Staffin IS a pretty spot -- but not a very convenient base for touring Skye. Look at a map -- the island is very long w/ some VERY slow roads.

It actually might be easier to look for a place on the mainland (the bridge is toll free so you can zip across and back for touring the isle). Plockton or the Kyle of Lochalsh <i>might</i> have places available.

To give you some idea Kyle > Sligachan takes about an hour. Staffin > Sligachan is takes a few mins longer. Kyle is farther from the north but much closer to sites towards the southern end of the island - like only about an hour to Elgol.

Just another area you can search.

Plockton is very popular and I doubt if you'll be able to find a place there at this late date. I'd opt for Kyleakin just across the bridge from Lochalsh. If coming from Mallaig/Armadale you'll have even further to go to get to Staffin.

As janisj said, Staffin is not well situated for touring Skye but, personally, I'd favor it over Kyle of Lochalsh. Just depends on whether you want a more convenient location over a prettier spot or a scenic location that means longer driving times. The worst of it is the extra time involved getting to Staffin area from the bridge and/ or from Armadale. Once at Staffin, you can easily do a loop around the Trotternish and catch a number of Skye's best tourist sights.

If you're coming in at Armadale you might have a look at the Ardvasar Hotel www.ardvasar.com. It is just minutes from Armadale, the rooms have wonderful views, and it's just a very pleasant place with a good pub and restaurant. Although not the most popular spot on Skye ( read touristy, if you like ;) ), there are some wonderful places to visit such as Elgol which janisj mentioned. It is one of my favorite areas on Skye and partly because it's less crowded.

Everything historytraveler says is true - but the big problem is you have left things so very late and I'd be very surprised if the Ardvasar Hotel has availability. If it <i>does</i> jump on it!

You only have 1.5 days ON Skye (probably less) so you really do have to take the long drive times into consideration.

Janis - Hi! I'm hoping you're still on tonight! I had a couple places actually say they had availability! I was hoping you could give me your thoughts on which is best location wise!

http://www.theisleofskye.co.uk/

Skeabost House, which is 7 miles outside of Portree in the north of Skye

http://www.skeabosthotel.com/


Thanks!!!!

Still here :)

Ullinish is very remote off a long, winding single track road (there's a hint -- when it says on the website "<i>LONELY AND WILD</i>" ;) )

Skeabost is terrific and closer to more sites -- JUMP in it if they have space . . .

Ok I'm doing it now! I'm so excited! Thank you!

Oh darn! They don't have it available for two nights.

Ullinish it is. If I'm looking at Lonely and Wild correctly it's only 12 miles from Portree right? lol. I hope I'm looking at it right.

Ullinish was new to me but looks terrific. It's going on my short list.;) Too bad about Skeabost as it's a terrific place and more convenient. I'd certainly wouldn't hesitate over Ullinish as you are liable to miss out there too. Remember while 12 miles doesn't seem like much of a distance, on Skye it'll be longer. Still doable and if you want to stay on Skye you'd best book now!

>>Ullinish it is. If I'm looking at Lonely and Wild correctly it's only 12 miles from Portree right?<<

Yes - it is 'only' about 12 miles from Portree. But that 12 miles easily takes 40 minutes or more.

OK -- I just double checked on the AA route planner just to be sure I wasn't being overly pessimistic.

It says 12.6 miles and 34 minutes -- which in 'real life' means 40+ mins.

Lovely location -- just not near <i>anything</i>.

When I stayed on the Isle of Skye I stayed even further north than you are staying, renting a coastguard cottage, but there was a restaurant and bar I walked to every night, for meals, whiskey. I spent all my time on Skye taking walks and hikes with beautiful views. I stayed for a week. The towns are not particularly interesting. I had no interest in visiting a distillery or seeing a Scottish dance show. I did visit a croft house museum -- but that was only because it was on the path of one of my walks.

I got up every morning and took a nice walk with beautiful views, then I ate lunch in a town. After lunch I went for a different walk with beautiful views. Came back to the cottage, showered, walked to bar for a whiskey or a local beer, had dinner, then did the same next day.

I don't know what you want to be "near" other than scenery. If you want to be near sightseeing attractions other than scenery, there are easier places to get to with more sights, I think, without going all the way to Skye. But if you want to see the beautiful scenery and experience the rural life of Skye, you are find staying someplace that isn't in or near a town so long as you can walk to someplace to eat (or else skip the whiskey and beer!)

Unfortunately walks to pubs and museums and restaurants and towns don't really apply to Ullinish since nothing much is closer than several miles. It will be lovely -- but remote. Luckily they serve food on site.

(it is <i>whisky</i> in Scotland - no <B>e</B>)

Super quick off topic. Europcar ok to rent from?

Elisabeth

I am hardly an expert on Scotland but I can admit to touring [some of] it in only 7 nights. You have 5, but want an overview, so with that in mind:

1. First I would get into the habit of using the 24 hour clock so that you don't have to specify if 750 is am or pm for your flight back to Dublin. I'll assume you meant 1950 (7:50 p.m.)

2. I would second others in being wary about being too tight with a schedule after a flight arrival. Flights can be late, or car rental desks slow.

3. I would therefore plan for for your first two nights in Edinburgh.
On the morning of day 3/night 3, pick up the car and drive to the highlands. If you do as we did, you can do a night in Glencoe/Ballachulish, with time for a hike.

I don't think you really have time for Skye at all, or even for the Jacobite train since you would have to do a roundtrip to get back to your car. Rather, drive instead of take the train to Mallaig, stopping to watch the Jacobite train cross the viaduct at Glenfinnan. (You'll have to check schedules but this is possible.) Cross over on the ferry to Skye and do a loop, coming across the bridge back to the mainland and looping back to Dornie and then Glencoe for a second night (night 4).

OR do a daytrip to Inverness from Glencoe, since even in the opinion of yours truly, who tends to be a faster traveler than most, you won't have time to enjoy both.

4. So, where to do your fifth and last night? You will have had a busy daytrip to Skye so you want an easier driving day today.

Drive to Stirling Castle and enjoy the castle, maybe time for the Falkirk wheel and then drop the car and check into an Edinburgh airport hotel.

5. Leave your bags at the airport hotel and enjoy a second day in Edinburgh, although it will be a short day since you have to leave at 16:00 to get back to your hotel, pick up your bags and check into your flight at 19:50.

This leaves you with just 3 reservations to make: your first Edinburgh hotel, a Glencoe hotel or bandb, and the Edinburgh airport hotel on your return. Oh, and the car rental and your flight.

Best of luck.

Good morning! JanisJ - I'm wondering about a couple of places in Edinburgh.

Fa'side Castle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa%27side_Castle

or The Balmoral

https://www.roccofortehotels.com/hot...almoral-hotel/

Nevermind. I rented the car and I booked the Castle. :) I'll be all done once I hear back from the place on Skye.

Thanks again guys! My last thing to do will be to figure out money - Do I get it here or there? and lastly what do I pack?

If they are serving food and drink on site at your lodgings in Ullalish, that is the same set up I had staying in Skye. The coastguard cottages were part of a complex that included a hotel with a restaurant and bar, which I walked to in a few minutes. There were no pubs, and I didn't miss it or need it. Like I said, had I not encountered a museum on one of my scenic walks, unplanned, it wouldn't have mattered. Museums and pubs or "things to do" are not the point of going to Skye. Every kind of tourist attraction on the island exists elsewhere in Scotland, but what doesn't exist is the special natural beauty of Skye, which is best enjoyed away from any manmade amusements. Portree is not a "destination" of any interest compared with the enjoyment of the scenery. Ullalish is the kind of place most people would go looking for in Skye if they were to bother to go all that distance at all.

PS: In case you haven't already made the car rental, Europcar is fine.

Also, I just looked at the link for that place in Ullanish (better correct my earlier typo before the spelling police do), and I think as a honeymoon spot it is very romantic for its seclusion, and what more do you need if they have with a quality restaurant onsite? Should you get rain, I am sure you will enjoy getting cozy there, or, with an umbrella, you can still enjoy a romantic walk outdoors.

Hope the response you get from them is positive, but if not, I wouldn't shy away from booking lodgings in Skye for your honeymoon that are not at the crossroads of tourist attractions. I am sure there people who to go Skye with a list of tourist attractions to see, but for a 2 day stay, the one thing not to miss is the incredibly clean air, the walking paths through the heather, the vistas from the rocky crags --- really, you want to be walking outside as much as weather permits, not driving around looking for things to do. And if it rains, well -- it's your honeymoon!

Have a wonderful time wherever you go. Scotland is delightful.

(Ullanish is also going on my shortlist for a return trip to Skye. I don't see any reason to be negative about it for a romantic visit.)

Arrive Day 1

Spend Day 1 pm and Day 2 in Edinburgh

Day 3 Head to Skye at a leisurely pace via Stirling and Glencoe

Spend Day 4 and 5 on Skye.

Day 6 drive back to airport (assuming you mean 7:50pm departure - if your flight is am then you might need to reconsider and perhaps base in Edinburgh the whole time with day trips out to Glencoe, Trossachs etc by car)

Ullinish (two i's!)

Ah, judging by your incoming flight time my guess is you are flying Air Lingus ,in which case your flight is departing 19:50, not 07:50.

Note that google informs us that both the incoming and departing flights are often delayed by 30 minutes plus, if that is a consideration.

Glad to hear things are shaping up for you.

You will find that one of the best things about visiting Skye is the journey.

Sorry to be so late in replying to your question - our tour was with Donald at Skye Scenic Tours. You can read reviews on TripAdvisor.

Do I need to bring a power converter to charge my cell phone? What do you guys recommend? This is for Scotland and Ireland.

You just need a type G adaptor:
http://www.worldstandards.eu/electri...gs-and-sockets

One place to buy them, cheap:
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/uk-power-adapter

you can buy them anywhere -- Walmart, Target, travel shops, department stores etc etc.


Hard to beat that $1 price though -- unless the RS shipping charges eat up the savings.