8 a.m. Take a trot around the Trotternish
In Portree, grab a specialty coffee (around £4) and breakfast at Birch, a brew-forward cafe, or stop by the award-winning MacKenzie’s Bakery to indulge in Skye sea-salt-and-caramel shortbreads (£3.30). Then drive the Trotternish Peninsula, which hugs Skye’s northeastern coast (under two hours to complete the loop, without stops). From the Storr, one of Scotland’s most picturesque hikes, visitors can see Skye’s most famous rock formation, The Old Man of Storr. The trail takes about two hours, and is of low-to-medium difficulty — but the terrain can be uneven and slippery, so pack shoes with grip. A few miles north of the Storr trailhead and accessible from the road is Rigg Viewpoint, where you can see clear across the Isles of Rona and Raasay to the Scottish mainland.
12 p.m. Enjoy fresh seafood in a low-key digs
Skye’s seafood is top-notch — and some of the island’s best preparations are also its simplest. The Galley in Earlish, on the western side of the Trotternish loop, is a casual spot that serves langoustines caught in Loch Snizort (£23.50) and a salad with locally harvested brown crab (£17.95). There are also takeout staples like burgers and chicken tenders, and a handful of thoughtful vegetarian and vegan options like a spinach and falafel burger (£13). When the weather allows, sit outside and take in dramatic views of the uninhabited Ascrib Islands and the hook-shaped Uig harbor, where ferries bound for the Outer Hebrides come and go.
3 p.m. See the seat of a venerable clan
After lunch, get in the car and curl around Loch Snizort to Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, the ancestral home of the Clan MacLeod, one of Skye’s most influential families (entry to castle and gardens, £17.50). Wander through its historic rooms and tour Jacobite artifacts, including a rare Amen drinking glass engraved with coded symbols of political rebellion, as well as MacCleod family heirlooms like Sir Rory Mor’s drinking horn. (At the castle gift shop, you can procure your own for £65.) The meticulously maintained gardens are a stark contrast to the rugged landscape, and bloom through spring and summer. There are also 25-minute boat trips that leave from the castle jetty to see the local seals (£14; April 1 to September 30).
6 p.m. Dine at Skye’s culinary icon
The Three Chimneys, open since 1985, is a reason many visitors come to Skye. (In 2008, the former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni called the restaurant a “destination in its own right.”) Set in a former crofter’s cottage at the edge of Loch Dunvegan, where saltspray perfumes the air, the restaurant highlights local ingredients provided by foragers, farmers and fishermen from around Skye and Scotland (set menu, £130; vegetarian menu, £100). The meal might include scallops from Sconser, a village in the island’s southeast, and treacle toast; or Highlands-raised hogget — a young sheep — accompanied by local asparagus, wild garlic and potatoes. After dinner, head south for the night to the Sligachan Hotel. It’s about 40 minutes further down the road, but leaves you well-positioned for a Sunday morning adventure.
