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Walking the Isle of Skye - Private Group Adventure

Activity

Walking & Trekking

Overview

Explore rugged landscapes, abandoned villages and Fairy Pools on a wild adventure in the Inner Hebrides

Off the west coast of mainland Scotland, the Isle of Skye offers wild walking trails across wind-whipped landscapes and through time-stood-still fishing villages. It’s the star attraction in the Inner Hebrides and for good reason with wonderfully rugged scenery providing a sensational setting for an adventure on foot. For this hiking trip, we are based in the hill-cradled fishing town of Portree, heading out each day to explore a different part of the island led by our expert local guide.

This tour is specially designed as a private departure and can be operated on a date of your choice. Please contact our sales team for prices and more information, or visit our Private Group Adventures page.

Key Information

Trip Code: TEC
Ways to Travel: Guided Group
Countries: United Kingdom
Pace: Moderate walks, leisurely pace; good level of fitness recommended
Five days of guided walking
Terrain: Paths are typically well maintained though in some places rough underfoot

What's Included

All accommodation: 6 Classic nights (hotels)
All breakfasts, three picnic lunches and two dinners
Immersive itinerary with all transport (bus transfers to the walking areas) and listed activities
Expert tour leader to enhance your adventure

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas.

Highlights

Visit the magical Fairy Pools, where hardy souls swim in the frigid waters
Stay in the pretty fishing village of Portree
Discover the dramatic Quiraing landslip on foot
Tour a Scotch whisky distillery with a tasting on the Isle of Raasay

Itinerary

First Destination: Inverness
Next Destination: Inverness

Accommodation:Ardross & Glencairn Guesthouse (or similar)
Meals included:Dinner

Distance:4 km / 2.5 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:9 km / 5.6 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast

Distance:10 km / 6.2 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Distance:17 km / 10.6 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

Distance:7 km / 4.3 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Inverness
Next Destination: Inverness

Our adventure begins in Inverness, the most northerly city in the UK. Perched on the northeast coast of Scotland, it is the cultural hub of the Scottish Highlands and an ideal place for us to begin. If you have free time after checking into the hotel, you may want to explore the old town, home to the 19^th-century Inverness Cathedral and an indoor Victorian market. This evening, there is a welcome meeting and dinner with your tour leader and the rest of the group.

Accommodation:Ardross & Glencairn Guesthouse (or similar)
Meals included:Dinner

We travel to the port town of Mallaig, where we board the ferry for Armadale on Skye (a 45-minute journey). On arrival, we transfer to the Fairy Pools, a magical collection of waterfalls and swimming spots where hardy souls brave the chilly waters – bring your swimwear if you want to test yourself with an icy dip. After exploring the pools, we continue to Portree where we check into our hotel.

Distance:4 km / 2.5 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast

This morning, we travel to Trotternish, the northernmost peninsula on the island, for a circular walk of the Quiraing, an enormous landslip created over millions of years. It is wild, rugged and atmospheric.

Our route passes spectacular rock formations, including two of the most famous in the region, the Prison and the Needle. After, we head to the Fairy Glen (a smaller yet still spectacular version of the Quiraing) to explore this geologically fascinating area at your leisure. We then return to Portree.

Distance:9 km / 5.6 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast

We catch the ferry from Sconser to the Isle of Raasay, arriving at 10.50am where we begin our hike for the day.

Though compact, the island is home to an extraordinary collection of wildlife; you may see white-tailed sea eagles, golden eagles, oystercatchers, guillemots, red deer, dolphins and seals, depending on the weather and time of year.

We end with a tour and tasting at the Raasay Distillery, where they produce single-malt Scotch whisky and gin inspired by the island. After a full day on Raasay, we return by ferry and bus to Portree.

Distance:10 km / 6.2 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

We head south for a circular walk around Suisnish and Boreraig, two villages emptied during the Highland Clearances. In this dark chapter of Scottish history, thousands of families were forcibly driven from their ancestral homes to make way for sheep. The remains of long-abandoned villages can be seen all over the Isle of Skye, but Boreraig is perhaps the most hauntingly beautiful.

Distance:17 km / 10.6 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch

This morning, we head to the magnificent Kilt Rock, a towering sea cliff formed of basalt columns, which resembles a pleated kilt. From here, we head to Duntulm where we begin a circular walk taking in Rubha Hunish, the northernmost point on Skye. On our return journey, we stop for a coffee and cake at an arty café. This afternoon, we have free time in Portree.

Distance:7 km / 4.3 miles
Accommodation:The Rosedale Hotel (or similar)
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast, we travel back to Inverness stopping at Eilean Donan Castle en route. This ancient island fort has become a symbol of the region and marks the meeting point of three lochs. After stopping for photos, we continue and the tour ends at Inverness railway station.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Accommodation

Walking the Isle of Skye – Private Group Adventure

Rosedale Hotel, Skye, and Ardross Glencairn Guesthouse, Inverness

Occupying a trio of old fisherman houses on the working harbour of Portree, the Rosedale Hotel provides an idyllic retreat for our time in Skye. Outside the front door, the waters are navigated by local fishing boats, while the town itself has cafes and restaurants to explore.

Our 17-room traditional hotel has an intimate sea-view restaurant, serving a selection of dishes based on fresh, seasonal, local produce. The rooms are unfussy and homely and all come with complimentary toiletries and tea/coffee-making facilities.

In Inverness, we stay at the Ardross Glencairn Guesthouse, close to the River Ness and only a few minutes’ walk to the city centre.

Essential Information

This trip has been graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

Walking days: Five
Maximum height gained: 2,297ft (700m)
Maximum distance walked: 11mi (17km)

The Isle of Skye is known for its beautiful rugged landscape. The paths used can be narrow at times with a lot of steep steps, and rocky, loose stone sections. So it is important to be confident with your footing.

A good level of fitness is required and it is important to pack for the potential for unpredictable Scottish weather (see packing list).

Key information

Start hotel: Ardross & Glencairn Guesthouse, 19 Ardross St, Inverness, IV3 5NS
Phone: (+44) 1463 232965
Recommended arrival time: Meet at 6pm at the start hotel

Getting to the start hotel

There are trains from London Kings Cross railway station to Inverness railway station approximately every hour. It’s a 20-minute walk or just over a five-minute drive to our start hotel. There are also flights from London Gatwick (LGW) to Inverness Airport (INV). A taxi from the airport to the start hotel takes just over 20 minutes.

Return journey

The tour ends at Inverness railway station, from where you can catch trains to London Kings Cross approximately every hour. As it is quite a long journey, you may like to take the sleeper train. You can also get flights to London Gatwick from Inverness Airport.

If you would like further information on joining this trip or your return journey, please speak to your sales representative.

Scotland

UK passport holders do not need visas for this trip. Other nationalities should check with the relevant embassies.

For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers

United Kingdom

Travellers from the US, Canada, and the EU normally do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom, but do need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (or ETA), which you can apply for at www.gov.uk/eta/apply.

Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

All breakfasts, three picnic lunches and two dinners are included.

At Ardross & Glencairn provide a hot and cold buffet-style breakfast, guests can help themselves to a continental selection and a full cooked breakfast. The Rosedale Hotel provides a continental breakfast with a changing selection of fruit, cereals, pastries, cheese, cold meats etc.

The picnic lunches consist of a sandwich, a piece of cake and fruit.

Dinners are 2 course from a small menu choice.

Rain can fall at any time of year; however, the temperatures typically rise from around 12C (54F) in April to the high 20Cs (around 80F-85F) or above in September. Like most of the UK in recent years, there have been some hotter days in the middle of summer.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.