Spend five days exploring the rugged and dramatic mountains, glens and coastline of the beautiful Isle of Skye, the largest island of the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. The walks will be guided by Mark Reid, a highly experienced Mountain Leader, and Ross Christie, a Mountain Leader from Oban with superb knowledge of the history and culture of the Isle of Skye and a fluent Scots Gaelic speaker.

There will be five days of walking with varied routes ranging from sandy beaches and rugged coastal walks, to adventurous mountain hikes to some of the Skye’s famous Munros on the Cuillin mountain ranges or the dramatic escarpment of the Trotternish Ridge with its amazing rock formations of the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing.

Discover adventurous mountain summits, secluded glens, stunning beaches and dramatic coastline on the beautiful Isle of Skye, famed for its wildlife including white-tailed sea eagles, golden eagles, red deer, dolphins, otters, pine martens plus much more.

Explore amazing geology. The oldest rocks on Skye date back almost 3 billion years, whilst there are also Jurassic rocks where dinosaurs once roamed as well as extensive volcanic rocks that extruded when the Atlantic Ocean opened up some 60 million years ago.

• Five fantastic days of guided walks, ranging from adventurous mountain routes to hill, glen and coastal walks.
• Walks guided by knowledgeable and experienced Mountain Leaders.
• Experience the camaraderie of walking on this beautiful Scottish island.
• Sociable evenings in some of Portree’s pubs and restaurants.
• Small group sizes – max. 16 hikers and 2 Mountain Leaders

ISLE OF SKYE, SCOTLAND

This 5-day Isle of Skye Adventure Week will be based from the lovely fishing town of Portree, famed for its colourful harbour-front houses. Here you will find an array of hotels, B&Bs, pubs, Youth Hostel and campsite. Further accommodation is available at Broadford, which is 30 minute drive from Portree, where you will find hotels, B&Bs, hostel and campsite. There are shops, cafes and supermarkets in both locations.

All walks will start from different locations on the Isle of Skye throughout the week. You will need the use of a car whilst on the Isle of Skye as the walk meeting points will be up to 60-minutes driving time of Portree or Broadford, although most journeys will be much shorter than this. Some of the roads on Skye are single track with passing places.

For more information: Isle of Skye Website

HOW TO GET TO THE ISLE OF SKYE

To get to Portree by car, follow the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William and then…

Follow the A830 to Mallaig and then catch the ferry between Mallaig on the mainland and Armadale on the Isle of Skye, from where you follow the A851 and then the A87 to Bradford or Portree – see CalMac Ferries.

From Fort William, continue along the A82 to Invergarry then follow the A87 to the mainland village of Kyle of Lochalsh where the Skye Bridge takes you over to Kyleakin on the Isle of Skye and then on to Broadford or Portree.

Please arrange your own food, travel and accommodation. 

OVERVIEW OF THE WALKS

There will be five days of walking with an array of routes ranging from adventurous mountain hikes to dramatic hill, glen and coastal walks. The walks will vary each day to give you the very best Isle of Skye walking experience.

The walks will be guided by Mark Reid, a highly experienced Mountain Leader, and Ross Christie, a Mountain Leader from Oban with a special interest in Scots Gaelic language and culture. A good level of fitness is required for these walks. The precise routes will be decided each day given the weather forecast, ground conditions and group needs. Having two Mountain Leaders allows flexibility with regards to routes, with the option of a choice of walks if required (such as an ‘adventurous’ option).

On MONDAY we’ll meet at 9:30am at Portree, then on TUESDAY to FRIDAY we’ll meet at different locations throughout the Isle of Skye for the various walks, which will be within a 60-minute drive of Portree or Broadford. All walks will finish between 5pm & 6pm.

The MOUNTAIN WALKS may include iconic Munros, mountains and hills of the Black Cuillin and Red Cuillin mountain ranges of southern Skye such as Sgùrr na Banachdaich (965m), Bruach na Frìthe (958m) or Beinn Dearg Mhòr (731m). We’ll also head to the amazing Trotternish Ridge that forms the backbone of northern Skye, created by an immense ancient landslip where basalt lava flows have slumped eastwards towards the sea, resulting in famous rock formation such as the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. These are remote, rocky and dramatic hills and mountains with amazing views on a clear day. The walks will be demanding full day mountain hikes with steep rocky ground, sustained ascents and descents, rocks, boulders and scree and mountainous terrain. Some sections may be pathless with stretches of open country across rough moorland, bog and rocky mountainous terrain, with stream crossings. There may be some scrambling, with exposed and steep mountainous terrain.

The HILL, GLEN & COASTAL WALKS may include Elgol and Camasunary Bay, Glen Sligachan or Rubha Hunish Lookout coastal walk. These will be full day walks along clifftops and coastlines, beaches and bays, through glens, across moorland, hills and forests with ascents/descents, uneven rocky coastal and hill paths, river/stream crossings, wet/boggy ground and rough terrain in places. Again, some sections may head across rough and pathless terrain.

The above are walk suggestions; the routes will be decided each day given the weather forecast, ground conditions and group needs. 

EVENING: Meet at one of Portree’s pubs or restaurants to recount our day’s adventures (optional).