Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
that could hold 2.2L of claret. Upholding the family tradition, in 1956, John MacLeod -
the 29th chief, who died in 2007 - downed the contents in one minute and 57 seconds
'without setting down or falling down'.
From the end of the minor road beyond Dunvegan Castle entrance, an easy 1-mile walk
leads to the
Coral Beaches
- a pair of blindingly white beaches composed of the bleached
exoskeletons of coralline algae known as
maerl
.
On the way to Dunvegan from Portree you'll pass
Edinbane Pottery
(
01470-582234;
www.edinbane-pottery.co.uk
;
9am-6pm daily Easter-Oct, closed Sat &
Sun Nov-Easter)
, one of the island's original craft workshops, established in 1971, where
you can watch potters at work creating beautiful and colourful stoneware.
Duirinish & Waternish
The Duirinish peninsula to the west of Dunvegan, and Waternish to the north, boast some
of Skye's most atmospheric hotels and restaurants, plus an eclectic range of artists' studi-
os and crafts workshops. Portree tourist office provides a free booklet listing them all.
Sights & Activities
The sparsely populated Duirinish peninsula is dominated by the distinctive flat-topped
peaks of Helabhal Mhor (469m) and Helabhal Bheag (488m), known locally as
Mac
Leod's Tables
. There are some fine walks from Orbost, including the summit of Helabhal
Bheag (allow 3½ hours return) and the 5-mile trail from Orbost to
MacLeod's Maidens
, a
series of pointed sea stacks at the southern tip of the peninsula.
It's worth making the long drive beyond Dunvegan to the west side of the Duirinish
Peninsula to see the spectacular sea cliffs of
Waterstein Head
and to walk down to
Neist
Point lighthouse
with its views to the Outer Hebrides.
Sleeping & Eating
CAFE
Red Roof Caf飣
(
01470-511766;
www.redroofskye.co.uk
; Glendale; mains £8-10; 11am-5pm Apr-
Oct; )
Tucked away up a glen, a mile off the main road, this restored 250-year-old
byre is a wee haven of home baking and home-grown grub. As well as great coffee and
cake, there are lunch platters (noon to 3pm) of Skye seafood, game or cheese served with
