Day Itinerary
8 Activities
Day 1
44 mi
The view from Old Sligachan Bridge
Explore the area around the foreboding Cuillin Mountains, discovering its whisky, beauty and mystery.
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Talisker Distillery produces a single malt scotch whisky which is characterised by a powerful and peppery taste that has more than a hint of the sea and is moderately peaty. It is with good reason that it has been referred to as "the lava of the Cuillins".
The general tour - 'Flavours of Talisker' - starts on the hour, so arrive about 15 minutes before this.
In 1830 Hugh MacAskill leased a site at Carbost on Loch Harport from the MacLeods, raised £3,000 (it probably helped that his brother Kenneth ran the bank in Portree) and built a distillery at Carbost. Hugh chose to name his new distillery after his estate, Talisker, rather than the village in which it was located, Carbost.
4.9 mi
15 min
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Talisker Bay is a beautiful beach of stones and sand, best visited at low tide. There is both black and white sand on the beach, often mottled together to create patterns. The northern side of the bay is hemmed in by vertical cliffs and an impressive waterfall, whilst the southern side is closed off no less impressively by a great sea stack.
Park at the Talisker Bay Car Park (really you are only parking on the verge of the road), then walk down the track to the bay, which will take about 15 minutes.
4.6 mi
15 min
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The Oyster Shed opened in 2012 and sells the local oysters which are farmed by the family themselves. The oyster far was established in 1981 and expanded at one point to a size of over 2 million oysters. The Oyster Shed also sells local fresh crab, lobster, langoustines, mussels, venison, game, cheese and honey.
5.7 mi
15 min
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The Fairy Pools are a natural waterfall phenomenon in Glen Brittle on the Isle of Skye. The vivid blues and greens of the pools suggest an unnatural origin. They are also a popular place for wild swimmers. The walk to the pools uses the same route there and back. The complete return distance to the first main waterfall and pool is 2.4km, with the average time to complete the walk being 40 minutes (with no stops). Most people will spend some time working their way up the river from the first waterfall exploring the different pools.
3.8 mi
15 min
Glen Brittle
Scenic Lookout
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Continue your journey down Glen Brittle, past the Fairy Pools carpark and down to the Lochside near the Glenbrittle campsite.
Glen Brittle runs roughly south to north, along the River Brittle, which has its mouth at Loch Brittle (a sea loch). The glen is also overlooked from the east by the formidable Cuillin, the largest mountains on Skye. The name is probably derived from old Norse Bred Dal ("broad valley") with the Gaelic glean ("valley") being prefixed later. The sandy beach at the southernmost point of the glen is the most popular attraction. The beach is home to many interesting bird species, such as turnstones, ringed plovers, grey herons, dunlins, curlews and oystercatchers.
15.2 mi
40 min
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Sligachan lies at the head of Glen Sligachan. This runs for eight miles south to meet the sea at Camasunary near Elgol, and divides the rounded Red Cuillin from the jagged Black Cuillin. Views from Sligachan itself are dominated by the savage profile of Sgurr nan Gillean. Over the years Sligachan has become a mecca for those wanting to tackle the Black Cuillin: something not for the faint hearted or inexperienced. The name Sligachan is Gaelic for "shelly place", after the shells found at the original location. The Sligachan Waterfall is only a short walk upstream from the bridge.
9.6 mi
20 min
Portree
0.4 mi
5 min
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