Things to do in the Isle of Skye with Kids – 3 Night Itinerary

Things to do in the Isle of Skye with Kids – 3 Night Itinerary. During the Summer months, we decided to holiday in the United Kingdom. As part of this, we spent a couple of weeks in Scotland. Firstly on the West Coast before driving up through the Scottish Highlands to spend three nights in Skye. The largest island is a popular place to visit. Full of dramatic landscapes, natural beauty and even has its own mountain ranges including the Black Cuillin and the Red Cuillin Hills. We had wanted to visit for ages, but due to its location, it is not really somewhere you can go on a day trip! So when we found ourselves on the West coast it seemed like the perfect time to extend our stay and tick somewhere else off of bucket list.

Although we spent three nights in Skye the itinerary included in this post really only covers two full days in the Isle of Skye with kids. This is due to the road trip nature of our trip. Our first day was taken up almost entirely with driving up to Scotland’s isle.

Taking a road trip to the Isle of Skye

If you are thinking of taking a Road Trip to the Isle of Skye then it’s worth checking out my post on the subject. It will give you a few ideas of places to stop on the route up. It is a long drive especially with children. So you really do need to make sure you plan in some breaks. The good news is that there is so much to see its very easy to do. I have also highlighted some things to think about while travelling around the Island. Including keeping an eye out for the local sheep who are not scared of cars. Which the boys found hilarious. Although I found it a little unerving.

But before we start, the Isle of Skye is one of the best places we have ever visited. I fell in love with it as soon as we drove over the Skye bridge. And would recommend a visit to everyone. It really is a very special place with lots of things to see and do. A heaven for outdoor adventures and home to some of the best Michellien stared restaurants in Scotland.

READ MORE – Isle of Skye Road Trip Guide

 

Things to do in the Isle of Skye with Kids – 3 Night Itinerary

During our trip, we stayed in Portree, the largest town on the island. We chose an Airbnb right in the centre just behind the high street. And a few minutes walk to Portree port. With two younger children a self-catering flat works better for us than a hotel. With on-road parking and plenty of supermarkets in and around the capital of the Island, it was the perfect location for our first trip. Portree is located on the east side of the Isle of Skye, in the inner Hebrides about halfway up.

Because of this much of our itinerary is focused in the North of the Island. With only a few days we wanted to enjoy everything the Island has to offer. And the popular destinations which can be found there. Rather than spend a lot of time in the car travelling from one place to another. Driving in Scotland’s Isle can take a considerably longer than driving on the mainland. Even if you are in the main town.I would like to return one day and spend more time exploring the South of the Island. Perhaps even going on to see some of the other Scottish islands.

Day One – Arrival

We did not arrive until late into the afternoon, just as dusk was starting to arrive. This was because on our road trip we stopped at several places on mainland Scotland. Th trip up took almost as much planning as our adventures in skye. As there were many places we wanted to see. This included the Jacobite go across the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the Bonnie Prince Charlie memorial. Charlie is a big Harry potter fan and so had been our Harry Potter wish list for a while. 

We also stopped at Eilean Doran which is possibly Scotlands most famous castle located on the convergence of three sea locks. If we were to do the drive again, I would set time aside to go into the castle. It was beautiful and with food onsite it would have made the perfect place for a stop. There really is so much to see on the drive up to Skye that I would recommend taking your time and planning a route that allows you to pick up some of the sights. 

READ MORE – A complete guide to visiting the Harry Potter Bridge – Glenfinnan Viaduct

We arrived onto Skye via the bridge on the main road. Be mindful that they do shut the bridge in high winds. From 50mph they will not allow high sided vehicles over it at all. You would then need to reach the island by car ferry. Travelling in the Summer we were less likely to get caught by this and only had the car with a roof box. Portree is around a forty-minute drive from the bridge. The scenery is stunning so be warned that you will want to take your time driving to your destination. Take your time. Do not make the mistake of a fellow motorist who we came across that had taken his eyes off the road and ended up losing his front bumper. The poiliceman helping him out looked like he had been there before.

We settled into our accommodation having brought dinner with us. If you are planning on eating out in Skye then you need to pre-book. We hadn’t booked anything in advance and didn’t think it would be a problem. Turned out we were wrong and couldn’t get into one restaurant during our stay in Portree. I think they were adversely affected by the impact of the pandemic on hospitality staff and so many of the restaurants were not open every evening because of the lack of staff. I think this lead to more demand than there was tables. Instead we made do with cooking the amazing local seafood in the airbnb. It is a hard life.

Below are our first views of Skye

Day Two – Morning

After breakfast, we headed out to drive part of the Totternish Loop hoping to pick up the main attraction. A good breakfast is essential especially when travelling with children as there are not many places to stop on route. We took a picnic with us. After reading that cafes were hard to come by and I am glad we did. In the morning we managed to tick off a number of the must-see sights. 

Old Man of Storr

Around a fifteen/twenty minute drive from Portree is the Old Man of Stor. This was our first stop we arrived at around 10 am and could still get in the car park at the bottom. It was already filling up and like many of the tourist hot spots. It can get busy especially during peak times and high season. With a five and nine-year-old we didn’t climb all the way up to the top, although they did pretty well. Instead, we went about halfway which enabled us to get close for a picture and take in the spectacular views. Plus we didn’t have a lot of time as we wanted to pick up some of the other best spots.

There are are two ways up a straight-up which is a bit of a challenge but there are plenty of places to stop. Or a longer slower steadier climb. We went straight up and then came down via the long path. The views were stunning it is such a magical place. There are toilets in the car park if needed. The car park costs £3 for up to 3 hours, and £5 for 6 hours. We were there for about an hour and a half in total. By the time we left it was very busy both with cars and hikers. Like many other attractions it is good to get there early.

Kilt Rock

Next stop on the Trotternish Peninsula, close to The Old Man of Storr is Kilt rock. Just a ten-minute drive takes you to the parking area which is a short walk from the viewing platform. I was a little disappointed when we visited. The outlook is stunning, but there was not the gushing waterfall I had hoped for. Instead it was more of a trickle. In the colder months and wet season you are more likely to see it, in its full glory. We were probably only there for about ten minutes in total. It is likely that it was due to the fact it has been uncharacteristically dry and that we visited in the Summer. There was some interesting dinosaur information though which was good as it helped us for our next stop.

Dinosaur Prints & Picnic Lunch

A little further on from Kilt Rock you will drive past the Staffin Dinosaur & Fossil Museum before you come into the small village. Both the boys are dinosaur mad so we decided to stop. We spent about fifteen minutes there looking at the dinosaur fossils before heading to Staffin Bay and An Corran Beach. It did help us to identify what we were looking for. Although entry was a little steep for what was actually in the museum.

An Corran Beach is down a narrow lane and we did wonder at one point if we were going in the right direction. The good news is that there is plenty of parking. As again it is a popular spot. Full of people trying to find the dinosaur prints. Some succeeding and some not. Where we spent about an hour looking for the dinosaur prints. Which we found! I was very impressed that we did and the boys were so excited. After we stopped for our picnic, overlooking the bay. There is also a sandy area where you can build castles or rock towers. This seemed like quite a popular pass time as there was a number of them already built. You can read more about how to find the prints below. 

READ MORE – Where to find Dinosaur Prints on the Isle of Skye

Day Two – Afternoon

Coast Road to Uig & wildlife

After our excitement over finding the dinosaur prints, we took the coast road around to Uig enjoying the scenery and resting tired legs. May roads are single track so you can not help but take it slowly which meant we could stop as we felt like it. One of our stops was Duntulm Castle. Which is a ruin resting on the side of the coastline. Charlie and I took a walkover while Harry napped having been worn out from our mornings adventure.

Walking across we had to avoid the numerous piles of sheep’s poo. The path does take you very close to the edge of the cliff so be warned with little ones. When we reached the gate wee realised it was not possible to go inside the ruins. They are not structurally sound and there was some warning signs. Although that did not stop everyone, we saw several people wandering around. I would allow fifteen minutes for a stop. Unlike the other places we had seen, there is no formal car park. So many of the cars are left on the side of the road. A good indicator that there is something to look at.

Our next stop was to marvel at a Coo. I really wanted to see one on our Scotland holiday. We anticipated that we would see a lot of them on the Isle of Skye but alas we only found this pair. Thankfully they were right next to a little grass carpark area. So we stopped to get a picture. And also found a small settlement an Iron Age Farmstead that the boys explored while I stayed with a sleeping Harry.

Isle of Skye Brewery

After was satisfied we had enough photos of the coo. We carried on down to Uig and found the port area. It is well sign posted and so easy to find. There is not a huge amount there to explore. But we wanted to pick up an inland road. Which runs from Uig back towards Portree and takes about twenty minutes in the car. But first, we stopped at the Isle of Skye Brewery to pick up some beer and gin. Both are brewed and distilled on the Island. Souveniers for the adults of our trip! The brewery shop also sells a small selection of other souvenirs if you are looking to take gifts home. You may also want to schedule a trip to the Talisker Distillery during your visit too.

Dinner in…

One of the things that I was delighted to find, was the fact that you can buy local seafood, in the supermarkets. There is a Co-op on the outskirts of Portree, that sold scallops and langoustines. We picked some up and had a lovely dinner. Just fried in a little bit of butter and so fresh. Definitely look in the supermarkets during your stay and make the most of the local produce. A lot cheaper than eating in the restaurants and a lot more convenient with kids.

Day Three Isle of Skye Itinerary- Morning

Our plans ended up changing today as we did not get out of bed on time! One thing I would definitely say about visiting Skye is that you have to get up early and visit the tourist spots early. We wanted to go to Coral Beach but by the time we got there, we couldn’t physically get in the carpark. The queues were so bad that it was all backed up down the lane at 10.30 in the morning. Although the drive from Portree was so beautiful. We passed several different lakes and the reflctions of the hills were beautiful. Not to be detered we opted to do something else. In fact it ended up being a blessing as the kids got to enjoy something they really love.

Crabbing in Uig

The boys love to go crabbing! In fact, we tend to hunt out crabbing spots on every holiday around the U.K. coast. Knowing that Uig had a pier we decided to chance our luck since it was a beautiful clear day. Uig is a ferry port where you can also catch a ferry to the Outer Hebrides Islands of Harris and Uist. Which is something we would really like to do in the future. It is a working port and there were a number of fishing boats that came in while we were crabbing at the end of the pier.  This was something that fascinated the boys. They loved watching the catch get unloaded. We were even given some free prawn tails for our lunch off of one of the boats. I do not think I have ever eaten fresher shellfish in my life. During our crabbing trip, we saw grey seals. Caught a hermit crab and two starfish! I had no idea that starfish could even move that quickly or that they liked bacon.

READ MORE – Where to go crabbing in the Isle of Skye. 

Day Three – Afternoon & Evening

Whale Watching in Skye

After returning to Portree to eat the prawn tails we had been given by the fishing boat. We prepared for the afternoon boat trip where we were going whale watching. Departing from Portree we caught a rib out to the Inner Sound. Which is the strait separating the Inner Hebridean islands of Skye, Isle of Raasay and South Rona from the Scottish mainland. I was very excited about what we may find. As it was a rib we had full weather suits and life jackets on.

We found a couple of pods of dolphins quite early into our three-hour trip. They came so close to the rib. But there were rumours that there was a Humpback whale in the area. As there are several different ribs out, they all communicate to give everyone the best chance of catching a glipse. Although the Humpback Whale did keep us waiting for a lot longer than we thought it would. In fact we were close to giving up when we finally heard the blow hole. Seeing its tail come out of the water and come smashing back down. More than made up for the long wait and it was an amazing climax to our stay on the Isle of Skye.

Coral Beach

After our whale watching trip, we decided to take one last excursion back to Coral Beach. It is around a forty-minute drive from Portree so it meant that we ended up with a very late night. But since we have no plans to revisit Skye in the near future, we decided to make the most of our time on the island. Coral Beach did not disappoint. The car park is small and it is around a half an hour walk (with little ones) from the beach. The walk is relatively flat apart from the end. But as you go over the crest of the hill you can see the bay. Initially, I did wonder if we were in the right place as there was a fair amount of grey rock too. But a little further along we found the coral.

Only it is not really coral it is calcified seaweed. But I can see how the beach got its name. The water was turquoise even in the fading light. The course sand/seaweed was white. It was beautiful and I would definitely add it to your must-see list. I can only imagine how beautiful it would be in the day. I am so glad we added it into our trip. Even if it meant getting back late into the evening and having to pack up the roof box still!

Day Four – Leave the Isle of Skye

Going to the beach was still a good idea when the alarm went off. We actually left Skye at 5.30 am in the morning to travel back down to Fort William. The reason for this is that we needed to ensure we were near the front of the queue to get tickets for the Jacobite. The drive down was around three hours. It was special driving as the sun was coming up. With very little traffic on the road it felt even more remote than when we first arrived.

If you are not planning on doing something similar. Then there are many other great places to visit on Skye. Including the well-publicised Fairy Glen, Fairy Pools, Dunvegan castle and Armadale Castle. These will be on our list should we ever be lucky enough to visit again and expand on our Itinerary for Three Nights in the Isle of Skye with Kids. We didn’t even visit any of the south part of the Island. Other than driving through it. So I think you could easily visit for a couple of more nights and still not run out of things to do.

I am not surprised that the island is such a popular destination we had the best time. Which goes to show you, you do not have to travel abroad to see amazing places. If you have enjoyed this post then you may also like to read about Loch Ness and Urquart Castle.

Have you visited the Isle of Skye, I would love to hear about your experiences in the comments below. Let me know what your favourite parts are.

READ MORE – Buying Jacobite tickets on the day

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