Sheltered walks on Skye
Wind, not rain, is usually what spoils a day out on Skye: a gust that is merely brisk in the car park is a real problem on a cliff edge. These are the walks in glens, woodland and along the shore, where the ground does not drop away and a gale is only unpleasant. They are the answer on a day the Storr and the Quiraing are out.
Conditions as of 8 November 2026, 19:54 (Europe/London).
Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls viewpoint good
A waterfall off a basalt cliff straight into the sea, a hundred metres from the car park.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Fairy Glen, Uig walk good
Miniature green cones and hollows above Uig — twenty minutes' wander, odd and lovely.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Skye Museum of Island Life place any weather
Seven thatched blackhouses showing how Trotternish actually lived. A good wet-day hour.
Not weather-dependent
Scorrybreac circuit walk good
A one-hour shore loop straight from Portree harbour, under the crags and back into town.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Portree harbour place any weather
Painted houses round a working pier: boat trips, chips, and the island's shops and cafes.
Not weather-dependent
Aros Centre, Portree place any weather
Cinema, exhibition space and a cafe on the edge of Portree — the standard wet-afternoon plan.
Not weather-dependent
Coral Beach, Claigan beach good
Crushed white shell sand and turquoise water north of Dunvegan. Flat, easy, good with children.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Dunvegan Castle & gardens place any weather
The MacLeod seat for 800 years, with formal gardens, a seal boat and a lot of indoors.
Not weather-dependent
Dun Beag broch viewpoint good
A 2,000-year-old drystone tower ten minutes above the A863, looking over Loch Bracadale.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Fairy Pools walk good
Clear blue plunge pools and small falls in the glen under the Cuillin. Short and very popular.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Sligachan old bridge viewpoint good
The classic Cuillin photograph, from a three-arch bridge at the head of the glen. Pub alongside.
Best 09:00–17:00.
Talisker Bay beach good
Black and white sand under a waterfall and a sea stack, at the end of a track from Talisker.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Talisker Distillery, Carbost place any weather
Skye's oldest working distillery, on the shore at Carbost. Book the tour; the bar takes walk-ins.
Not weather-dependent
Camasunary Bay walk good
Over a pass to an empty bay and a bothy, facing the Cuillin across the water.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Boreraig & Suisnish walk good
Two townships cleared in 1853, reached by an old marble railway and a coastal shelf. Sobering.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Elgol harbour & the Coruisk boat place good
A small boat from Elgol pier into the heart of the Cuillin, with seals on the way in.
Best 09:00–17:00.
Torrin & Loch Slapin viewpoint viewpoint good
The best roadside view of Bla Bheinn there is, across a tidal loch. Cafe in the village.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Kinloch Forest & Leitir Fura walk good
Old oak and hazel woodland with a cleared township at the far end — the best shelter on Skye.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Armadale Castle & Museum of the Isles place any weather
A ruined castle, forty acres of gardens and a proper museum of the Lordship of the Isles.
Not weather-dependent
Point of Sleat walk good
A long, lovely walk to the lighthouse at Skye's southern tip, past a hidden sandy beach.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 30 mph.
Kylerhea otter hide viewpoint good
A roofed hide above the narrows where otters fish. Bring binoculars and be prepared to wait.
Good all day: dry, gusts under 35 mph.
Torabhaig Distillery place any weather
Skye's second distillery, in a restored farm steading at Teangue. Small tours, good cafe.
Not weather-dependent
Isle of Raasay Distillery place any weather
Ten minutes from the ferry: tours, a Cuillin view from the bar, and rooms if you miss the boat.
Not weather-dependent
Calum's Road & Brochel Castle viewpoint good
The two-mile road one man built by hand to Arnish, starting at a castle ruin on a rock.
Best 12:00–17:00. Earlier: view in cloud.