Short walks on Skye
Four kilometres or less, most of them under two hours, and several you could do between one shower and the next. Useful when the morning has gone on the road from Kyle, or when the forecast only offers you a window. Short is not always easy — a few of these climb hard for their length, and the notes say which.
Conditions as of 20 September 2026, 21:50 (Europe/London).
Old Man of Storr hill not safe
The rock pinnacle everyone comes to Skye for, a steep hour above Loch Leathan.
Not safe on the tops — 50 mph up there, and they'll be in cloud
Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls viewpoint breezy
A waterfall off a basalt cliff straight into the sea, a hundred metres from the car park.
Blustery
Brothers' Point walk not safe
A short, sharp headland below the Trotternish cliffs, with a chapel site and big sea views.
Not safe on the tops — 50 mph up there, and they'll be in cloud
Fairy Glen, Uig walk good
Miniature green cones and hollows above Uig — twenty minutes' wander, odd and lovely.
Light winds
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.
Light winds
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
Neist Point lighthouse walk not safe
Steps down to the westernmost lighthouse on Skye, with the Outer Hebrides on the horizon.
Not safe on the tops — 50 mph up there, and they'll be in cloud
Coral Beach, Claigan beach good
Crushed white shell sand and turquoise water north of Dunvegan. Flat, easy, good with children.
Light winds
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 breezy
A 2,000-year-old drystone tower ten minutes above the A863, looking over Loch Bracadale.
Blustery
Fairy Pools walk good
Clear blue plunge pools and small falls in the glen under the Cuillin. Short and very popular.
Light winds
Sligachan old bridge viewpoint good
The classic Cuillin photograph, from a three-arch bridge at the head of the glen. Pub alongside.
The tops will be in cloud
Talisker Bay beach breezy
Black and white sand under a waterfall and a sea stack, at the end of a track from Talisker.
Blustery
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
Elgol harbour & the Coruisk boat place breezy
A small boat from Elgol pier into the heart of the Cuillin, with seals on the way in.
Blustery
Torrin & Loch Slapin viewpoint viewpoint good
The best roadside view of Bla Bheinn there is, across a tidal loch. Cafe in the village.
The tops will be in cloud
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
Kylerhea otter hide viewpoint good
A roofed hide above the narrows where otters fish. Bring binoculars and be prepared to wait.
Light winds
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.
The tops will be in cloud