Skye and the Small Isles - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 270

By ferry From Mallaig, Caledonian MacBrayne ( W 0800
066 5000, W calmac.co.uk) operates regular car ferries
across to Armadale on the Sleat peninsula (Mon-Sat 8
daily, Sun 4-6 daily; 30min). In addition, a tiny community-
run car ferry ( T 01599 522313, W skyeferry.co.uk) hops
across to Kylerhea from Glenelg, south of Kyle of Lochalsh
(Easter to mid-Oct daily 10am-6pm every 15min; 5min).
By train and ferry or bus Mallaig (departure point for
ferries to Skye - see p.224) is served by direct trains from
Fort William (4-5 daily; 1hr 20min) and Glasgow Queen St

(Mon-Sat 3 daily, Sun 1 daily; 5hr 10min). There are also
trains from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh (Mon-Sat 3-4
daily, Sun 1-2 daily; 2hr 30min) where you can catch a bus
over the Skye Bridge to Kyleakin (every 45min; 10min) and
up to Portree (1 daily; 1hr 10min).
Moving on to the Western Isles It's 57 miles from
Armadale and 49 miles from Kyleakin to Uig, from where
ferries leave for Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on
North Uist.

5

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMAT ION
By bus Bus services peter out in more remote areas and
don't run on Sundays. Skye Dayrider tickets for unlimited
one-day travel cost £8.

Tourist information The best tourist o ce on the
island is at Portree (see p.280). A useful website about
the island is W skye.co.uk.

The Sleat peninsula
Thanks to the CalMac ferry from Mallaig to ARMADALE , many people's introduction
to Skye is the Sleat (pronounced “Slate”) peninsula at the southern tip of the island.
The irony is that it's unlike almost anywhere else hereabouts - an uncharacteristically
fertile area branded “The Garden of Skye”.

Clan Donald Skye
On A851 • Late March to Oct daily 9.30am-5.30pm, gardens year-round same hours or till dusk • £7.50 • T 01471 844305, W clandonald.com
Branded as Clan Donald Skye on account of its former inhabitants, Armadale Castle , a
mile north of the ferry terminal, is the shell of the neo-Gothic seat of the MacDonald
clan - the laird moved into the gardeners' cottage when the kelp fertilizer market
collapsed in the 1920s. Intended as an account of the clan, its modern Museum of the
Isles is actually more interesting for its perspectives on Highland history, with sections
on the Jacobite period and its aftermath, featuring Bonnie Prince Charlie keepsakes
such as his shoe buckles worn in battle at Culloden and a couple of cannonballs fired
at the castle by HMS Dartmouth , sent by William III. Just as appealing is the castle's
forty-acre wooded garden .

Isleornsay
Having retired as Skye's main fishing port, ISLEORNSAY (Eilean Iarmain), six miles
north of Armadale, is these days just a pretty, secluded village. Come for views: out
across the bay to a necklace of seaweed-encrusted rocks and the tidal Isle of Ornsay ,
and behind it all a panorama of peaks on the mainland.

The west coast of Sleat
A single-track road loops of the A851 to access the wilder west coast of Sleat. Turning
at Kilbeg, you ascend over moorland then arrive finally into TARSKAVAIG , scattered
behind a little beach. Further up the coast, the stony beach at TOKAVAIG is overlooked
by ruined Dunscaith Castle and enjoys views over the Cuillin range - this, and
neighbouring ORD , with a sandy beach, offer a superb panorama of the mountains
(if the weather plays ball).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE THE SLEAT PENINSULA

By ferry Reservations are recommended in peak season
( W 0800 066 5000, W calmac.co.uk) for the Mallaig-
Armadale crossing (Mon-Sat 8 daily, Sun 4-6 daily; 30min).
By bus All bus services from/to Armadale are via Broadford.

Destinations Broadford (Mon-Fri 5 daily, Sat 2 daily; 30min);
Portree (Mon-Fri 2 daily; 1hr 20min); Sligachan (Mon-Fri
2 daily; 1hr).