Heatherland Cottage

Portree

Portree is the main town on Skye. It's name comes from the Gaelic Port-an-Righ, which translates as "King's Port" and dates to a visit by King James V, plus a fleet of warships, in 1540, to persuade the island clans to support him. The centre of life in Portree has to be its harbour. This is in a superb natural setting, being surrounded by high ground and cliffs. The peninsula to the south is unflatteringly knows as "The Lump", and once provided a spectacular setting for public hangings on the island. Today the harbour continues to be used by fishing boats, but is also home to other vessels, from pleasure craft to the lifeboat.

Portree is a bustling port and a thriving cultural centre, and was also the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie spent his last days in Scotland. Among the attractions of Portree is the Aros Centre which incorporates an exhibition capturing the drama of Skye's history. The centre is also the access point for walks in Portree Forest. Portree is awash with interesting shops and a wide choice of eating places, particularly specialist seafoood restaurants which serve freshly landed local fish and seafood.

The main focus of Portree is Somerled Square, home to the war memorial, some car parking, and most of the bus stops in the town. Much of the shopping is to be found in the roads leading from Somerled Square towards the harbour: and Wentworth Street offers a range of those "interesting but not essential" shops that make any visit worthwhile.

North of Portree is the spectacular scenery of the Trotternish Ridge - wild country dominated by weird and wonderful rock formations such as the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the truly extraordinary pinnacles of the Quiraing. Truly worth a visit.

True romantics pack their bags and head for Skye and Lochalsh. However, so do a host of enthusiastic climbers, walkers, cyclists, sailors, sightseers, anglers and clan history buffs. Commanding mountains beckon those with a passion for heights at their most dramatic - the jagged Cuillin ridge on Skye and the fearsome Five Sisters of Kintail - offer serious challenges to walkers and climbers alike. From high peaks to deep sounds, Skye's stunning scenery is unrelenting, no more so than at the Quirang on the Trotternish peninsula.

The influence of the sea is also never far away (you are never more than 11 miles from sea) with sea fishing and a wide range of other watersports available on Skye, (including diving and kayaking).
Wildlife cruises sail from various locations from which you might be able to spot seals, lovable otters, great golden eagles or even rare and mighty sea eagles.

UIG

Set in a sheltered horseshoe-shaped bay on Skye, Uig is a ferry port to the Western Isles and a good base for a walking holiday.

Overlooking the minch, Uig boasts a dramatic landscape and spectacular scenery ranging from the magnificent double waterfall in a deep glen, Fairy Glen, to a number of small lochs and small conical shaped hills to the Norman style tower overlooking the town. Other points of interest include Clach Ard Uige, a relic of an ancient stone circle standing on the hills above Uig, the ruins of a 17th century castle, Caisteal Uisdean, the Piping Memorial sitting at the top of Glenhinnisdal and the Museum of Island Life.

On top of the many places of historical and cultural interest, the area provides a wide variety of walks requiring different level of fitness varying from gentle walks around the village to the waterfalls, along the glens or in the woods to the more strenuous walks requiring a little climbing with the Trotternish Ridge (22 miles), The Quiraing (about 4 miles) and The Storr (about 4 miles) being the most challenging ones.

Caledonian MacBrayne operates scheduled services from Uig to the Western Isles leaving the town twice a day and connecting Uig with Lochmaddy (North Uist) and Tarbert (Harris).