Northern Skye Scenic Drive
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Port
Portree (Isle of Skye), Scotland, United Kingdom
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Activity Level
Easy
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Excursion Type
Local Sightseeing,All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$109.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 3½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
The Isle of Skye is the largest and northernmost of Scotland's Inner Hebrides. It boasts a romantic, colorful and poignant history. After the failure of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745, Flora MacDonald became famous for rescuing Bonnie Prince Charlie from the Hanoverian troops. Skye's population peaked in the 19th century and declined significantly in the wake of the Clearances and, later, World War I.
Travel north from Portree along narrow roads on a circular panoramic drive. There are views of the coastline across undulating stretches of heather moorland -- streams and small lochs are your constant companions. The road rises and falls, twists and turns as it follows the geographical contours of this northern peninsula, passing farms and hamlets -- some of the most striking landscapes in Scotland.
Continue north as your attention becomes focused on the Storr. This 2,358-foot summit rises above the east-facing cliffs. At 200 feet tall, Kilt Rock is a rock face marked in an almost tartan-like pattern. A waterfall tumbles down the sheer wall to the pebbled shore below. You'll stop here to take photos from the viewing platform.
Visit the Skye Museum of Island Life. This outdoor museum is comprised of a fascinating collection of thatched cottages; it offers a genuine taste of the crofting way of life that is now long gone from Skye. The critical factor governing the design of the Highland croft house was the nature and extent of materials available. Most crofters could not afford to buy materials, so they limited their use of materials to what was available, at no cost, in the immediate vicinity. Wander through the museum and enter the museum's croft cottages for an appreciation of life on Skye in the 19th century.
Notes:
Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer.