fit this hike into our time on another day. (Granted, it would have been tough to do as it’s so close to the Old Man, and there are LOTS of things to do on farther reaches on the Isle of Skye that we would not have wanted to miss either.) As spectacular as the Old Man of Storr was, we realized after taking just a few steps on it that this one might have been even better.

An Corran Beach 

After our climb up Old Man, and before we did much else, we stopped at An Corran Beach for a quiet break. The beach was not marked on the travel guide we were following, but a small sign on the side of the road caught our attention.

Seals and dolphins are apparently spotted here often, and the views from the beach are quite stunning, with basalt cliffs and other geological marvels in view. It is a small beach, but one that you could spend a lot of time at, admiring the surroundings but also inspecting crevices and pools for micro signs of life.

Lealt Falls

This 90 m set of falls, carved by the River Lealt, sits recessed in a tree-lined gorge near the edge of Invertote Bay. Views of the upper falls are available near the small, recently constructed car park (it only fits about 20 cars, so be prepared to wait for a spot to open up). From there, a boardwalk will lead you to the upper, main car park (that fits even fewer cars). 

At first, we thought the car park viewpoint was all there was, but walking down to the beach below is possible via a small, switch-backed path. We didn’t make it all the way to the beach, but even a small walk along that path is very worth it to get gorgeous views of the falls.

Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls

This is another quick stop, not far from Lealt Falls, but with a massive parking lot, indicating the popularity of this viewpoint. 

Named for its resemblance to a Scottish kilt, the cliff of Kilt Rock is made up of basalt columns and towers at 90 m. At the base is Mealt Falls; the water cascades over the cliff and straight into the sea, offering another reason to love this stunning view.

Duntulm Castle Ruins

Don’t worry about a long walk to get to these ruins; from the parking lot, it’s only a few minutes along a gravel path. 

At the end, against a stunning backdrop of vibrant green fields spotted with sheep and leading to water, are the remains of Duntulm Castle, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle’s importance peaked in the mid-1600s and was totally abandoned less than a century later. As far as we saw, this isn’t a terribly popular stop on the route, which made it even more enjoyable for us.

Portree

You undoubtedly will pass through Portree on your visit to the Isle of Skye. As the biggest town on the island with the most amenities, you’d do well to also stay here.

We stayed about a 20-minute drive away, and found ourselves in the town often. We grabbed sandwiches and snacks from the grocery store for our long days in the car, and also spent an hour milling in the cute souvenir shops downtown. While you’re here, don’t miss getting this photo (below) of the view just outside the grocery store! Portree isn’t a town that you need to dedicate a lot of time to, but it is a pretty little place that is there to fill your needs.

Duirinish and Glendale Circuit

Encompassing the western side of the Isle of Skye, we headed straight here after crossing onto it. There are fewer big highlights along this route and thus we surmised we could do it all in about a little over half a day. We were wrong, and missed some of it. It also made for a LONG driving day. But, we were very happy with the two stops we did make.

Neist Point Lighthouse

This was our very first stop on the Isle of Skye, and is the most westerly point. Neist Point is reputedly one of the most famous lighthouses in all of Scotland, and while it was a long and twisty drive to get there (with much of the road being single-track), we soon declared the effort very worth it. The views are most impressive.

It’s not a long walk to the lighthouse (2.7 km round trip), and on a concrete path, but be ready for steep parts. You start by walking straight down, then up, then down again. While many can complete it within an hour, you will want to give time to enjoy the surroundings. Sheep dot the picturesque landscape, and a field of basalt columns beside the lighthouse invites you to explore. (This spot gave us Faroe Islands vibes, which we often declare as the most scenic place we’ve ever hiked.)

Dunvegan Castle

We arrived without much time to spare before closing, and opted instead to just tour the grounds and forego the interior. The gardens are massive and would have been spectacular had we visited when everything was in full bloom!

The castle itself was started in the 13th century and was likely developed slowly over the centuries and in the 19th century, was remodelled in a medieval style. When touring the gardens, make sure to wind around and see the southwest face of the castle. Perched on an elevated rock over Loch Dunvegan, it’s worth a view and photo.

Other Things to do on Isle of Skye

Fairy Pools

This is the first thing to do on MANY people’s list when visiting, but as it doesn’t really fit in the two loops highlighted above, I’m adding it here. Considering our own journey in retrospect, I wish we would have done this on the first day, to save our other full day for the Duirinish and Glendale Circuit.

However! This is a must-stop, regardless.

Even though, when we arrived at the car park for the Fairy Pools, we debated turning around. It was very windy and raining gently, and off in the distance, we could see large sheets of precipitation sweeping the landscape.

Instead of leaving, we cinched our waterproof gear tight and started the trek. It’s a short walk (2.4 km to the first main waterfall and pool, but you can keep going past that) on a flat and gravel path that runs alongside a series of small waterfalls and crystal-clear pools. Thankfully, the rain abated for the first part of our walk, and even though the cloudy sky and wind prevented the truly brilliant sparkling water you’ve seen in photos, it was still a sensational sight against the backdrop of the Cuillin mountains.

The sheets of rain we saw waving across the land started up again as we neared the far end of the pools. Despite our rain gear, we still got drenched, but we did not let it deter us! We braced against the wind but laughed all the way back, even when we saw a small waterfall blow straight up by a particularly strong gust.

Note that it is possible to swim in the pools, but it is likely very cold year-round. Our niece braved dipping her toes in, but that’s as far as any of us got.

Coral Beach (we skipped it)

By all accounts we’ve seen, this is a beautiful stop. However, by the time we got onto Skye and visited the two locations above, we couldn’t summon the energy to also divert here (it’s about a 40 minute drive round-trip from Dunvegan Castle). Next time!

Sample Isle Libations

It should come as no surprise that yes, there are several distilleries on the Isle of Skye. We’re not fans of Scotch, so we skipped visiting them all, including the historic Talisker Distillery (founded in 1830). Gin is also made on the Isle, and while that is much more to our taste, we also didn’t save time to visit one of the distilleries. We did, however, snag a bottle from Isle of Skye Brewing Co (they also make beer) to try at home.

Fairy Glen

We had every intention of making this stop along the Trotternish Loop as it was not far from where we were staying. However, we left it until the same day we were doing the Fairy Pools, and the weather had other plans for us. Some describe the Fairy Glen as a mini-Quiraing, and from the parking lot, it’s only a 1.5 km walk. Photos of this spot are truly gorgeous, and missing this walk is why we were regretting not adding extra time here.

Keep an Eye Out for Hairy Coos

We were heading to our accommodations on the first night when we spotted them in a random farmer’s field. Munching on grass near the road, I squealed at this first sighting, and we parked safely at a pullout before walking back to snap the obligatory coo photo. This wouldn’t be the only time we’d see them, but the first time is always the most exciting!

Isle of Skye Tours

If driving the narrow Scotland tracks are not your cup of tea and you’d rather leave the driving to someone else, there are plenty of Isle of Skye Tours to choose from. You can choose from day tours to see the highlights, or a multi-day tour so you can see so much more, including everything we mentioned above.

Here are some suggested tours:

Isle of Skye Tours from Inverness:

One-day tour – Inverness: The Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle – we don’t recommend only one day, but if this is all the time you have this is an action packed 12 hour day to see all the sights on the Isle of Skye.

Three-day tour: If you have a little more time, we recommend spending three days on the Isle of Skye including a trip on the Jacobite Train (the train featured on Harry Potter). Book this 3 Day Isle of Skye and Jacobite Steam Train Tour from Inverness.

Isle of Skye Tours from Edinburgh:

If you’re going to see the Isle of Skye and don’t want to do it on your own, then this 3 Day Isle of Skye and Scottish Highlands tour from Edinburgh is the one to take. Two nights accommodation and breakfasts are included with this tour.

Other Isle of Skye Tours:

Where to Stay on Isle of Skye

If you are planning the trip yourself to the Isle of Skye, then we highly recommend staying in or near Portree. This will give you a central location to stay to be then able to plan your day trips to see all the sights.

Skeabost House Hotel

The Skeabost House Hotel offers luxury accommodation with great Highland Hospitality in Skye. ,This family owned boutique hotel is located 10 minutes outside Portree. Guests love the location of the elegant white washed Victorian Mansion offering stunning views across Loch Snizort.

Skye Cabins

If you’re looking for more peace and serenity and a connection to nature on the Isle of Skye, Skye Cabins is a retreat that offers just this. The chalets are only 15 minutes outside of Portree and each unit features a hot tub, kitchenette, balcony with lake and mountain views, along with a cozy sofa. There is also a wood-fired private hottub as an option and we highly recommend 😉