Skye’s The limit
Spectacular sea cliffs and mountain views make this an island of towering beauty
A campervanning odyssey around the glorious island.
THE Isle of Skye is a vast expanse of mountains, peaty glens, dramatic cliffs and sea lochs carved out by winding, single-track roads.
One of the best ways to explore the island is by campervan, because you can simply camp up for the night, cook a meal and enjoy the beautiful views as you dine. Taking a campervan from Glasgow, we headed north on the five-hour trip to get to Skye, through Glencoe and to the Kyle of Lochalsh and over the spectacular Skye Bridge to the island.
We decided to head to the Trotternish Peninsula, travelling north via the Old Man of Storr then looping round over the Quiraing and finishing up at Neist Point for sunset.
The Old Man of Storr will be well-known to any sci-fi film fans, recently appearing in the opening scene of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. Its ethereal beauty of towering basalt rock is undeniably otherworldly.
From the Old Man, we continued north to Kilt Rock. The car park gave us a great viewpoint to admire the towering cliffs, with waterfalls pouring down into the Atlantic.
We filled our lungs with bracing, salty air then continued on the Quiraing road. The Quiraing is one of the prettiest views in Scotland, and you feel the inescapable reality of your insignificance when you stand at highest point of the road looking across the vast glen below. Our little camper struggled on the steep, windy roads, but having a cup of tea in the middle of this beautiful wilderness was an experience only a campervan could offer. We were thankful again for our campervan as we arrived at Neist Point at around 8pm. The size of Skye means that if you stay in one place, you’ll no doubt have quite a drive back to your homestead after a day of exploring. There’s no other word for Neist Point, it is simply breathtaking.
It has a Norwegian-like
quality to its towering cliffs and wild, moody air. Mementos of the area’s past pepper the cliffs, with pulleys and old ropes for fishing boats lying forgotten underfoot.
We stayed here for the night and, waking up to the incredible view in the morning and stepping straight out into the fresh air is something even the fanciest of Skye’s hotels couldn’t offer.
An amazing experience that could only be had from pitching up overnight in a campervan.
The next day, in classic Scottish fashion, it poured from dawn to dusk. However, while the heavens opened and did their worst, this gave us the opportunity to visit Dunvegan, the oldest inhabited castle in northern Scotland.
Then it was on to the Giant Angus Macaskill Museum – once home to Scotland’s tallest ever man, at 7ft 8in. And, just to keep out of the rain (honest!) we spent the rest of the afternoon, cosy in a Portree pub, enjoying Skye Craft Beer and Talisker whisky. For the second night of our all too short weekend break, we stayed in Elgol, a tiny village off the beaten track and a real hidden gem – a place where time seems to stand still and cows and sheep have the run of the place.
In the morning, we woke to the sound of waves gently lapping the shore and the sight of a herd of cows coming down from the hills to lick the salt on the rocks and nod a “Good morning” to the children playing in Elgol Primary School. Setting off home from this idyllic scene was difficult, but the journey back through the Highlands, stopping for the occasional cup of tea in our little campervan, made it slightly easier.