The Isle of Skye is a magical little island filled with jaw dropping vistas and craggy peaks. It’s one of those places where you expect to see fairies peeking at you from behind a tree. The raw, wildness of the land quite takes your breath away. Your trip to Scotland would not be complete if you skipped the Isle of Skye.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the Isle of Skye certainly cannot be thoroughly explored in a day. However, if one day is all you have, this travel itinerary will help you hit a few major sights. We drove around the island and managed fit in a few hikes in the one day that we had. However, I could have easily stayed another couple of days. So, without further ado, here is a helpful travel itinerary for your visit to the Isle of Skye.
Isle of Skye Itinerary: Fairy Glen
Distance: ½ mile, takes about 10 minutes
Plan for: 1 hour to explore the area
We got an early start and headed north to Uig. This is where our first “point of interest” stop was – The Fairy Glen. We had three hikes planned for today (Fairy Glen, the Old Man of Storr, and the Fairy Pools). The Fairy Glen is a bit of a lesser-known attraction on the Isle of Skye, but it’s an absolute gem.
The road to the Fairy Glen was a bit hard to find, and we ended up passing it and having to turn around. But find it we did, and we bumped along the single track dirt road until we came to a turnoff spot in a small field with a cattle trough and small parking area. It’s a little under half a mile to the glen from the parking spot. The walking road wound around curious looking cone shaped hills. The odd landscape really gave the area an otherworldly feel. As we neared the glen, we stepped off the paved road and started following a well-used dirt path that traversed over a crumbled stone wall and wove through a small gnarled grove of trees covered in moss – just the sort of place fairies would inhabit.
The glen is nestled between rolling hills and plateaus and there are two large spirals decorating the flat valley of the glen. Upon closer inspection, we discovered that the spirals were actually rocks set into a spiral shape and a worn down path formed by years of people walking down the spiral. At the center of each spiral was a collection of trinkets (to appease the faeries, obviously), such as rings, flowers, coins, and colored rocks. A large hill with a flat basalt top separated the glen from a pond and had a steep trail up to the peak. From a distance, it looks like old ruins, which is how it got its name, Castle Ewan.
We scrambled to the top and got to take in the whole view. This really is a stunning spot and the perfect spot for a picnic. From the top, we could see secret valleys and streams that wound around the hills. There was also another grove of trees, a thin little canyon with white speckled boulders lining it, and a large plateau. There was also a small herd of sheep who grazed on top of the plateau. It really made you feel as if you were in the wilds of Scotland. We stayed here for a bit, exploring the nooks and crannies of the glen and enjoying the sunny spring day. The Fairy Glen was a beautiful, magical little spot and was a great starting spot for our day in Skye.
Isle of Skye Itinerary: Drive the Northern Coast
Distance: 28 miles
Plan for: 1 hour drive
After the Fairy Glen, we made our way to the northern tip of the Isle of Skye, and this is where we were really plunged into the “single track road” experience we had heard of. The whole northern journey took us about an hour and 15 minutes and had us driving a beautiful route along the coastal cliffs and plateaus. It’s funny, but there were free range sheep everywhere in Skye (something I wasn’t use to in America). Apparently, wool is one of their biggest exports. So our trip was littered with sheep and the occasional bright red telephone booth.
I remember this one stretch in particular – to our left was a long flat green field dotted with white sheep that ended at the cliffs edge, overlooking the sea. The clouds were huge and low in the sky, painted varying shades of gray thus, making the sea a moody gray glass. A handful of white cottages were scattered across the plain with the sea backing them, and one of them, with a deep blue door, had a long clothesline spread out to the side – its garments snapping in the strong ocean gusts. To our right was a mountain range topped in low clouds, and our little single track road weaved right through these villages.
We continued on and passed small local art galleries, a museum, and cute B&BS, hardly seeing anyone else on the road. Skye only has a population of about 10,000 people and 639 square miles to it, so it has a very wild and uninhabited feel to it.
Isle of Skye Itinerary: The Old Man of Storr
Distance: 2.36 miles, takes about 1 ½ hours
Plan for: 2 ½ hours to explore the area
We found a parking spot alongside the road where the trail head was and looked up at The Storr. It stood sentinel at the top of the mountain range, gazing down at us through the mist. We started our uphill walk through what had previously been a forest and was now a cleared reforested area. Towards the top of the hill, we came to a wooden gate overlooking a beautiful lake (I’m hoping to come back and catch the sunset here one day). Here, the dirt path turned into stone steps and began to climb rapidly. We had to take a few breaks (amazing leg exercise though, right?), and we climbed for what seemed like ages.
When we finally reached the top, the view took my breath away. You could see the ocean clearly and the lake we passed earlier. The sun had broken through the clouds and lit up the rolling hills and mountains. It was a place that made you feel as if you were on top up the world.
The Storr is shaped like a giant thumb, and stands at an elevation of 2,589 feet (so basically, since we started at ocean level we climbed over 2,500 feet in an hour and a half) and the “thumb” itself is 165 feet tall. Legend has it that Skye was overrun by giants, and this is where “The Old Man of Storr” was buried – his thumb still sticking out of the earth.
I gave my legs a rest and relaxed on a small hill, taking in the site of the wide ocean below me and the larger than life rock faces to my right. The deep gullies, rolling hills, and sharp cliffs were so dramatically stunning and make you feel as if you are in a different world (I was getting ALL the Lord of the Rings vibes here). They say that once you’ve been to the Isle of Skye, some strange force never allows you to be completely free. After multiple awe-inspiring vistas, such as the Fairy Glen, the ocean cliffs, and the Old Man of Storr, I completely agree.
It was later in the afternoon by the time we headed down from the Old Man of Storr. The hike had taken us about two and a half hours, so at this point we were pretty exhausted. So, we decided to skip the hike to the Fairy Pools and drive the two hours and 50 minutes to our hotel in Fort William so we could arrive before dark.
As we left Skye, I was reminded of something I had read earlier: in 1230, an ancient poem in the Norse language referred to Skye as Skuyö (isle of cloud), which I found very appropriate. Next time I visit Scotland, I will definitely spend more time on this beautiful Island of Clouds.
