THE MISTY ISLE (Eilean a'Cheo) ISLE OF SKYE

Advantages: Tranquility; breathtaking scenery; friendly islanders
Disadvantages: Wet and windy or Midgies - take your pick!

..."'The Misty Isle' as the Isle of Skye is affectionately known (the Gaelic name is Eilean a' Cheo - pronounced Ellen a Kee-ow) is the largest of the Inner Hebridean Islands. The island lies about a mile off the north-west of Scotland. Grab yourself a map, and if you live in the south of England, move your finger up the map following the coastline, up through the North of England, through the Scottish borders, up, up, up?. Wait! Stop! See, just to the left at the very edge of the coastline in the Highlands of Scotland you will see a tiny place called Kyle of Lochalsh. This is where, up until 1995, you would catch the ferry to the Isle of Skye. Then they built a bridge and tourism dropped dramatically because the tolls were very, very expensive at £5.70 each way. In 2005, the tolls were finally abolished and since then the island has...

Louizalass 17.01.2008 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)

The Misty Isle

Advantages: Stunning landscape, nice towns to visit
Disadvantages: None

...more for young children, and it is quite educational. We continued on to Broadford, further north. From the road we could see the famous Cuillen range of mountains, some of the more challenging Munroes, and we could see the Isle of Scalpay, which lies off Skye?s east coast. Broadford is a small town or large village, with a few shops and, bizarrely, the Skye Serpentarium. I say bizarrely because a snake house just isn?t the kind of tourist attraction I would expect to find on Skye. Anyway, we stopped in Broadford and had a look at a few shops. Skye Jewellery is well worth a look, although it is pricey. They have a lot of locally inspired ranges, all named after parts of the famous island and its mountains ? Blaven, Marsco and Cuillen being examples. But be warned, it isn?t cheap ? I was drawn to plain silver pendants...

eilidhcatriona 16.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)

Life on Skye

Advantages: Lots to see
Disadvantages: Admission charges

...Even with all of today's mod cons like electricity and running water the Isle of Skye can still be quite an inhospitable place. In Gaelic it is known as Eilean Cheo (The Misty Isle) and its winters are amongst the harshest endured anywhere in the British Isles. Despite all of this humans have inhabited Skye for at least the last eight thousand years and over this period these people have adapted to cope with the environment. This way of life, which is unique to the Scottish Highlands, is known as crofting and crofting is still widely practised today. A croft is traditionally a stone built house with a small patch of land around it that was used to grow crops and support a few animals. Typically a croft would have a few sheep, a couple of cows, some hens and even a pig or two. They would cut and dry peat from the land that provided fuel...

micksheff 27.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Skye Museum of Island Life, Isle of Skye

JEWEL OF THE ISLE

Advantages: Gorgeous designer & unusual clothing
Disadvantages: No changing facilities for the disabled

...Famous for its mountainous and breathtaking scenery, The Isle of Skye ? situated off the West coast of Mainland Scotland - is the largest and best known of the Inner Hebrides. Renowned for its natural beauty and therefore a magnate for climbers, artists and photographers, it is perhaps not the first place one would think of to visit for a glorious shopping experience. Seek and ye shall find. The island looks tiny on the map but you'll need your entire holiday and more to discover even a small proportion of some of the area's hidden gems. I'd like to share one such shiny jewel with you. Ragamuffin is situated on the pier in Armadale, Sleat (pronounced 'slate') on the south western peninsula of the island. The little shop (strangely like a sheik's tent, it is actually bigger inside than it appears outside) sits overlooking...

Louizalass 19.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Ragamuffin, Isle of Skye

Limitless Skye!

Advantages: numerous
Disadvantages: its a long drive from the south!

...In February we were lucky enough to spend 3 weeks on the isle of Skye (should have been 2 ½ weeks but we got snowed in)! This review is by no means a comprehensive account of all there is to see and do on the beautiful Isle of Skye, but I have tried to give a taste of what the island is like and have included some of what I think are the highlights. I hope it is helpful to anyone planning a trip to Skye. Some basic information ********************* The Isle of Skye is situated off the north west coast of Scotland and can be reached by either a short ferry crossing from Mallaig (summer time only) or by crossing over the bridge at the Kyle of Lochalsh.We crossed via the toll bridge. The toll is £5.70 per car in the summer (each way) and £4.70 in the winter. Registered disabled drivers who are exempt from paying road tax can cross...

anwar 28.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)

Come Over the sea to skye with me

Advantages: lovely island mountaind birds sea
Disadvantages: ?

...welcoming you in the distance as the ferry comes in to dock. Northeast Skye contains the old man of storr a stone pinnacle over 160 ft high. The largest town in this area is Portree the capital town of Skye, a fishing/ tourist port with a post office a co-op and a few tourist shops, a chemist and other small shops there is also a swimming pool here, cycle hire and pubs restaurants with evening entertainment. 20 miles north of Portree is the Quirang is a wild area of crumbling rock landscape. Northwest Skye has more rugged scenery, castles and lochs. You really need to get a book & map out of the library and research this island thoroughly before you decide which area to stay in. There are hotels, bed and breakfast houses, self-catering cottages and campsites on the island. We stayed in a cottage on the north east coast in a good position...

mumsymary 21.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)

A few of my favourite (Skye) things

Advantages: Scenery; wildlife; getting away from it all
Disadvantages: Dreich if the weather closes in...

...A trip to Skye has become something of an annual pilgrimage for us. Actually, we try and get there a couple of times a year, and after staying in hotel accommodation the first time have discovered the real joy of the island by renting self-catered cottages since then. This way you can choose from almost any spot on the island, and decide whether you really want to be sitting separate from anyone else. I could go on at length about the reasons we love Skye, and keep going back, but I thought here I would just share my five favourite spots and experiences on the island. 1. Elgol Quite simply the best view of the Cuillin range out over the water. This tiny settlement about 10 miles or so from Broadford lies at the bottom of a remarkably steep hill and houses a couple of companies which sail out on wildlife spotting trips, and drop...

blackpuddinonnabike 20.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)

Memories of Skye

Advantages: see review
Disadvantages: see review

...On a recent holiday on the Isle of Skye I spotted a bottle of Isle of Skye blended whisky in the local co-op. I have previously bought Talisker whisky from the Isle of Skye but had never heard of Isle of Skye whisky. As it was on offer for under £11 I decided to buy a bottle. As the name suggests Isle of Skye Scotch whisky originates from Skeabost on the Isle of Skye. However to- day it is produced by Ian MacLeod's distillery in Broxburn, Scotland. It is a blended whisky that has been aged for 8 years. The whisky has a lovely rich amber colour but the real test of any whisky has to be the taste! The first thing to say is that I definitely detected a peaty aroma on opening the bottle and as I don't usually detect any aroma with alcohol it must be quite distinctive! I usually drink whisky with ginger ale but for the purpose of this...

anwar 10.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye Blended Scotch Whisky

Over the sea to Skye

Advantages: Lovely way to arrive
Disadvantages: expensive

...We are frequent visitors to the Isle of Skye and although it is now linked to the mainland by the now free to cross, Skye bridge, we still prefer to arrive by ferry. There is something romantic about travelling ?over the sea to Skye?, that the bridge just can?t deliver. Booking. ******** Booking is essential at all times of the year as the ferry is very small and only has capacity for about 12 cars. I always book by phoning Cal Mac on 0800-66-5000.Alternatively it is very easy to book on line. You will need your vehicle registration number and a credit card. The person?s whose credit card you use must also be travelling, worth knowing if you are paying for a teenage child to go of on his or her own! Once the booking is confirmed you will be given a reference number. You will need this number to collect your tickets from your...

anwar 01.03.2009 (02.03.2009) · Read review
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Review of CalMac Ferry: Mallaig to Almadale-Isle of Skye

Driving in Skye

Advantages: God's own country, stunning, idyllic and empty
Disadvantages: The weather can be capricious

...I last visited Skye more than ten years ago. Back then I was using public transport on rickety old buses across single track roads. Recently I've been lucky enough to get a new car, and Skye has been the benificiary of upgraded roads courtesy of the EU. I thought it was time to bring the two together. Using the aforementioned new roads it is perfectly possible to drive around Skye in a day. Personally I'd recommend taking more time over it, but a whistle-stop tour does at least give you a flavour of the scope and grandeur of the island. I started in the obvious place. The new road bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh dominates the skyline, but its long sweeping modernist curve looks strangely appropriate and leads you across, island hopping on a thin concrete strip. At first the road is straight and relatively flat, giving no warning...

williemeikle 03.09.2002 · Read review
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Review of Isle of Skye (Scotland)