What preparation do I need to do?
The Skye Trail is a tough, uncompromising route requiring self-reliance, good equipment, navigation skills and previous experience of hillwalking and backpacking. This is an un-waymarked trail – often on pathless ground – passing through some fairly remote areas, and the weather is notoriously unpredictable. However, good preparation can make these challenges part of the attraction, allowing you to reach parts of the island very few people visit, and providing a profound sense of achievement.
When should I walk it?
Unpredictability is the one thing you can be sure of when it comes to Skye weather. However, generally speaking the spring and summer are likely to be the best months for walking on Skye, with early May being popular to avoid the midges. The long daylight hours from June to the end of August make it possible to cover large distances. Accommodation can get booked up in July and August and peak weekends throughout the year. Although not impossible, undertaking the Skye Trail in winter is likely to be extremely challenging given the very short daylight hours, closure of some accommodation and facilities and the probability of winter storms. The wind – with frequent storms – in particular can become a major problem, as well as the possibility of snow and ice on the hills.
Where can I stay?
As one of Scotland’s most popular tourist destinations, the Isle of Skye is bursting with accommodation options. However, in the peak summer months that accommodation can be full to capacity and therefore booking ahead is advisable. It should also be noted that some hostels and B&Bs close for the winter when the island is considerably less busy. The Skye Trail has been designed so that there is access to accommodation from the end of every stage, but it also makes a great backpacking route, with official campsites at Portree, Sligachan and Flodigarry, and innumerable wild camping options for the experienced backpacker. A number of companies are now also offering Skye Trail packages, either as a self-guided walk, with baggage carried for you and accommodation booked, or as a guided walk as part of a group holiday. The Highland Council Ranger Service has also divided the route up into a number of day walks and have offered these as one-off, single-day guided walks in the past – check out the Highland Council website for info (highland. gov.uk). See the Cicerone guidebook for a list of accommodation options available along the route.
What maps do I need?
Harvey Maps has produced a single map for the Skye Trail on waterproof paper. The trail is also covered by 1:25k OS Explorer maps 408 (Trotternish), 410 (Portree), 411 (Cuillin Hills) and 412 (Sleat), or by two 1:50k Landranger maps – 23 (North Skye) and 32 (South Skye). It is also possible to print out the relevant mapping sections from digital mapping programmes or from the Skye Trail website at skyetrail.org.uk (1:25k OS maps available if you register). You can follow a GPS route downloaded from the Skye Trail website or use the device to quickly locate your position, and many people successfully use them regularly as their main means of navigating. However, you still need to be able to read and interpret a map. Spare batteries should be carried and electronic gadgets should not be wholly relied upon as they may break or run out of charge.