We will be on Skye for two weeks at the end of May and beginning of June while my husband attends a meeting at the Gaelic college there. Our boys (who will then be almost 10, and 4 1/2) really enjoy being outdoors, walking, fishing, etc. so I am not worried about them having a good time, and it appeals to me to spend a lot of time mostly in one place, but I would like to make a couple of day trips off Skye as well. The 10-year-old really wants to see Loch Ness, which I think we can do in a long-ish day by car. Any other suggestions? They are really more into the outdoors than anything else (although the 10-year-old is starting to enjoy history too, so I can probably sneak in a castle or two).

Loch Ness won't be that long a day trip - and Urquhart Castle is right on the shore of the Loch. So that will be a "two-fer" Urquhart is not a huge castle so it is a good one for the kids

Then another day you can see the viaduct the kids may have seen in Harry Potter movies and the Glenfinnan monument on your way to Glencoe. Also, just before you get to Ft William enroute to Glencoe you will pass Neptune's staircase. The boys might really like seeing boats going up and down the flight of locks.

Applecross beach is stunning and has huge Red Stags wandering about.

There is a long valley that has a bicycle path for around 10 miles up to hidden lochs - its very safe.It starts at Dornie on the way to Glencoe from the Skye bridge.

If the weather is good you used to be able to hire row boats in Plockton to go out to the small islands in the bay.

Try on on the boat trips out into the sera lochs. Around the island you should be able to see Basking sharks, maybe Orcas, defiitely dolphins and lots of sea otters/seals.

There is of course the most beautiful castle in the world.

http://www.eileandonancastle.com/

You could also take a ferry over to the Isles of Lewis and Harris, or to some of the other Outer Hebrides for wildlife sightings...

You could, actually, if you chose the right day do a three ferry trip from Uig to Tarbert on Harris; from Tarbert to Berneray, and from Lochmaddy on Uist back to Uig.

You wouldn't see much more than the sceneray en route becuase the timings are tight; but I know, I personally would love to do it.

Sheila, I know I would love the "three ferry" trip -- do you think it's an okay way for kids to spend a day?

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I was looking at ferry schedules on the Calmac page yesterday, and noticed this:

http://www.calmac.co.uk/gaelic-rings.html

It's based on the Ring of Kerry in Ireland, and represents a 'ring' of travel around the Hebrides, using both car and ferry... might be an idea