I love to plan trips. For me, putting in the research and finding out what kind of exciting things I’ll be doing and seeing is part of the fun! It feels like my holiday starts from the moment I begin planning.
However I know people who will go on holiday and not plan a thing. This does not work. I have been away with these people (people who resist my attempts to plan) and then they sit around and wonder what we’re going to be doing, thus wasting our money and holiday time. This drives me crazy. (You know who you are..)
Whilst it’s good to be flexible, at the end of the day you don’t know what the weather will be like, or if you just feel like vegging out, it’s also good to have a schedule in mind so that you make the most of your trip. Who wants to fly halfway across the world, or even drive for a few hours and waste time wondering what you’re going to do?
Hence… itineraries!
Why should you have an itinerary for the Isle of Skye?
It takes a surprising amount of time to get around the Isle of Skye. Portree is pretty central, but even then it’s about an hour’s drive to Elgol, Neist Point, or Armadale. Granted, you don’t notice the time it takes because it’s such an enjoyable ride, not like sitting in city traffic! But this of course uses fuel.
So for the sake of your wallet, and the sake of the environment, it’s a good idea to plan activities near each other so you can see or do them all on the same day and cut down on fuel consumption.
Also, there are SO MANY THINGS TO SEE on Skye.. It can be incredibly tempting to try and cram in as much as possible into your visit so you don’t miss anything. This also doesn’t work, you either end up exhausted or you don’t actually get to experience anything and just end up doing a whistle stop tour where you find yourself jumping in and out of the car to take photos of various landmarks. It would be such an incredible shame to miss out on just being there, smelling the fresh air, taking time to walk amongst the mountains, feeling the sea spray on your face, and not actually having memories - just meaningless photos.
By not planning in advance, you miss out on the hidden gems as well, the places that aren’t in all the popular guide books or splashed all over social media. Whilst the popular places are well-loved for good reason, there is so much more to Skye.
And it’s great to factor in time to just wander around where you’re staying - you are guaranteed to find some great places that you would just overlook otherwise. In my last blog, I mentioned Loch Langaig, and it was only because Andrew & me went for a walk from the place we were staying that we found it and fell in love with it - we never would’ve discovered it otherwise, I’d never read about it before or even noticed it.
View from a secret beach that we only discovered by walking from the place we were staying.
It’s also good to know what you’ll be doing in advance so you can pack correctly. If you don’t decide in advance that you want to climb Sgurr Alasdair, or walk to Oronsay Island, or even swim in one of the lochs or at the Fairy Pools, you won’t have the correct clothing and footwear; you won’t know how long hikes are and whether you should bring your lunch.
I’m not saying you have to go into full-scale plan mode if that’s not your thing. Just be prepared. It’s important! You can find lots of good guide books, I especially love this one - Isle of Skye: 40 Coast & Country Walks, and do get a map of the island - OS maps are great for planning a walk, but a tourist map is good for actually finding your way around.
(For more detail, check out OS Explorer Maps)
If you’re like me, and enjoy planning this is all well & good. But if you just don’t have the time to put in the research, where can you possibly get help? Hmmm…
Funnily enough, I can provide personalised itineraries, tailored to your interests, fitness levels, and length of stay. There are other generic itineraries available on the internet, but they don’t take into account any of these factors, nor the time of year or where you’re staying.
My itineraries maximise the amount of time you have on the island, but also won’t leave you feeling exhausted and will take into account back-ups depending on the weather, and factoring in time for you to just “wander”. And I will take into account if you’re an early bird or don’t necessarily find it appealing to be up before the dawn for a mountain hike.
Please feel free to contact me either through DM on Instagram or on the Contact page on this website. Even if you just want to enquire, there is no pressure at all - just drop in and say hi.
Tioraidh!
PS stay tuned for February’s “Business of the Month”, coming on Wednesday.
(Note: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links)
#skyecompass#isleofskyecompass#isleofskye#isleofskyeguide#isleofskyetravelguide#skyetravelguide#scotlandtravelguide#scottishtourism#whattodoonskye#hikingonskye#skyetravel#skyeoutdoors#skyetravelblog#isleofskyetravelblog#scotlandtravelblog#isleofskyetips#skyetips#travelscotland#traveluk#staycation#skyeitineraryplanning#travelitinerary#travelphotography#scotland#AntEileanSgitheanach#EileanaCheo#mistyisle#responsibletourism#responsibletravel#blogging#blogger#travelblog#travelblogger #leavenotrace #isleofskyeitinerary #holidayplanning #itinerary #itineraries
Comments