Isles of Skye, Lewis & Harris - Some of Scotland's Best

Coming from Aberdeen, we drove 4.5 hours Northwest through the Highlands to get to Isle of Skye so that we would have or car. You can get to Skye by public transport, but it makes exploring there and timelines much, much more difficult. If ocming from Glasgow or Edinburgh, I highly suggest renting a car either there or taking the train to Skye and and renting there. The roadtrip is a future Pinerary Itinerary. This itinerary focuses solely on these 2 Isles. We have been to Skye in both November and june. Both ofer different experiences and both are incredible. June will be much busier and more expensive, but have better weather.

STAY: We stayed in the Portree Youth Hostel for a budget friendly option, as accommodations on the Isles can be costly and of low supply. They fill up VERY quick, especially for summer months, so book far in advaace. Portree is a great hub for Skye, has many restraunts and shops, and is the most populateda area.

6am: Wake early and grab a meal deal breakfast at the Portree Co-Op (open 6am). It helps to buy snacks and lunch for midday as well, as Skye is sparsely populated and working around meal times can be difficult with weather and timelines. in Skye we started our days by 6 or 7am, as there is so much to see and this can be necessary both times of year.
In Winter: getting up early gives you the most light, as Scotland only gets 6-8 hours of sunlight in the dead of winter.
In Summer: getting up this early helps you beat heavy crowds and parking issues at trailheads.

Sunrise (dependent on time of year):, Old Man of Storr Sunrise Hike. Check the sunrise time and plan to arrive 30-40 minutes beforehand to start your hike. I know its early, but it is worth it! You will be guaranteed parking, and see a killer view. The hike is steep, but short. Bring sturdy shoes and rain gear, as even in the summer - it can rain anytime in Scotland! If you would rather not hike Storr, you can simply drive to it and see its stunning spires from below. If you can hike though, you should, as you will not regret it. Just look at those pictures!

Mid-Morning: Grab a coffee at the Storr Cafe if you need, then head 10 mins up the road to Kilt Rock - an amazing waterfall that falls over the cliff into the ocean. It takes 5-10 minutes to stop there and look. After Kilt Rock continue on to The Quirang - an otherworldy landscape at the top of a ridge that overlooks the Eastern part of Skye This is an INCREDIBLE hike if you have the time. It is about 5 miles round trip, mostly lat with some steep parts, but you can do as much or as little as youd like. If you don't have time, you cansimply park and take a peak at the view. There is a great fod truck here as well!

Afternoon:
If you hiked, this would have taken you 2-3 hours. Grab a rest and some food at the food truck and chill with the view for a bit! However long you hiked, after taking as much rest as you needed, you can head to the Fairy Glen! The Fairy Glen is the cutest little landscape you will ever see that legit looks like it is out of a fairytale. It is a really flat, short walk and you can spend as much or as little time there as you would like.
BEWARE THAT THIS ROAD IS VERY ROUGH, WITH LARGE POTHOLES THE WHOLE WAY. DRIVE CAREFULLY.

By this point, it'll be well into early evening or evening proper. Head back to Portree for dinner or grab dinner in Uig near the Fairy Glen on your way back. Some great dinner options are:
- The Antlers Bar and Grill (they have a great bar)
-Caberfeidh Bar nad Restaurant
- The Isles Inn
-Sea Breezes

Unfortunately in Skye, many restaraunts close fairly early, except the pubs. But still, I would try to eat by 8pm latest.

After a very active day, you will be so tired. Get some good rest! Depending on how much you did today, you can sleep in a bit the next day.

Sleep a little later today if needed, there is a bit less on the docket today if you want it that way!

OPTION: Stay in or near Uig on this evening, as the ferry you will catch the next morning to Lewis and Harris is out of Uig.

8-9am, breakfast at Birch Cafe, Highland Coo Shop, or Cafe Arriba. My personal favorite is Birch Cafe, but all are walkable form the hostel / main square in Portree.

10am- head to the Fairy Pools. Even though you are heading a bit later in the day, you should not encounter too many parking issues. The Fairy Pools are a very popular hike though, so if you want to beat crowds, skip a sit down brekfast and head out with to go breakkie options.

1030/11: Hike the fairy pools. this is a reall easy, low incline hike, and you can make it as much or as little as you want. The Fairy Pools are a large network of interconnected waterfalls and small rivers. You can explore inside them if the water level is low enough, or hike up to the base of the Three Sisters if you'd like. Personally, this was not my favorite Skye hike, but it is one of the most popular.

12/1pm: If you enjoy whiskey, head to Talisker Distillery for a distillery tour or simply to taste some of their whiskeys. Talisker is world famous for heavy peted Scotch. Note: the distillery is not in the actual town of Talisker, and is actually more on your way than the town itself. Spend as much time here for lunch and whiskey as youd like!

3pm: Head up the coast to Niest Point if you have the time and wilingness. It is a bit of a drive, but an amazing view and small hike / walk if you can get there. It looks off to the Outer Hebrides and on a clear day you can see the chain of islands in the distance. It is really worth going if you can. That is where you will be going tomorrow!

OR

If you'd rather not hike again, visit Dunvegan castle on your way back to Uig or Portree. You can easily reach in 35-40 minutes from Dunvegan. Note that there are two Uigs, you are NOT going to the one along Loch Dunvegan. BEWARE that the castle closes at 5pm, so you will need to plan your timeline correclty if you plan to do this. Perhaps start your day a bit earlier!

Head back to Uig post Dunvegan or Niest Point, and settle in for the night. Dinner options there are a little limited, so if you find a restaraunt on your drive, go ahead and pop in. Otherwise, options include:

The Ferry Inn
The Uig Hotel
Attabar

Off to Lewis & Harris!

Take the early morning ferry to Isle of Harris and Lewis from Uig (7am?). Check the times for the time of year you are going and hop on the earliest one. The ferry takes about 1.5 hours and drops you at Talbert, a tiny port town. There are accommodations available there which make for convenient travel, but they are expensive. We opted to stay at the Ravenspoint Hostel, which was fantastic. It sits on a lake, has its own cafe, and is an old house converted to a hostel so it feels like a guesthouse, with only 3 rooms. It is 30 min drive north from Harris in between Harris and Stornoway.

Since you are arriving early, snag breakfast or brunch in Harris right when you get off the ferry. There are a few boutiques, coffee shops, inns, and restaraunts there - as well as the Harris distillery. BEWARE: If you are on L&H on a Sunday, EVERYTHING will be closed except for a few things in Stornoway. Ensure you have food, snacks, water, and enough gas if you plan to be on the Isles on a Sunday. We learned this the hard way!

Since you will have 2 days on Isle of Lewis & Harris, you can struture your days however you want depending on weather, opening times, and day of the week. Here are a fw things we did that we absolutley recommend.

• - Surf! If you are a surfer, or want to learn to surf, and the weather and waves are favorable, hit up Surf Lewis and Harris for rentals and lessons! L&H is famous for surf!

• - Dalmore Beach & Cliff Walk: this was on of our favorite things we did. This beach is STUNNING, has a tiny little village at the bay, and there is a cliff walk you can go on for as long as youd like to view natural rock arches, cliffs, and the coastline. It is stunning, and not a very hard hike.

• - Visit Callanish - there is an ancient stone circle here (A few actually) that you can go visit.

• - Harris Distillery - we did not get to go as they were closed, but it is also very famous for its whiskey and gin!

• - Visit Stornoway, one of the biggest towns / cities on the island. There is a palace there you can visit. They also have an amazing coffee shop there called Beckett & Sons. Amazing coffee and food. As well as most modern ameneties like grocery stores, pubs, hotels, etc.
  -Seilebost & Sgarasta Mhòr Beach, if there is good weather, this beach is absolutely stunning on the south side of Lewis
  -Visit the St Kilda Isles via booked tour. This is very weather and waves dependent, but looks amazing.

• - Isle of Scalpay is visitable by car

• - Visit Rodel, and the old church at the very southern tip of the Isle. There is also a summit hike here.

On these islands, you can literelly make a hike, coastal walk, or beach day out of any area. Both islands are rugged, stunning, and gorgeous almost anywhere you go. The roads are very well kept and easy as well! Be aware of rapidly changing weather and waves, but in many places, the bays are sheltered enough where the waves won't be a danger.

Take the early morning ferry back to Skye, or even fly out of Stornoway early on the morning of the 5th day of the trip. You have just seen some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world!