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The Isle of Skye is one of Scotland’s most beautiful isles.
From the rocky coastline to the interior mountains, rock formations and waterfalls, there are so many breathtaking places to visit and experience.
You can spend a week here and not experience everything, but I want to concentrate this article on just the northeastern part of the Isle, the Trotternish Loop.
The Trotternish Loop is about 50 miles in length and takes nearly two hours to drive, if you don’t stop along the way.
If you do plan to rent a car and drive through Scotland, read my list of road trip essentials before you go!
The Loop basically follows the coastline around the northeastern finger of the isle and contains some of Skye’s most iconic views.
If you are planning to stay one day or a week on the Isle of Skye, here are the 11 most beautiful places to visit you should make sure not to miss!
Before planning your trip to Scotland, take a look at these Top 10 Tips For Traveling Abroad.
Loch Fada
Portree is Skye’s largest town and capital and most likely you’ll find yourself beginning your drive from here.
Head north on the A855 from Portree and in less than seven miles, at the base of the Old Man of Storr, you’ll find Loch Fada.
Known for its glass-like reflections of the Old Man of Storr, Loch Fada provides visitors with a serene compliment to the craggy Old Man of Storr formation.
The view of the Loch with Old Man Storr in the background is one of the most photographed areas on the Isle of Skye.
Incidently, it also has some of the best trout fishing on the isle as well!
Bride’s Veil Falls
Another stop to make that provides a stunning view of Old Man Storr in the background, is Bride’s Veil Falls.
Bride’s Veil Falls is a quick must see before you get to the car park for Old Man Storr.
You can see the falls from the road but if you climb up to the top of the falls – just a short, quick walk – you can get a stunning picture with Old Man of Storr in the background.
Old Man of Storr
One of the most iconic sights on the Isle of Skye, is the Old Man of Storr.
It’s a rock formation that stands out against the skyline and overlooks the Sound of Raasay.
There are several options if you want to hike to the formation -check out the AllTrails description here.
You’ll find the car park about 7 miles north of Portree and the hike to the bottom of the “Old Man” takes about 45 minutes.
Lealt Falls
About six miles further on you’ll find Lealt Falls.
It’s a quick, easy walk from the car park to the falls.
There are two viewpoints from which to experience the falls.
The first viewpoint you come to you’ll see the two-tiered waterfall with a drop of almost 300 feet.
Further on, you’ll come to the second viewpoint where you’ll see the wide-expanse of the coastline that simply takes your breath away.
Rubha nam Braithrean – Brother’s Point
For our next stop, just 13 miles or so north of Portree in Culnacnoc, is a small road sign to the east that reads Rubha nam Braithrean (Brother’s Point).
Park across the street and begin your two-and-a-half-mile trek out to Brother’s Point.
Such a small, non-descript beginning to what ends up being a spectacular hike that not many people seem to know about.
We visited in early July and we did not see another person the entire two hours or so we spent there.
Just follow the signs and go through two marked gates (be sure to close them securely behind you).
The path is rocky and narrow, so good hiking shoes will make the trip a bit easier.
The path leads you out to the shoreline and is breathtaking.
You can continue the trek along the ridge for a more elevated viewpoint, but we were happy playing along the waterline.
Creag an Fhèilidh – Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls
Continuing on our northerly route, on the east side of the road north of Valtos, you’ll see the sign for Creag an Fhèilidh, or Kilt Rock.
There’s a decent sized parking lot and even a food truck when we were there.
The view here is just magnificent with the incredible 180-foot waterfall known as Mealt Falls and just beyond – Kilt Rock.
We easily spent an hour here just taking it all in and watching the eagles soar along the cliff face.
Staffin Harbor and An Corran Beach
North of Kilt Rock, you’ll see a sign for Staffin Slipway and An Corran Beach.
Take a right and you’ll find yourself on a narrow road that weaves through the trees over the bridge that spans Stenscholl River and down near the beach.
You can stop at An Corran Beach, or continue along the coastal road to the Staffin Harbor Car Park (Staffin Slipway to the locals).
While you’re there, search for dinosaur footprints during low tide!
Ornithopod dinosaur footprints were discovered at An Corran in 2002 and it’s worth a side-trip to check out!
Quiraing
Cutting inland rather than taking the A855 north to the tip of the peninsula, you’ll soon come to the parking area for The Quiraing.
Only two and a half miles from Staffin, the Quiraing is the most spectacular part of the Trotternish Loop.
Leave your car and embark on a four-and-a-half-mile adventure hike through the Quiraing.
I would advise making the trek only in good weather however as the trail can be treacherous in windy or low visibility conditions.
The Quiraing is very popular during tourist season and can get quite busy. If you start out early in the morning you should miss most of the crowd.
Also, most people do the shorter in and out trail, but for the more able-bodied adventurers, I recommend hiking the longer loop trail.
For most hikers it’s just over a three hour trek but make sure you have good hiking boots, layers of clothing and a waterproof jacket as the weather can change quickly and parts of the hike are along exposed areas where the wind can get quite strong.
Some of the most beautiful and iconic images of Skye can be found in the Quiraing and is a definite MUST SEE.
Rha Waterfalls
After The Quiraing, continue heading southwest and you’ll soon come to the town of Uig.
Between Uig and Indrigil where the A855 and A87 meet, you’ll find the double Rha Waterfalls.
Park in the lot next to the Old Police House and before you get to the bridge, you’ll see a break in the wall.
Go through the gap, follow the trail and about 5 minutes later you’ll come to the waterfalls.
Beautiful and well worth taking the time to stop and explore!
Also, if you can handle the water temperature it’s a great place for a swim!
The Fairy Glen
In Uig, just past the Uig Hotel, is a road off the A87 to the east that will take you to the Fairy Glen.
It’s about a five minute drive along a curvy, gravel road and eventually you’ll come to a small parking area for the glen.
The initial trek is steep but short. With a trekking pole and taking your time, it’s not a bad walk.
Once you get up into the glen, you’ll see many beautiful but curious-looking formations that make you think you’ve arrived at the playground of the fairies.
If you’re really up for a steep trek, take a walk up to Castle Ewen.
Castle Ewen is the largest rock formation in the glen that resembles the remains of an ancient castle.
There’s also small streams to explore in the area as well.
We spent a couple of hours here and could have spent much more.
Don’t forget your camera!
Clach Ard – Pictish Symbol Stone
Skye is noted for many things, including its amazing cultural history.
Twenty minutes south of the Rha Waterfalls in Tote, is the Clach Ard Stone.
The stone, with its Pictish symbols is thought to be from the 7th century.
It was part of a doorjamb prior to 1880 when at that time, the stone was moved to its current location.
It stands about 4.5 feet tall and is best described as a 5-sided prism-shaped stone.
If you’re in the area, it’s worth taking a few minutes to examine such a rare object over 1500 years old.
From the A855, take B8036 and less than a mile and a half later, you’ll come to the stone.
It stands upright in the middle of a wooden fenced area just off the main road.
And there you have it!
The Isle of Skye’s 11 most beautiful places to visit on your next trip to Scotland.
Have you been to any of these places before?
Which was your favorite? Leave a comment below!
Happy exploring and be sure to embrace that inner dragonfly!
Looking for inspiration on preserving your travel memories after your trip? Maybe one of these 9 ideas will help: Inspiring Ideas for DIY Travel Mementos.
