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Convincing my sister that staying on the Isle of Skye is worthwhile....
My sister, brother-in-law and I will be traveling to Scotland the first two weeks of August 2008, with the intention of staying in the Stirling area one week and the Isle of Skye the next, probably in Portree. My sister has been looking at travel books recently and has come to the conclusion that there won't be enough to do on Skye that will make staying there worthwhile. Since our first week was going to be rather busy with attending the Newtonmore Highland Games, traveling into Edinburgh to the Tattoo, spending a day going to the border abbeys, etc., we originally thought the second week could be a slower pace with the emphasis on beautiful scenery, castles and gardens. None of us is into large crowds and such, but now my sister seems to think we'll be bored on Skye. And, yes, I'm looking for good reasons to bolster my argument as to why we should stay there!
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Skye is gorgeous and it is bigger than you think! The people are so warm and welcoming and there are lovely museums to see. Driving around to see Kilt Rock Falls, Flora MacDonald's grave, visiting the pubs, seeing Portree is fabulous and I think you'd appreciate a slower pace. Also, if you fear being bored, remember, the Hebrides are a chain of islands and there are ferries galore to take you to surrounding isles to visit!
Missing Scotland every day....enjoy yourselves. |
Skye is<b>amazing/fabulous</b>. However it really doesn't have that many "sites" like castles, gardens, museums. It more than makes up for that w/ scenery in spades. But unless you are into walking/hiking, you actually may find a week a bit too long. You can use it for a base to see places on the mainland like Plockton, Eilean Donan etc. But travel on Skye is slow so really not the best base for long distance drives.
Maybe consider 3 or 4 days on Skye and 3 days somewhere else - on Mull, or near Inverness, or near Oban/Argyll. Still a very leisurely itinerary. |
We spent 12 days total in Scotland a few years ago, and our 2 days on Skye was one of the highlights. I wish we had spent at least twice that long there.
The beautiful scenery is the main attraction, of course. But the frindly little villages, the hiking, the castles...it's all good! Perhaps some pictures will help you make your case: http://travel.webshots.com/album/160291889LhiXEB |
All the comments are pretty much what I've been thinking, so I'll just have to work harder on my sister....
Mr. Go - thank you for the link to the photos! I can't wait to go back! |
Great photos, Mr. Go! DH and I are thinking about going to Skye this fall, so this thread is well-timed for me. :) Twin, good luck convicing your sister to go there!
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You could manage day trips to the Uists and Harris by ferry. Maybe just pick one and do an overnighter?
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Sheila, I may have mentioned in past posts that my sister is a worrier. If you have something to worry about, you can tell her and she'll worry for you. She's already mentioned that she wants to do some trips on ferries around the islands but she's "worried about being on the North Sea." I told her, Number 1, why worry about something a year in advance, and Number 2, SKYE ISN'T ON THE NORTH SEA! Never a dull moment.... ;)
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I know this is a heckuva'n old post, but while searching for info in Isle of Skye, I found this photo link from mr_go, and they are amazing.
Just thought I'd let any other Scotland-searchers know about it. |
On our recent trip to Scotland (June), we spent 3 days on Skye and enjoyed it very much. No problem with the North Sea.
Check out my website about this trip: http://www.travel.stv77.com/scotland/scotland.htm |
Wow, a blast from the past. Thanks, sheri... we had a ball taking those shots.
Here's our full report from that trip; it's broken out by region: http://www.onelittleworld.com/scotland_1.html Hope that helps. Enjoy your trip! |
And yes, we made it, and we absolutely loved the island! Check out my trip report at http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...sh-holiday.cfm
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oh this is so cool! I also found a local public radio station that I've tuned into a couple of times - you can listen to their streaming broadcast and watch their studio webcam.
http://www.cuillinfm.co.uk/home.htm |
mr_go - As I said before, I'm ready to go back, especially after looking at your photos again!
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Let's go! I can be at O'Hare in less than 30 minutes!
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Don't tempt me..... ;)
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