Portree is the main town on Skye. Its name comes from the Gaelic Port-an-Righ, which translates as "King's Port" and dates to a visit by King James V, plus a fleet of warships, in 1540, to persuade the island clans to support him. The centre of life in Portree has to be its harbour. This is in a superb natural setting, being surrounded by high ground and cliffs. The peninsula to the south is unflatteringly knows as "The Lump", and once provided a spectacular setting for public hangings on the island. Today the harbour continues to be used by fishing boats, but is also home to other vessels, from pleasure craft to the lifeboat
Portree is a bustling port and a thriving cultural centre, and was also the place where Bonnie Prince Charlie spent his last days in Scotland. Among the attractions of Portree is the Aros Centre which incorporates an exhibition capturing the drama of Skye's history. The centre is also the access point for walks in Portree Forest. Portree is awash with interesting shops and a wide choice of eating places, particularly specialist seafoood restaurants which serve freshly landed local fish and seafood.
The main focus of Portree is Somerled Square, home to the war memorial, some car parking, and most of the bus stops in the town. Much of the shopping is to be found in the roads leading from Somerled Square towards the harbour: and Wentworth Street offers a range of those "interesting but not essential" shops that make any visit worthwhile.
North of Portree is the spectacular scenery of the Trotternish Ridge - wild country dominated by weird and wonderful rock formations such as the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the truly extraordinary pinnacles of the Quiraing. Truelly worth a vist.
True romantics pack their bags and head for Skye and Lochalsh. However, so do a host of enthusiastic climbers, walkers, cyclists, sailors, sightseers, anglers and clan history buffs. Commanding mountains beckon those with a passion for heights at their most dramatic - the jagged Cuillin ridge on Skye and the fearsome Five Sisters of Kintail - offer serious challenges to walkers and climbers alike. From high peaks to deep sounds, Skye's stunning scenery is unrelenting, no more so than at the Quirang on the Trotternish peninsula.
The influence of the sea is also never far away (you are never more than 11 miles from sea) with sea fishing and a wide range of other watersports available on Skye, (including diving and kayaking) Wildlife cruises sail from various locations from which you might be able to spot seals, lovable otters, great golden eagles or even rare and mighty sea eagles.
EDINBANE
Between Portree and Dunvegan the main road sweeps past the leafy village of Edinbane. Edinbane translates as An t-Aodann Bàn in Gaelic, meaning “pale hill face”. The small, but perfectly formed village straddles the river “Abhainn Choishleadar”. Although people lived here before the 1800s, Edinbane was redesigned in 1861 as a sort of highland ‘new town’. The new Edinbane was the brainchild of the wealthy and forward thinking philanthropist Kenneth MacLeod of Greshornish. The Edinbane Pottery is a family run artisan pottery in the middle of Edinbane. They use traditional methods to produce salt glazed, wood fired stoneware and they are happy to tell visitors all about it.
There are A number of hotels offering food and entertainment in the area, including the Edinbane Inn, the Edinbane Lodge and the Greshornish House Hotel.
DUNVEGAN
The small town of Dunvegan on the west coast of the Isle of Skye is best known for Dunvegan Castle.
The castle sprawls on top of a rocky outcrop, sandwiched between the sea and several acres of beautifully maintained gardens. It has been the seat of the Clan MacLeod since the 13th century, but the present fortress dates from the 1840s.
There are regular seal-spotting boat trips out along Loch Dunvegan from the jetty outside the castle as well as longer and less frequent sea cruises to the small islands of Mingay, Isay and Clett.