Hiking,  Scotland,  Tours

What to See on the Isle of Skye in a Day

October 29, 2017 / 21 Comments

Updated March 25th, 2020

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The Isle of Skye, on Scotland’s northwest coast, is full of breathtaking scenery, dramatic landscapes and the most delicious fresh seafood. A visit to Skye should be added to anyone’s Scotland Itinerary! With only one day it can be hard to decide what to see on the Isle of Skye. Taking an Isle of Skye one day tour is one of the best and easiest ways to explore the island because you get to hear the stories and history behind the scenic places you visit and don’t have to worry about the driving yourself. Whether you go on your own or with a guided tour continue reading to find out what to see on the Isle of Skye in a day. 

Fairy Pools

Fairy Pools

The first stop on our tour was a short hike to the Fairy Pools, the beautiful rock pools. It is a fairly easy walk, except for crossing a couple of streams. Not only is the area known for fairies, but also beautiful landscapes including several waterfalls. In the warmer months you can even swim in the pools.

Lunch in Dunvegan

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Our second stop was lunch in Dunvegan. Dunvegan is a small village known for the Dunvegan Castles & Gardens. During the warmer months you can choose to visit the castle instead of the Neist Point Lighthouse.

Within Dunvegan we could choose where we wanted to eat. I just may have had the best scone of my life at lunch at Blas. After our meal we were running to get back to our tour van on time because we stopped at the bakery for some clotted cream fudge. The fudge was amazing and definitely worth the risk! 

Neist Point Lighthouse

After lunch we continued with another short hike to the Neist Point Lighthouse. The best part about all these hikes was that you could literally go wherever you wanted. There is an outdoor access code in Scotland that allows people to hike almost anywhere they want (but be responsible)! Needless to say you have to be very careful, because there are some steep and abrupt drop offs. The wind could also knock you right over the edge.

It also means you can be up close and personal with the sheep. If I had to guess I would say there are more sheep on the Isle of Skye than people! 

Fairy Glen

Up next was one of my favorite places to visit on the Isle of Skye, Fairy Glen. After hearing about the magical fairy tales that took place here we got to explore the mystical place for ourselves on foot. I wish my words or pictures could truly capture the essence of Fairy Glen. It was like nothing I have seen before.

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls

After that a photo stop at Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock, the most photographed sea cliff on the Isle of Skye. 

Old Man of Storr

Old Man of Storr

To finish the day we had a photo stop at the Old Man of Storr on the Trotternish peninsula. We only had a quick stop to see it in the distance, but I would have loved to spend a couple of hours hiking to the Old Man of Storr. It is a short, but steep hike that can easily be included in your day on the Isle of Skye.  

These are some of the top things to see on the Isle of Skye in one day. Have you been to the Isle of Skye? What else would you add to the list? 

Information on Isle of Skye One Day Tours

As much as I like my freedom to explore at my own pace, it was worth it to take an Isle of Skye day tour.  The group is small enough in size that it doesn’t feel like you are herded around. Most importantly you hear stories all day about the land and get a better sense of the history and geography of the area than you would on your own. At the very least public transportation is not available and you save on the hassle of renting a car and figuring out where to go on your own.

I spent a lot of time comparing the different options and the SkyeBus tour was what I choose based on reviews, the places visited, the time spent, the guide and the amount of walking time. I wanted to actually get out and hike at the places. We were able to walk around/hike for 30 – 60 minutes on three of the stops.

The information below is about our SkyeBus tour, but here are a few more recommendations for Isle of Skye Tours. The Full-Day Isle of Skye Trotternish & Fairy Pools is a similar tour at a slightly lower cost. The Best of Isle of Skye Full-Day Tour is another highly rated tour you may want to consider. In addition to the places listed in this post you are also able to visit the Talisker Distillery and Dunvegan Castle. If you need to save time you can also explore the Isle of Skye with a full day tour from Inverness that visits some of the sights and includes a stop at Loch Ness and Eilean Donan Castle.

Where

Pick-ups from the square in Portree

Company

Real Scottish Journeys – Skye Bus One Day Tour from Portree

Toilets

No toilets at the Fairy Pools. Toilets at the Blas restaurant in Dunvegan, as well as public toilets in the town. No toilets at the lighthouse. We returned to Dunvegan after the light house for another toilet stop. There are public toilets a couple of minutes away from the square in Portree for before or after the tour.

Food

Lunch stop after the fairy pools, a couple of different options available.

Where to Stay

I recommend the Coolin View hotel in Portree where we stayed. It is a cozy guesthouse with lovely views of the water and is in close walking distance to the main town square. A wonderful full Scottish breakfast is served at the restaurant next door.

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