Old Man of Storr

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Skye

The Isle of Skye (an t-Eilean Sgiathanach in Gaelic) takes its name from the old Norse sky-a, meaning ‘cloud island’, a Viking reference to the often-mist-enshrouded Cuillin Hills. It’s the second-largest of Scotland’s islands, a 50-mile-long patchwork of velvet moors, jagged mountains, sparkling lochs and towering sea cliffs.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Sunrise at Quiraing on the Isle of Skye, Scotland.

    Quiraing

    Trotternish

    Staffin Bay is dominated by the dramatic basalt escarpment of the Quiraing: its impressive land-slipped cliffs and pinnacles constitute one of Skye’s most…

  • Dunvegan Castle

    Dunvegan Castle

    Skye

    Skye’s most famous historic building, and one of its most popular tourist attractions, Dunvegan Castle is the seat of the chief of Clan MacLeod. In…

  • Bright Water Visitor Centre

    Bright Water Visitor Centre

    Skye

    The community-run visitor centre serves as a base for tours of Eilean Ban – the island used as a stepping stone by the Skye Bridge – where Gavin Maxwell …

  • Museum of the Isles

    Museum of the Isles

    Skye

    Just along the road from Armadale pier is the part-ruined Armadale Castle, former seat of Lord MacDonald of Sleat. The neighbouring museum will tell you…

  • Spar Cave

    Spar Cave

    Skye

    Just east of Elgol is the Spar Cave, famously visited by Sir Walter Scott in 1814 and mentioned in his poem 'Lord of the Isles'. The 80m-deep cave is wild…

  • Skye Museum of Island Life

    Skye Museum of Island Life

    Trotternish

    The peat-reek of crofting life in the 18th and 19th centuries is preserved in the thatched cottages, croft houses, barns and farm implements of the Skye…

  • Old Man of Storr

    Old Man of Storr

    Trotternish

    The 50m-high, pot-bellied pinnacle of crumbling basalt known as the Old Man of Storr is prominent above the road 6 miles north of Portree. Walk up to its…

  • Duntulm Castle

    Duntulm Castle

    Trotternish

    Near the tip of the Trotternish Peninsula is the ruined MacDonald fortress of Duntulm Castle, which was abandoned in 1739, reputedly because it was…

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Articles

Latest stories from Skye

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The rocky cliffs at Neist Point catching the late evening light during sunset, with the lighthouse in the distance.

Wildlife & Nature

A (sustainable) Instagrammer’s guide to the Isle of Skye

Oct 9, 2020 • 5 min read

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Go Beyond

Skye and beyond

Beyond Skye
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