The Isle of Skye is the largest and probably the most famous island in the Inner Hebrides and the second largest Scottish island. It has been occupied since the Stone Age but is still remarkably unspoiled and is home to less than ten thousand people, although this number swells considerably during the main tourist season.
Historically, the island has only been reachable by ferry but the Skye Bridge was opened in 1995 to help reduce the summer queues for ferries for the large number of tourists visiting this beautiful island. The language Gaelic is spoken by around a third of the inhabitants of Skye
Portree is the largest town on the Isle of Skye and it can be reached by the bridge or on one of three different ferry routes. The town is the home of the isle's shinty team, a Scottish sport that is played with sticks and a ball and that on first sight is similar to hockey but turns out to allow more physical contact between players. Portree is often used as a base to explore the rest of the isle and its harbour is especially picturesque. The town is also the fictional home of a Quidditch team in the Harry Potter novels.
The climate of the island is affected by the Gulf Stream, which means that it is generally warmer than you would expect for such a northerly location in the UK.
Whisky drinkers can visit the Talisker distillery, where you can learn how the drink is made, explore the small museum and of course taste a dram or two of the distillery's famous product.
We hope you enjoy your stay in one of our cheap Isle of Skye hotels, mid range or luxury Isle of Skye hotels.
