Virtual Tour
1. The Otter Haven at Kylerhea
The Otter Haven is approximately 9 miles from Tir Alainn over a very scenic pass, Bealach Udal. It overlooks the narrows between Skye and the Scottish mainland. A 3 kilometre walk from the car park takes you to an easily accessed hide, from where you can see otters, seals and a wide variety of wading birds.
2. Broadford
Just a 2 mile drive or walk from Tir Alainn, Broadford is well worth a visit. There are plenty of interesting shops (including Skye Jewellery), art galleries and craft shops, a good selection of single malt whiskies at Skye Surprises, as well as books, a launderette and the Co-op supermarket for everyday necessities. A number of interesting boat trips go from the pier throughout the day and you can get a nice cup of coffee at the Fig Tree restaurant, which is next to the post office at the far end of the village.
3. Isleornsay
Isleornsay is about a 10 mile drive from Tir Alainn and is a very pretty little fishing village overlooking the Sound of Sleat. Good food is available at the Eilean Iarmain hotel, where a free Gaelic whisky tasting is available. Next door to the hotel is Floraidh, a high class ladies clothing outlet boasting some original Scottish designs by owner Anne Cheyne. Around the corner from the clothes shop is an art gallery with exhibitions by various local artists held throughout the summer.
4. Armadale
About a 30 minute drive from Tir Alainn is the ferry terminal of Armadale where various boat trips are available to the small islands and the remote glens of western Scotland. Next to the pier is Ragamuffin, selling unusual crafts and expensive knitwear, a small café
and a walk to Seal Island (but make sure you have stout shoes) and other gift shops. Armadale castle gardens are very beautiful and the nearby museum is well worth a visit, especially if you are interested in the Highland Clearances and the recent history of the MacDonald clan. At the Clan Donald centre, the Stables café offers good value meals and coffees etc. A visit to Armadale can be continued with a trip around the beautiful Sleat peninsular to Tarscavaig and Ord, offering magnificent views of the Cuillin mountains. A trip can also be made to Aird for beautiful coastal scenery and good walks. There are also a number of good art galleries that are well worth a visit.
5. Elgol
If you are looking for spectacular coastal scenery there is no need to look any further than the picturesque harbour of Elgol. Situated at the end of the Torrin road it is approximately 20 miles, a 45 minute drive, from Tir Alainn. There are a number of boat trips from Elgol which can take you across Loch Scavaig to Loch Coruisk in the heart of the Cuillin mountains or out to visit some of the smaller isles. The nearby Coruisk House offers high quality dining and there is also a café in the village.
6. Sconser
The Isle of Skye golf club is situated at Sconser, which is about a 20 minute drive from Tir Alainn, and is open to non-residents. Sconser is also the ferry point for trips to the scenic Isle of Raasay.
7. Portree
Portree, the main town on the island, is about a 45 minute drive from Tir Alainn. There are many small businesses selling locally made products ranging from soap to chocolate and paintings to candles and batiks. There is a very good outdoor clothing shop (Island Outdoors) with very friendly and knowledgeable staff. At the Aros centre is a restaurant, a gift shop and a facility for viewing web cams of the nests of nearby birds of prey.
Scenic walks can be enjoyed on the north side of Portree harbour and there is a good selection of pubs, cafés and restaurants. Café Arriba offers a nice range of Mediterranean dishes and caters well for vegetarians.
8. Trotternish Peninsular
Arguably, this offers some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in the British Isles, the list of natural attractions seeming almost endless. A tour of Trotternish starts at Portree and takes the north east road (A855) to Staffin. It passes the sensational rock formations of the Storr, the Kilt Rock waterfall, the Quiraing and Duntulm castle with outstanding views to the Outer Hebrides. Having rounded the northern peninsular the road takes you to the harbour of Uig where ferries cross the Minch to the outer isles. Uig has its own brewery and a pottery where you can see the local craftsman at work.
9. Waternish
Waternish is about an hour's drive from Tir Alainn but well worth the visit. It could easily be tagged on to a visit to Dunvegan or Portree. .It includes a varied selection of craft shops including Skye Skins (where local sheep hides are tanned). There is the oldest pub on Skye at Loch Bay (the Stein Inn) and also a diving centre as well as the excellent Loch Bay seafood restaurant - prior booking is recommended.
10. Dunvegan
Situated near the north western tip of the island Dunvegan is about an hour's drive from Tir Alainn. Its main attraction is the castle, the ancestral home of the clan MacLeod, where you can view the Fairy flag. There are superb views across the loch to MacLeods Tables and it is worth making the small detour to walk to the coral beaches at Claigan. Nestling just under MacLeods Tables is the world famous Three Chimneys restaurant, an experience not to be missed for any aspiring gourmets.
11. Talisker Distillery
No visit to Skye is complete without a visit to Carbost and the Talisker distillery. The distillery tour, which is very reasonably priced and informative, includes a complimentary dram of the "lava of the Cuillin". At the end of the tour some of the cost can be redeemed against a purchase of a bottle of whisky in the distillery shop.
12. Sligachan
Sligachan, a twenty five minute drive from Tir Alainn, is situated midway between Broadford and Portree and is at the junction for the turn off to Dunvegan.
The Sligachan hotel is a refuge for mountaineers and is a good starting point for walks into the Cuillin mountains and down the picturesque Glen Sligachan.
13. Glenbrittle
Glenbrittle is a fifty minute drive from Tir Alainn. It is a lovely bay nestling under the southern end of the black Cuillin mountains. In the summer months the campsite is full of mountaineers venturing into the mountains but they are not all that Glenbrittle has to offer. There is a lovely, scenic coastal walk to the headland point, Rubha Dunan. This walk offers wonderful views to the islands of Rum, Eigg and Canna as well as back to the majestic Cuillin mountains.