Long gone are the days of saddling up your horse or getting in your carriage and embarking on a journey. There are so many ways to get around (do segways still exist?) that you might think everywhere is within easy reach. This is true of most places, including the Isle of Skye (hello bridge) but even so, there are limitations.
When planning your trip, you might wonder what the best way is to get there. So I’m going to break it down and make it as simple as I can!
There are several options so I’m going to go through them one at a time.
Train:
There are no train stations on Skye, but two close by on the mainland, from which onward transportation is quite straightforward.
Glasgow - Mallaig
You can get the train from Glasgow Queen Street all the way to Mallaig, on one of the most spectacular train routes in the world. This will take approx 5 hours or so, so you can just kick back and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
If you want to do the leg from Fort William to Mallaig in style, you can always hop on the Jacobite steam train, and travel over the Glenfinnan Viaduct (famous, I’m told, because of Harry Potter). I’ve yet to do this, but I promised my mum I’ll take her one day soon.
From Mallaig you take the ferry over to Armadale. Although there isn’t a direct bus from there to Portree, you can get to Broadford and take a bus from there.
Inverness - Kyle
The other train route is from Inverness station to Kyle of Lochalsh, which takes around 2h 45. From there you can take a bus direct to Portree; this service runs 5 times each day (Mon - Sun) from 11am - 9pm. This also means you get to Skye over the bridge, always making for a lovely view.
Be sure to check bus and train timetables in advance to make sure you don’t arrive late and end up stranded. (FYI - I offer this as part of my trip planning service to take all the stress out of going away.)
Bus
As you may have noticed, there is an extensive bus service operating on the Isle of Skye, meaning that you can get from Portree to pretty much anywhere on the island, obviously with a few changes or a bit of walking involved. So if you aren’t hiring a car, if you don’t mind a bit of waiting and walking, it’s definitely possible to get around using the bus service. It’s a nice way to get to meet some of the locals as well, and saves the hassle of finding somewhere to park.
Aeroplane
If you are an international visitor, likely you will be flying into Scotland for your trip. There are several airports in Scotland; however, Skye currently has no airport (which only adds to the appeal in my opinion).
The nearest airport is Inverness but you are unlikely to get an international flight there; you will have to stop over somewhere else in the UK to fly into Inverness.
The nearest international airports are back down in Glasgow, from where you can hire a car, or travel by train and bus.
Coach
If you live down south, or are flying into a London airport, you can get a coach directly to Glasgow, and then continue your journey from there. National Express or Megabus tend to run frequently and inexpensively.
Bicycle / Walking
It’s very possible to do Skye as a walking/cycling holiday - there are so many BnBs and bothies dotted around the island that it means you can just plan your entire trip around the places you want to see and spend your days walking/riding to them. (Again, this is something I can organise for you.) Bear in mind though that BnBs get booked up very quickly so advance planning is definitely needed if you want a hot shower and a comfy bed.
Car
The easiest way, in my opinion, to get around Skye is driving. You can hire a car very easily in Scotland (unless you’re bringing your own of course).
Having a car opens up so many more possibilities, and if you’re tired after a long day of hiking, it’s just nice to collapse into your car seat, put on some tunes, get out some snacks, and drive to where you’re staying.
It means you can get to the more remote places a lot more easily, especially as Skye is a very mountainous place.
The main roads on Skye are well maintained, making them very pleasant to drive. There are, however, a lot of single track roads, some not exceptionally well-paved. I’ve driven these roads in a Fiat 500, an Alfa Romeo Giulietta, and a pickup truck - all were fine, but the pickup truck was by far the most comfortable drive, simply because I wasn’t worrying about scraping the undercarriage of my nice Alfa Romeo.
An example of how nice the main roads are to drive on.
For more tips on driving on Skye, see my blog post “Being a good visitor”.
So there you have it!
Whichever way you choose to travel around Skye, you will have an amazing time! Why not try a different way each time?
What’s your favourite way to get around on Skye?
Tioraidh!
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