Isle of Skye and The Outer Hebrides
The Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly of the Inner Hebrides, but it is also one of the main gateways to the Outer Hebrides to the west. Skye is famed as an outdoor paradise, while the Outer Hebrides is the place to experience the traditional Highland way of life.
The Isle of Skye, famed for its beauty, setting, history and romance, was recently voted the 4th best island in the world by National Geographic. Hilly peninsulas and points, boasting wonderful names like Trotternish, Waternish, Duirinish and Sleat, radiate out haphazardly from the central massif of the Cuillin Hills, producing a succession of long, narrow sea lochs and bays, many with small villages and scattered crofting townships.
The Outer Hebrides, comprising heather moors and hills, rugged eastern coastlines and amazing, beach-lined western coastlines, run in a long chain from Lewis and Harris in the north (one island), south west through North Uist, Benbecula, and South Uist to Barra. As with the Highlands & Islands as a whole, the population is centred largely on the coast: in Stornoway and a whole host of small, traditional villages and crofting townships.
Wherever you go – and island-hopping is a pleasure here – you will find fascinating archaeological and historical remains – and locals. You can also walk, climb, stroll on beaches, fish on rivers, lochs or the sea, watch wildlife, cycle, enjoy boat trips… and relax!
