Saturday 25th May to Saturday 1st June 2024

Following on from last year’s camping trip to Cairngorms National Park, my brother and I discussed a visit to the Isle of Skye for a return trip to Scotland. After lots of research, we were aware this trip would be a lot more challenging for my brother’s mobility issues but we carefully planned our itinerary with this in mind. We were also aware that the weather can be a lot more changeable on Skye, so we wanted to keep our plans flexible. We were keen to incorporate another wild camping night and had a visit to the Fairy Pools firmly on our list. With all that together, we headed off on our trip in my brother’s trusty little campervan, Ye Old Faithful.

Day 1 – Travel

We decided to follow the same journey we took last year to Scotland and had a stopover booked at Kilmarnock again. Heading up the M4, M5 and M6 during Saturday morning bank holiday traffic, was a little less painful than last year. We stopped off at the same service stations and made it to Staffordshire Services again for lunch. Queuing to get into the car park didn’t reflect how quiet and calm the outdoor area was when we arrived. Watching the ducks swimming around the lake, I was aware that it was cooler than last year and I began to worry we were not going to be as lucky with the sunshine as our last trip to Scotland. We had The Premier Inn at Kilmarnock booked for both ways of our journey and, after a short delay at reception, headed to our rooms for a nice hot shower and good night’s sleep. 

Day 2 – Wild Camp on Isle of Skye

An unlimited cooked breakfast was a great way to start our Scotland adventure. Our stay at The Premier Inn was very comfortable and the breakfast had great choices available. We headed out on the road as soon as we could, to travel to the Isle of Skye. Ye Old Faithful can’t travel anywhere too quickly so we aimed for a lunch stop at Fort William. However, as we passed Loch Lomond, my brother expressed a keen interest to stop at the area for a short break. Although overcast, we had a lovely view around Loch Lomond and took some time to explore the area, soak up the atmosphere and pick up some souvenirs. 

After a quick snack, we started back on our journey to the Isle of Skye. We decided to continue through Fort William and catch it on the way back, so we could make good time to find a wild camping spot on Skye. After a few more hours of driving, we were soon making our way over Skye Bridge, just in time to stop at Kyleakin for dinner. The magnificence of Skye Bridge is quite admirable, even if you don’t know much about engineering. The excitement to be heading over the bridge, connecting mainland Scotland to the Isle of Skye, was the boost we both needed after so much driving. Once on the island, we found a large public car park in Kyleakin and a fish n chips van in front of Castle Moil restaurant. The food was so fresh and delicious and we had a great view of Skye Bridge whilst we ate. After dinner, we headed off to find a wild camping spot. We had no plan and just drove around until we found a good spot. Unbeknown to us at the time, we ended up at Torrin pools, a popular wild camping spot. The view was incredible. Calm water to the front of us and rugged hillsides all around us. We quickly set up camp and were soon joined by other campers. After a hot drink, we headed to sleep, just as the rain started. It rained all night, which wasn’t very helpful when I needed a wild wee in the night…

Day 3 – Staffin Caravan and Camping Site

In the morning it was still a little drizzly but we packed up our wild camp and headed off to our campsite for the rest of the week. As we travelled further onto Isle of Skye, we began to realise just how busy the island was although we expected this for the bank holiday weekend. On our way to our campsite in Staffin in the northern part of the island, we passed the Old Man of Storr. My brother and I had wanted to include this on our itinerary, however the hike would be impossible for my brother’s mobility challenges. We had great views from the road as we passed it and ended up passing the site many times during our stay on Skye, so we felt we were still able to appreciate it. When passing it today, we were both astonished at just how busy the location was. The large car park was full, with many vehicles parking on the double yellow lines along the road around the site. I was beginning to understand what some of my research had alluded to about visitor numbers being a problem on the island.  

We took our time getting to our campsite as we wanted to admire the scenery with its wonderfully moody backdrop. We arrived at Staffin Caravan and Camping Site and were immediately greeted with a warm welcome and plenty of information for our stay. We were given a pitch nice and close to the facilities and began setting up our camp. The site itself was well equipped with good shower and toilet blocks, kitchen area, laundry, grey/chemical wastes, water stations and a lounge area for campers to take shelter. The site was smaller than others we have stayed at, but that’s quite normal for Skye due to the island’s size and location. It’s also quite uneven but again that’s the wonderful rugged landscape of Skye and the site was really well laid out with excellent levelled out grass and gravel pitches. During our stay the site was always busy with lots of different visitors throughout the week, another sign of Skye’s growing popularity.  

In the evening we settled in for some food, hot showers and a good night’s sleep.

Day 4 – Dunvegan Castle

Today was forecast rain so we decided to head to Dunvegan Castle and Gardens over on the north western part of Skye. It was very easy to find with ample parking and facilities available when we arrived. There were toilets, a shop and cafe available in the car park with further facilities once in the castle grounds. The towering castle building against the overcast sky was a really quite striking image as we wandered through the gardens and towards the castle entrance. The rain held off enough for us to have a slow walk around the grounds where we found bright and beautiful flowers and trees, a gushing waterfall and an interesting sculpture. We had read up beforehand that the castle was not very accessible but found that most of the garden paths were easy to walk around and suitable for pushchairs and scooters. With Dunvegan being the oldest inhabited ancestral home in Scotland, once inside the castle we were treated to an incredible tour of Scottish clan history and legends. The staff were incredibly knowledgeable and eager to speak with you as you moved through each area of the castle and any questions we had were answered fully and enthusiastically. Dunvegan felt like somewhere incredibly keen to share its history and heritage with you and the castle itself stands proudly and firmly on the rugged lochline. 

On our way out of the castle grounds, my brother and I decided that despite the rain, we would head to nearby Coral beach. It was only a short drive away and was a place we both really wanted to see after hearing so much about it. We assumed that given it was a rainy day the area wouldn’t be too busy, as we knew it was only a small car park. Whilst en route, we pulled in to let some oncoming traffic pass by, when a van stopped next to us to inform us that the car park was full and that we would struggle to have room to turn around to leave. With this friendly advice, we decided to turn around where we were and head back the way we came. We were disappointed that the spot was so busy but neither of us wanted to get the van stuck in a car park as the afternoon was creeping on.

We checked a map of Skye and decided to head to Sligachan which took us on a detour around Skye before heading back up to our campsite in Staffin. We enjoyed a lovely drive to Sligachan, however when we arrived it was heavy rain and so we decided to not stop this time around. My brother needs to take walking slowly when not using his scooter so wet weather can be a bit of a challenge. On our way back to Staffin, we passed through Portree, the capital of Skye and stopped here for supplies. Portree is a lovely island village and there was enough of a break in the weather for us to take a wander around before the shops closed. The village is packed with all different kinds of shops from outdoor to gift boutiques to food and drink spots. Grabbing a photo of the iconic colourful buildings overlooking the harbour in Portree attracts quite a crowd at a very narrow part of the road. We navigated through Portree a number of times during our visit and I really began to understand the frustrations of the locals with Skye becoming increasingly popular for campervans and tourists.

We arrived back at the campsite to discover another zip on the awning had torn open in the windy weather. Unfortunately this meant my towels had blown onto the ground and the inside of the awning was waterlogged from the heavy rain. We knew of the changeable weather on Skye and had expected wind and rain, however I don’t think our equipment was quite as prepared! Fortunately the sun shone whilst we mopped up as much water as possible and got ourselves fed and sorted for the evening. As night drew in, the wind and rain promptly returned for an unsettled night in camp.

Day 5 – Fairy Pools

After a wet and windy night, it was a relief to wake up to a warm and sunny day. We knew better weather was coming in today so my brother and I had planned a trip to the Fairy Pools. This was somewhere my brother really wanted to visit but we were both prepared for how much of a challenge it would be for him. Our research of the Fairy Pools before heading to Skye had prepared us for a path that was not suitable for scooters. My brother and I had spoken at length about how to include the Fairy Pool in our itinerary and so we felt better prepared to tackle the challenge. Once we arrived at the car park, the sun was shining and we were blessed with a beautiful day all day. Sadly the physical challenge of the path was too much for my brother and he had to bow out. He encouraged me to continue and I headed up to the main pools.

Having walked the path, I realised just how much of a challenge it would have been for him had he continued, so I’m glad he didn’t push himself any further and enjoyed some quiet reflection in a less populated area of the waters. Upon reaching the first of the main pools, I have to admit I was a little disappointed. The pools did not look as picturesque as I had seen online and the popularity of them was distracting when you are navigating crowds of people. I had watched some videos from Scottish Youtubers who commented on how the majesty of the Fairy Pools were being diminished by their own popularity and encouraged visitors to try other points of interest instead. The advantage to having a beauty spot so popular is how organised the facilities are, with toilets and water stations available in the leveled out marked car park. However, the disadvantages of the crowds took from the tranquil beauty and my enjoyment of the pools. Perhaps I had already arrived with these points in mind but I know just how beautiful Scotland is and believed the local Youtubers when they tell me there are many other picturesque spots to enjoy. For me personally, I was aware that we were part of the problem, so perhaps those feelings were impacting my impressions of the pools too.

After leaving the Fairy Pools, we headed back to Sligachan to try our luck again. There is a small car park in the area and we were lucky enough to grab the last space. Although a few spots of rain appeared, the weather stayed mostly dry for us to wander around and admire the area. Sligachan is a popular stop for hikers and its iconic landscape features the Black and Red Cuillins meeting over the River Sligachan with its photogenic stone foot bridge sat prominently near the roadside.  

Day 6 – Museum of Island Life

After a challenging day at the Fairy Pools, my brother and I enjoyed a relaxed morning around the campsite. As we were based in Staffin, we decided to head around Totternash circular which would take us around some of the most picturesque coastline on Skye and bring us back to the campsite. As we drove along the route, we were blown away with just how stunning this part of Skye is and made endless stops for photo opportunities. We were heading to Skye Museum of Island Life, which we found quite easily. There was plenty of parking when we arrived and fortunately the museum was not too busy while we were there. The Museum is open air with a collection of island cottages showcasing the history of islanders on Skye and how they lived. It is a fascinating museum laid out in a really unique and engaging way. As you move from each cottage, you step back in time and into a wealth of information and culture. Both my brother and I were fascinated with the museum and we spent quite a lot of time around the cottages, which are perfectly set against the island’s rugged landscape. There was also a small gift shop selling lots of local crafts and foods as well as traditional and quirky souvenirs.

Outside the museum we stopped for a coffee in the van and whilst there we were treated to a local highland cow in the field opposite who came up to say hello to visitors. It really was quite special to have such a Scottish icon right next to the beautiful island cottages. We said goodbye to the cow, made use of the public toilets nearby and then headed back on to the Totternash circular. We passed through Portree once again and then back to Staffin for our campsite. There were lots more stops we could have made on the circular but many places were very busy with limited places to park.      

Day 7 – Pack Up and Stop Over

Today we were up early to have some breakfast then pack up camp. Although we didn’t need to be gone until 12 noon, we had a long drive to Kilmarnoch and Ye Old Faithful doesn’t go very fast. It was sad to be leaving Skye as I felt we had so much more to see on the island, but it was lovely to drive back past our first dinner spot in Kyleakin and back over Skye Bridge, which had triggered so much excitement on the way over. We planned to stop for lunch in Fort William but we got caught in a lot of heavy traffic and had to make a lunch stop much earlier. Sadly, due to so much time lost, we chose not to stop in Fort William and to press on to our hotel in Kilmarnock. Both of us were feeling tired from the long week and were looking forward to a cosy hotel stay. We spent the night at Premier Inn, the same as the way up, only this time I could watch bunnies running around outside my window. When you just need a comfortable stop over you know what you’re getting with Premier Inn and the unlimited breakfast is the perfect way to start a long day of driving.

Day 8 – Home and Reflection

The rest of the drive back home was a lot easier than the bank holiday traffic on the way up and we stopped off at most of the same service stations. The drive gave us both a chance to reflect on our trip to Isle of Skye and what we thought of it. I would definitely love to go back and have a go at some of the treks and trails around the island, however we both agreed that the island’s popularity was potentially problematic. We visited Skye during the May half term holiday but have been informed that Scotland does not share the same school holiday week. It was definitely busy everywhere we went, even after the bank holiday weekend was over. Most car parks were full or almost full with the Fairy Pools and Old Man of Storr car parks overflowing. It all left us wondering what it would be like in the summer months. Many of the roads around parts of the island are single track roads and, although they have plenty of passing places, many people pull up to park in the passing places and there is often congestion with larger campervans. Driving a short wheel based Transit campervan had its issues at times but we regularly saw much larger campervans and wondered how they managed to navigate the narrow and congested roads. The locals were either very patient or very aggressive with the latter fortunately being far less prevalent, but I could sense and understand their frustration. I would love to go back to Skye, but I definitely won’t be doing it during the tourist season.

For anyone considering visiting Skye, I would definitely recommend it but be considerate and mindful of the locals and the popularity of the island. I definitely would not recommend taking a campervan larger than a short wheel based Transit and try to plan visits away from busy times. My personal opinion is that many people visit Skye for its iconic landmarks, which we were guilty of doing too, however Scotland has many other stunning landmarks that are just as beautiful but are not as overwhelmed. I will definitely be looking to explore more of Scotland and its islands and am confident I will find many more landmarks to admire and enjoy.