Suggested Tour starting from Portree
Copyright © John McCormack
Tour 9 - Trotternish Peninsula - Isle of Skye
Portree is the largest town on the Isle of Skye and has a picturesque harbour with a number of brightly painted buildings, similar to those in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. The name Portree is from the Gaelic " Port Righ" meaning King's Port and is thought by some to refer to a visit by King James V of Scotland in 1540. However, others believe the derivation may be from the Gaelic "Port Ruighe" which translates as "slope harbour".
Copyright © John McCormack
We head out either from your accommodation or cruise ship terminal to explore the east coast of the Trotternish Peninsula. We stop at The Old man of Storr which is a spectacular area of magnificent pinnacles and basalt rock formations resulting from volcanic activity which took place many millions of years ago. The Old Man is located in The Quiraing, shown in the photo above.
Next, we go to Lealt Falls. This waterfall has a drop of 90 metres down a narrow gorge into the Sound of Raasay, Raasay being the island just to the east of Skye, between Skye and the mainland. There is a viewing platform from which there are good views of the falls and of the Trotternish mountains.
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From Lealt Falls, our next stop is at Kilt Rock where there is another spectacular waterfall which tumbles down a sheer cliff face into the sea, Mealt Falls. So called because it resembles the pleats of a tartan kilt, Kilt Rock comprises tall columns of rock some 90 metres high. The unusual appearance of the rock made it a useful navigational aid for ships before the advent of modern navigational equipment.
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The next part of our tour takes us over the hills to the west side of the Trotternish Peninsula via the top of the Quiraing from which there are panoramic views of the peninsula. En route we visit the magical Fairy Glen, an unusual area of grassy knolls. In Gaelic it is called Bail nan Cnoc, the village in the hills.
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From the Fairy Glen, we reach Uig Bay and then head firstly south and then west, out towards Dunvegan Castle. The castle, first founded in the 13th century, is the seat of the MacLeod of MacLeod, chief of the Clan MacLeod.
Copyright © John McCormack
The photo below shows part of the gardens at Dunvegan Castle.
Copyright © John McCormack
From Dunvegan we return to Portree in time for your ship departure or to your accommodation.
This tour takes around 6 hours but can be extended to include Duntulm Castle and the Museum of Island Life (adding an extra 2 hours to the tour).
