Best of Skye In Style
5 Days & 4 Nights- Experience our favourite walks on Skye and take in the island’s cultural highlights
- Cross the iconic Glenfinnan Viaduct on a scenic rail journey from Glasgow to Mallaig
- Enjoy stays in Skye’s best accommodations; from the stylish to the classic
- Take a private guided day tour of Skye, designed exclusively for Macs guests!
- Immerse yourself in the wild landscapes, and sample locally distilled whisky
What To Expect
Trip Style:
Self Guided | Go at your own pace on an independent holiday.
Activity:
Multi Centre Walking | You will spend multiple nights in one or more of the locations on this walking holiday
This trip is suitable for:
Solo Travellers
As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveller this holiday would be suitable for is: 10 Years
Ideal if you have an interest in:
- Wine, Whisky & More...
- Luxury & Unique Stays
- Wildlife
- Historical Journeys
- Coastal & Island
Inspiration:
- Classic
Grade & Terrain
This trip is graded ‘easy to moderate’ overall. You should be in good physical fitness to fully enjoy the walking on this tour. Most of the route follows either gravel or dirt paths and tracks, along with some short stretches on quiet roads.
On your private guided day tour we have allowed time in the schedule for walking at the Fairy Pools and Neist Point (these are entirely optional short walks).
The other walks on the trip are point-to-point from 7-17km. The terrain is undulating, but not especially challenging. There are some stream and small river crossings on the Kilmarie to Sligachan walk (not recommended after or during prolonged rainfall as the stream crossings may be too high to cross), and some sections of narrow paths with steep grassy drop-offs on the Quiraing trail, but neither of these should pose problems for experienced walkers.
Navigation
The route is largely not waymarked and follows a mixture of tracks, and narrow paths (both gravelly and grassy). We provide you with detailed turn-by-turn route notes and maps in our GPS Macs Adventure smartphone app. You can simply download the GPX tracks to your phone for offline use and off you go!
Accommodation Information
4 Nights in 4* hotels; the hotels near Armadale on the Sleat Peninsula are country lodges or small country hotels with restaurants that stand alone in the countryside, whereas the hotels in Portree are located in the bustling town centre.
If you would like to add extra nights to your trip we recommend doing so in Glasgow at the start of your trip. If you’d like to upgrade your room type please ask your Sales Specialist for more information.
We regularly use the below properties but may accommodate you elsewhere if these are not available. However, they will be of a similar standard.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
This trip is available to solo walkers, although there is a supplement due to the fact that some of the costs (such as transfers) are not shared. Single rooms are available on request and a supplement is payable.
Meals
A breakfast will be provided by your accommodation every morning. Usually these are buffet or continental-style, with the option to order a traditional Scottish breakfast from a menu. Dinners are not included, however the hotels on the Sleat Peninsula have their own distinguished restaurants. In Portree you can also eat in your hotel, but there are plenty of alternatives and you might also like to sample Scotland’s renowned fish & chips.
Whisky
Of course the region is also famous for it’s whisky! The isle of Skye now has two distilleries, the Talisker Distillery (established in 1830) and the newer Torabhaig Distillery (established in 2017). On the guided tour of the island you’ll have time to take a tour of the Talisker Distillery if you wish.
- 4 Nights in 4* hotels
- 4 Breakfasts
- Luggage transfers
- Travel from Glasgow to the Sleat Peninsula
- Transfers as listed in the itinerary on day 1, 3 & 4
- West Highland Line rail tickets (standard class)
- Ferry journey from Mallaig to Armadale
- Private guided day tour of Skye
- Information pack, maps, route notes and GPX tracks within our smartphone app
- 24/7 Emergency telephone support
- Travel insurance (required)
- Travel to Glasgow and from Portree
- Lunches & dinners
- Drinks & snacks
- Personal equipment
- Additional nights before, during or after the walk
When To Go
You can begin your holiday on any day of the week except Sundays (due to limited train & ferry timetables) between April and early October.
Portree is a popular overnight stop on Skye and can be busy during the summer season, so if you have any flexibility with your dates please let your Sales Specialist know when you book.
Getting to the Start
The trip begins at Glasgow Queen Street train station—easily accessible from the UK via rail and motorway links. If you’re travelling from Europe, North America or further afield we recommend flying into Glasgow Airport just a short taxi journey from the city centre (20 mins).
The airport has plenty of UK and European links. There are also direct flights available from New York, Orlando, Toronto and Halifax. Otherwise, you can easily connect from other North American airports via Iceland, London or Amsterdam using British Airways, KLM, or a multitude of low budget airlines such as Ryanair or Easyjet.
Getting from the End
From Portree there are frequent onward bus connections to Kyle of Lochalsh (1hr). From here you can connect to Inverness by train and fly to UK airports. Alternatively, to reach Glasgow continue to Fort William by bus then change to the train for your onward journey to Glasgow.
Glasgow and Edinburgh airports provide daily flights to key UK, European and Worldwide destinations.
Baggage Transfer
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight stay. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.
There are a few private taxi transfers included as part of your trip. We have included these for your ease and enjoyment and have booked them for specific times each day but you’re welcome to adjust these based on your requirements where possible.
General Information
The distances and ascent/descents are approximations of the recommended routes. Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
Travel Insurance
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
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