Another early start out of Fort William put us into a light rain storm. The plan for today was to drive to the Isle of Skye, where we would spend two nights in Portree, and use it as a base for exploring the island. It is not a big town, but is the largest and has the most services. It is also a popular destination when exploring the Scottish Isles, and with limited hotels available you should plan to book Portree early.
Our route would take us east from Fort William along the A830 to Mallaig, where we would catch a ferry to Skye. From the ferry we followed A851 to A87 north to Old Man of Storr, and from there back south to Portree.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jRqJYeC7FTyj6JoF7
Total driving time is 3.5 hours with 2 hikes and break for the ferry.
Glenfinnan Viaduct
This viaduct was built in the beginning of the 20th century along a line that connects Fort William with Mallaig. The Jacobite steam train runs back and forth a few times a day and is primarily used as a tourist train now. Most people will recognize the viaduct from the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and many follow the train schedule to arrive as the steam train crosses. To watch the train, check the Jacobite schedule for its Fort William departure. It should cross the viaduct approximately 40-45 minutes after departure. Expect large crowds and limited parking, so arrive early. It can also be a challenge to line up the viewing timing with the schedule for the Mallaig ferry. But the viaduct is worth visiting even if you aren’t able to make the daily trainspotting event.
The trail from the parking lot to the overlook is less than a mile each way. You can find details here.
A short walk on the other side of the A830 takes you to the Glenfinnan Monument and a view of Loch Shiel.
Mallaig Ferry
The Glenfinnan parking lot and hiking trails were nearly empty for us, but leaving the Glenfinnan parking lot was a challenge. The train was due to arrive in about an hour and so we were stuck among the incoming traffic, circling the lot for a space. As much as we would have loved to watch the train, the crowds and traffic would have made it difficult to subsequently catch the ferry. So we continued on eastward along the near empty A830 to Mallaig and left the swelling crowd behind.
The ferry from Mallaig to Armadale can be booked here: https://www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/mallaig-armadale
We arrived about 30 minutes before boarding, queued the car and walked downtown to find food. The local CoOp grocery store is a couple of blocks from the ferry port and provided all we needed for an onboard picnic. It had taken 2.5 hours from the time we left Fort William to arrive at the Mallaig Ferry Terminal, including hiking time. I had underestimated the timing a bit, but fortunately we left early which gave us a large time buffer.
Isle of Skye
The ferry drops you off in the town of Armandale, in the very southern end of the Island. From there it is an hour drive to Portree plus another 20 minutes to the Old Man of Storr. It is a scenic drive with plenty of opportunities to pull off and take a photo. A couple of them are marked on the map.
Old Man of Storr
At 3.4 miles and 1171 foot elevation gain, the second hike of the day is a much more significant hike than the Glenfinnan one in the morning. We arrived at the parking lot around 2pm to find it crowded. But it is a decent sized lot and we were able to find an open spot without too much trouble. The trail was also busy, but the crowds thinned as we made our way further upwards.
In total, we spent about 2 hours here, including many stops for photos and a long break at the top. The route can be found here.
Portree
By 4pm we were back in the car returning to Portree, where we would check in to our hotel. Because we were staying two nights, I had initially tried to book an apartment where we could do laundry and some light cooking. But, in spite of booking very early, apartments were difficult to find. So we packed extra clothing, and booked The Royal Hotel where we had a large, very comfortable room in an excellent location downtown. Our first laundry day would instead be in Inverness in a few days.
If you plan to eat dinner in Portree during the peak season, consider going early or making advanced reservations. The first evening we ended up at a small fish and chips place, creatively named Fish & Chips, down on Quay Street next door to The Lower Deck Seafood. It’s a small take out with only a counter and no seating, and sells, by far, the best fish and chips we had on the trip. There is no place to sit though, so we sat on top of the seawall out front, watched the boats and ate fish. The following night we managed to make a reservation and had a nice a nice sit down meal with a waiter and a table cloth. But the fish and chips on the seawall in Portree was still the most memorable meal of our trip.
Notes
The Fairy Pools are a popular destination on Skye, and our initial plan was to head there first (https://maps.app.goo.gl/fUXttmjFJZaEREn1A) and then hike Storr the following day. But we already had quite a bit planned for the following day, and including Storr was too much. After some research and comparison between Fairy Pools, Old Man of Storr and The Quiraing, we determine that Fairy Pools was the lowest priority of the three. The hike up Storr was absolutely stunning, and the hikes the following day were amazing as well. So I feel we made the absolute best decision in this regard.
Another optional stop we removed was the castle in Armadale. This castle is a very short distance from the ferry and requires no detour. Much of the castle is destroyed, but the grounds do appear well maintained. We decided to skip this though as we would have plenty of castles to visit later in the trip.
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