“…the island has countless ways to enchant you, with its mountain ranges, miles of dramatic coastline and captivating history.“
visitscotland.com
The Isle of Skye (‘Skye’) is the largest of the Inner Hebrides and the second largest island in Scotland. It has almost 50 miles of coastline, an abundance of natural wonders, lots of nature and breath-taking scenery. Skye even has it’s own breed of dog! The Skye Terrier are a loyal and affectionate breed who were first found in Skye. They have been loved by the Scottish for centuries and were even present at the execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587. Unfortunately, the pure breed are now endangered as people are more interested in other dog breeds – something that could be easily changed!
Our trip
We drove to Skye for a weekend (one night) trip from our base in Inverness. Skye is famous for it’s beauty, but it also has a mesmerizing and bewitching quality that I cannot begin to describe. It had been a particularly stressful week, workwise, for both of us and so a weekend away was needed. As we drove over the steep bridge onto the island we both became silent. After a while of driving we both agreed that we had never felt so immediately peaceful and destressed just by looking at a landscape. I have since spoken with others who had the same experience.
Below are the stops that we made during our weekend away.
Portree
First stop after crossing the bridge is Portree. Portree, the capital of the Skye, is a village that overlooks a bay. The small village has lots of dog-friendly eateries using the locally caught fish.
You can walk your dog through the village and along the bay. A lovely way to stretch your legs!
You could stay in one of the many dog-friendly hotels.
Uig
Next stop is Uig, where we spent the night.
Uig is a large bay, with ferry ports connecting to the western isles, that you can walk around with your dog. The Uig hotel is a gorgeous hotel with a bar, live music, lovely rooms and delicious food. The best bit is being able to have breakfast in the dining room and look out across the bay.
Fairy Pools
The Fairy Pools are a popular destination for tourists, including dog walkers and hikers. They are a series of streams naturally forming rock pools.
When we visited it was pouring with rain, of course. We tried our hardest to make it to the top, but turned back after a while as it was getting a little dangerous. Plus, our whimp of a dog refused to walk in the water! What we did manage to see was still beautiful.
Talisker Distillery
We needed to stop on the way home, but we wanted to find somewhere we could escape the rain. We tried the Talisker Distillery. Dogs aren’t allowed everywhere, but the shop attendants were more than happy to have company and were very happy to have dogs in the shop.
The shop was interesting enough – especially the prices!
We bought a few bottles… would have been rude not to!
Explore
Most of the time we spent exploring. We drove across the Skye and stopped (weather permitting) in the areas that we wanted to explore.
The scenery is so breathtakingly beautiful and unique, you can’t help but want to stop and take it in.
You must schedule some random/spontaneous exploring time into any Skye travel plan.
Things to do and places to see on the Isle of Skye
Where do I start? Below is the list of the places that you can visit with your dog on the Isle of Skye:
- The Fairy Pools (see above)
- The Old Man of Storr
- Dunvegan Castle Gardens
- The Quiraing
- The Cullin
- Neist Point Lighthouse
- Coral beach
- The Village of Boreraig
- The Fairy Glen
- Armadale Castle and Gardens
- Whale, dolphin and watching boat trips (dog-friendly!)
- And so much more!
Dog-friendly accommodation on the Isle of Skye
Like most places these days, Skye is full of dog-friendly accommodation. We stayed in the Uig hotel, as described. Uig is a perfect place to stay if you want to travel the full height of Skye – travel up one side one day and back the other another day.
You find the right accommodation for you using the usual sources, including:
Other useful sources
Here are some other sources that I found useful in planning my trip:
- The Isle of Skye website: https://www.isleofskye.com/
- The Visit Scotland website: https://www.visitscotland.com/destinations-maps/isle-skye/
- TripAvisor’s top attractions in Isle of Skye
- Pinterest – see our Isle of Skye collection
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The Skye Terrier is adorable, I had no idea this breed existed! It looks like a peaceful place to relax. Sash is looking at the water like “Heck no!”
I told you she doesn’t like water. She is such a whimp. I’ve asked my partner if we can get a skye terrier next to keep the bread going, he said no. I’ll keep trying!
I probably wouldn’t make it past the view at Portree, except to visit the distillery. Talisker was the scotch that got me drinking scotch! I would probably bankrupt myself if I went there. Poor Sash; such a delicate thing.
There were some bottles of whisky/scotch more expensive than my property! There is something really special about Skye – you would want to see it all! Thinking of the running you could do 😊
It is so beautiful there! I have only been to Edinburgh, but I love Scotland. This is one of my bucket list places to visit.
We love Scotland too. We spent a few weeks up there. Travelled to Skye from Inverness. There’s lots to see on the way so highly recommend that route if you go!
What a fascinating and beautiful place! Thank you for swinging by the “Ranch.” We 💙 visitors, especially those who are well traveled.