Trip Report: Isle of Skye, Scotland
On our first day in the Highlands, we had a very long drive to the tip of Isle of Skye - Uig! We had plenty of activities and pit stops to keep us entertained along the way!!
If you need to learn more about our planning, head over to this post!
Our Inverness AirBnB
Unlike a normal Scottish BnB, this one did not have a lovely host to serve us a warm Scottish breakfast. This is the same English breakfast, but we weren’t in England! Thus, we had a cold breakfast in a cold kitchen. While it helped us get out of there earlier, we wanted fresh hot food!
Not a Normal Rental
Thanks to my quick thinking, I had our rental car pick us up at our BnB rather than taking a taxi. Saving money in little ways! Rather than a large rental chain (none of the cheap car rental companies operate this far north!), we opted for a family owned business in Arnold Clark. Once we saw the name, we knew we had seen this car sticker on many cars on our last trip here!
Not only were we provided with fantastic service and a new baby blue Kia, our agent told us about the family business! To make our day, he even recommended a few restaurants, picture points, and a whisky bar! Not only were we excited to begin our Isle of Skye road trip, we were very happy with Arnold Clark!
Photo Pit Stop
Throughout our road trip, we made plenty of photo pit stops! The surrounding countryside was mesmerizing and the natural beauty was breathtaking! Plus, I knew we had a long road trip ahead of us so I wanted several breaks!
One of the planned photo pit stops was the famous Eileen Castle viewpoint, located on a hill compared to the enchanting castle. Easily, for almost an hour, we stayed here and took pictures and gazed at the surreal beauty of it all! In the end, I believe we captured some great photos!
Quick Trip to the Sea – Plockton
Welcome to Plockton
One of the key highlights in this area is the small fishing village of Plockton. During high tide, the pictures are amazing as the sea reflects on small fishing houses. During low tide, it is a bunch of mud… Guess what tide we saw?? Low tide of course! Obviously, this is not the only great thing about Plockton. It is one of the few towns in Scotland with warm or coastal temperatures and has palm trees. For a native Floridian, I am very confused how it survives in this environment!
The (Plockton) Shores
While the scenery is considered one of the jewels of Highlands, we found another hidden jewel in Plockton Shores! On the shore, it is a cute, low-key café or diner. Unsurprisingly, we were starving and looking for fresh seafood and home cooking! Well, we certainly had that! For our appetiser, we ordered fresh Shelton crab stuffed in an avocado that still makes my mouth water! Everything melted in my mouth! We then split the pan fried hak with capers and mash potatoes and the hake was incredibly fresh. We later confimed it was this morning’s catch! It was very tasty!
More importantly, the café had fresh baked goods! I struggled to pick which tasty dessert to try! Thankfully I can “help MF decide” what she wants so she ordered the wonderful Victoria sponge cake and I had the chocolate fudge brownie. Wow, both were excellent choices and I debated staying in Plockton just for dinner!
Zoom, zoom, zoom
From Plockton to our B&B in Uig, it was quite a drive with no “easy” pit stops especially since I wanted to see local sights in Uig! Plus, we had to leave other things to do and see on our way back! It is an easy 1.5 hours, but it does get interesting as it curved through the Lochs and lakes. We thoroughly enjoyed our road trip!
The BEST B&B
Not even lying, one of my parent’s highlights of their Scotland trip was their visit and stay at the Cuil Lodge Bed & Breakfast. They quoted that our hosts, Sandy and Margaret would be absolutely amazing and one of a kind. As we pulled into the driveway, I can easily see why they thought this would be the case! The B&B sits less than 50 feet from the water and has a stunning view of the seaside village of Uig.
Once we stepped into their lovely home, we could instantly feel the warmth and cosiness from the surprisingly cold winter spring. They offered us fresh homemade cookies and offered us a cuppa! We were already falling in love!
Exploring the Quiraing
After our cuppa and homemade cookies, I wanted to explore the Quiraing while we still had energy. On the other hand, Mary Frances thought it was a great opportunity to nap! Our B&B owners thought she had left something behind in the room but she only was trying to catch some Zs!
Welcome to the Quiraing!
At the Quiraing, the landscape is a beautiful, green cliffside with a tiny road weaving through the hills. The hike is spectacular as the unique landmarks such as “the Prison” or “the Needle.” Because I was on a solo hike, I did not want to spend too much time at one place in order to have enough time to beat my hunger and cold! However, the amazing views kept me there as I could not take my eyes off of the serene beauty!
Classic Scottish Pub Dinner
Because we were in a small village at the tip of Isle of Skye, safe to say there are not many options for dinner! Thus, we chose the Uig Hotel and pub. Located a short stroll from our B&B, we enjoyed the “stroll” which felt more like a small hike for us city-folk! To start, we had a lovely cheddar onion pastry that made us feel unhealthy. Next, we had the classic fish and chips and finished with a bowl of ice cream to celebrate our successes! Before we realized, the glorious sun set at 9:30pm and we still had to walk back to our B&B!
Being a Scottish Local
For our lone day in the Isle of Skye, we had an action packed day touring the best of the best, while ensuring we would get much needed rest and recovery!
Breakfast from Heaven
Ahead of our visit, my parents warned me not to fall in love with the breakfast served at the Cuil Lodge because it would only lead to heartbreak once we left. As we entered the dining room, I instantly knew that I was in trouble. The table set-up alone was very tasteful! However, that did nothing to the amazing meal. For today’s breakfast, we had a small homemade granola sundae with an amazing scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. Wow, hands down one of the best breakfasts!
Highlander Pottery
For our first stop, we visited a local pottery shop called Edinbane recommended by Sandy. Because we are in a relatively temporary situation, we do not have a lot of fancy things, including pottery, despite MF’s desire for them! A lot of the designs were innovative and extremely pretty. MF enjoyed herself and we treated ourselves to two small pieces - a coffee cup for MF and a whisky taster for me!
SkyeSkyns Tannery
To continue with our local artisan tour, we stopped at a really awesome tannery, SkyeSkyns, one of the two remaining in the entire UK! Not only did we witness history, we also learned a ton of information on the historic and ancient traditions!
Producing about 50 skins a week, SkyeSkyns is vastly outperformed by China’s current going rate at 30,000 per day! However, what they don’t make up with quantity, they definitely make it up in superb quality! Unlike other places, the shop only uses lambs or sheep that were killed for food rather than for their skin. Thus, we felt much better being here!
To make your own pelt, it is incredibly difficult especially as it is done mostly by hand. In the beginning, the pelts are washed several times to rid of the dirt and grime. Then, strangely, the pelt is pickled in salt water. Once it is pickled for awhile, it is soaked in vegetable tanning solution. For the final steps, the pelt is dried out, smoothed, combed and iron many times to perfection.
Because the tour was so good, we sponsored the local economy and purchased our own little rug!
Neist Point Lighthouse
At first, when I mentioned we would be going on a hike, MF did not want to go! However, Neist Point is hardly a hike since the path is clearly defined and is a sidewalk! However, I did not realize there would be two massive “hills” that I would pay for later - both in terms of tiredness and MF’s wrath.
Regardless, we had amazing views on this sunny day. While the lighthouse offers a scenic backdrop, the surrounding cliffs and even the hike are equally beautiful! Either we did not want to hike back to the car or we enjoyed the views, we stayed for quite some time near or around the lighthouse. It was simply perfect!
Photo Tip: For the magazine photos, from the parking lot, head in the opposite direction of the lighthouse and up the cliff!
Old School House
Because we were near Neist and did not have much else to explore, one of the best restaurants in the area is the Old School House. It is another Sandy recommendation! Located in an old school house (as the name implies!), one of our favorite lunches! With the amazing decor, we sat in our desks and enjoyed a tasty steak sandwich with onions and chips!
The Bog Myrtle Cafe
For an afternoon treat, we wanted to stop at another Sandy recommendation for dessert and coffee! Situated on a beautiful roadside position, we had terrific views while enjoying tasty treats! Because of our busy morning, we wanted something a bit more relaxing now!
Tea Time at the Cuil Lodge
Similar to our first day, we arrived back at the B&B just in time for tea! Then again, tea time is anytime in Scotland and the UK! We had some time planning our next adventure while enjoying the amazing views from the B&B. I think Sandy and Maragret were really confused that we didn't want to explore anything but we loved our slow time at B&B.
Quick Skye Highlights
For our final morning, we did a top highlights tour of the isle and managed to see it all before we left!
Final Tasty Breakfast
Sadly, all good things must come to an end… By far, this is a top breakfast for me! I ordered my usual - a scrambled egg and smoked salmon on a toasted bagel. By oh my, it is tasty! MF enjoyed her “English breakfast without everything” i.e. scrambled eggs with two extra sausages! During our meal, I mentioned that my parents had been here about 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. Of course, Sandy remembered my mom from Facebook while Maragret remembered my dad for strangely request hot sauce for his breakfast.
Where the Fairies Live
Located just outside Uig, or a short walk from the Cuil Lodge, is the magically Fairy Glen. As we drove there from the Cuil Lodge, I cannot believe Sandy recommended it as a walk! Initially, we were one of three cars thanks to our prime position and we weren’t really sure if we were in the right location.
Fairy Glen is unlike anything we cold have imagined. Steep with legends and magically tales, Fairy Glen consists of lots of little mounds (or hills) and is a tiny fairy wonderland. In reality, compared to the postcards, Fairy Glen is extremely tiny! We had a good laugh on that!
Photo Tip: For the best vantage points, head to the hills and wander through the hilltops to get the best photos! Be wary as it can still be cold and windy, but it definitely makes the fairy glen come alive!
Quick Scottish Hits
Because the infamous Scottish weather interrupted our last morning on the Isle of Skye, we had to quickly see the remaining highlights. Obviously, we wish we had more time but we wanted to go see the Gairloch.
Cool Quraing, part 2
Because the skies were darkening and the clouds looking reckless, we decided to not venture too far into the Quiraing. I wanted MF to at least see the famous landscape before we left! Thus, we went to the beginning of the trail and stopped for loads of pictures! The cloudy skies created a moody backdrop for these lush green landscape. Thankfully we grabbed all of our pictures before the skies opened!
Kilt Rock
Resembling a kilt, this seaside cliff has rock formations with a giant waterfall that also contains a pattern! During the sunshine, I am sure you can view the kilt pattern. With our current almost stormy weather, it was just windy and cold. We did get great quick photos and headed out!
Old Man of Storr
Located a short distance from the Kilt Rock, we stopped by the famous Old Man of Storr. It is a singular rock formation in the middle of a barren, rocky landscape. Unfortunately, not only were there no cars, it started pouring down rain! Not only does MF not like hiking, the thought of hiking in the rain does not suit her! Plus, I didn’t want to get wet! Thus, we opted for pictures from the comfort of our dry and warm car...
A Tasting to Remember at Seumas Bar
When we picked up our car at Arnold Clark, the clerk recommended Seumas Bar for a nice pub lunch, including one of the finest whisky collections in all of Scotland. With over 400 special bottles of Scotland’s finest, no one can go wrong here! When we walked into the pub, it is great!
Just wow...
Travel Tip: When one drives onto the Isle, you cannot miss Seuman Bar as it is literally the only building and restaurant for a very long time!
Whisky Tasting
Because I am a relative beginner and I do not enjoy smoky or peaty whiskies, I chose the highlight fling tasty made primarily of single malt and the more high profile whiskies.
12 yo Aberfedly: Easy and light
12 yo Dalmore: Good, but mild
14 yo Oban: Smoky, yet still mild
17yo Old Pulteney: Little smoky, but finishes like honey
And the winner is.... 17 year old Old Pulteney! It was incredibly tasty!
The UnChartered Summary
Exploring the Isle of Skye was one of the best choices and we wish we had extended it! With the varying surreal landscapes, Skye offers an unique experience. In addition, if you plan it correctly, it can be one of the best trips of your life!
- If you go to Scotland, you need to just go straight to Isle of Skye, the small village of Uig, and stay at the Cuil Lodge. You will thank me later!!
- Not only did we receive fantastic breakfast, Sandy gave excellent recommendations from pottery to tannery to tasty restaurants and cafes
- If you want an easier walk, Neist Point and Quiraing are definitely worth the visit!
- Stop at the Seuman’s Bar for a whisky tasting! With 400 bottles, there are plenty of choices if you want an individual glass or a whisky tasting.