Four of us will be staying in Ardvasar in late May, and plan on driving to northern Skye at some point that week. We have a self-catering rental in Ardvasar, but are thinking of staying over one night north of Portree so that we can take our time and not drive back to the peninsula late in the day. I know the days are long in late May, but still....

We'd like to avoid making reservations in advance since the day we head north will be (we hope) based on good weather, but what are the chances nothing will be available at that time of year? I know the weekend we arrive is a bank holiday, so I wasn't sure if places will be fully booked or not. We like guest houses and B&B's and are fairly laid back about where we stay, as long as it's clean. The last time we were in Scotland was August and it became necessary to stay somewhere in central Scotland (our car broke down near Inverness and we couldn't make it to Glasgow, where we had reservations, and had to get a replacement car rental at Inverness airport - it was a l-o-n-g day....), I called the local TI late in the afternoon and was directed to a lovely B&B in Perth.

Late May is a Bank Holiday - so yes things will be FULLY booked. You not only would need to book well ahead (like this month) -- there may be a two or three night minimum.

Ardvasar is at the very southern end of the island and is convenient only to the Sleat Peninsula really, so you will be a very long drive from most parts. You more than likely would want more than one day to explore the northern parts of the Isle.

Thanks, Janis, for the information! I was able to make reservations for one night (we'll just have to take our chances regarding the weather!) at Garybuie B&B near Uig - the reviews are great and the price is very reasonable.

I love the Sleat Penisula. Most visitors to Skye drive pas the Sleat Peninsula heading for all the popular areas and IMO missing some of Skye’s most beautiful scenery and a couple of great sites. I have stayed at the Ardvasar Hotel as well as Eilean Iarmain, the Duisdale and the Torkavaig. All are excellent hotels. You can do a circular route around Skye if you leave early enough and don’t try to fit in all the usual sites. If staying near Uig you should be absolutely fine.

Oh -- to clarify -- I love the Sleat area. So much terrific scenery. But driving around to other parts of Skye will be VERY time consuming. If you are staying one night up near Uig and get an early start the morning you head that way it will give the best part of two days to explore. Not enough but a LOT better than trying to cover the rest of the island in a single day trip.