Skye with a Dog – Cliff Paths, Two Beaches and Waterfalls
Two days by car, from Portree and back.
The route
Much of Skye is croft land and common grazing, with sheep and cattle loose on the hills and the shore, so the lead stays on nearly everywhere, as Scotland's access code asks.
If cattle ever come at you, let the dog go and get yourself out. These two days are based in Portree. Day one walks Trotternish's famous paths, cut to the parts a dog can do; day two goes out to Dunvegan, then down to Glen Brittle's sand. Dogs can't go inside Dunvegan Castle or on its seal boats, on a distillery tour or into Kilmuir's graveyard. Check for ticks each evening, and keep the Portree vet's number, 01478 611269, which answers out of hours.
Before you go
Book beds near Portree, from the night before day one
Day one leaves Portree at a quarter to eight and both days end there, so book three nights near Portree, from the night before. Rooms that take dogs are few and go early: say how many dogs when you book, and ask for a dog-friendly room by name.
Book the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, if you come that way
Coming by the Road to the Isles, CalMac's crossing from Mallaig to Armadale needs booking, and the dog needs its own pet ticket: add it to the car booking, either to stay in the car, as CalMac advises, or for the pet lounge, which has few places.
Day one
Trotternish
The north's great walks, taken early and on the lead, then a wood, a waterfall and the Fairy Glen for the afternoon. It's just over ninety minutes at the wheel and about five hours on foot, back in Portree by about twenty to four. Carry water for the dog, as there's little to drink on the paths.
1 hr 37 min at the wheelAbout 45 miles
The Old Man of Storr
An attraction
Head out of Portree at 7.45, with a picnic bought the evening before for lunch in Uig: it's 15 minutes' drive north to the Storr, and at eight the path is still quiet, before the crowds. Climb the main path to the foot of the Old Man and down again, two hours or so, lead on throughout, as crofters' sheep graze up to the rocks. Turn round there, as behind him the path crosses fallen rock under the cliffs. The car park has loos.
9 min by car
Lealt Falls
An attraction
It's 9 minutes' drive on up the coast to Lealt, where a burn, or stream, drops through a deep, narrow gorge towards the sea. The viewing platforms are a short walk from the community car park and look straight down into it. Sheep graze here too, so keep the lead short. Beyond the platforms, a rough path drops towards the bay and accidents have happened on it: the Staffin community asks everyone to go no further than the viewpoint, and with a dog that goes double.
About 6 min by car
Kilt Rock
An attraction
Six minutes on is Kilt Rock, whose railings by the car park face a sea cliff of dark, upright columns, while Mealt's waterfall tips over the edge straight into the sea. With a rail between you and the drop, it's one of the easiest cliff views on Skye to enjoy with a dog. There are no loos here, but Staffin's community hall, two miles on, has them, open every day.
13 min by car
The Quiraing
An attraction
It's 13 minutes' drive by Staffin and up the hairpins from Brògaig to the top of the Uig road. If the car park is full, use the council's bays further on towards Uig, never the hairpins or a passing place. Take the path beneath the cliffs to below the Needle, and back: ninety minutes. Shorten the lead at the rocky gully and turn before the stile. The path runs above big drops, with sheep on the slope below: in wind or mist, save it for another day. With young children or an older dog, enjoy it from the viewpoint by the road.
About 15 min by car
Rha Waterfall
An attraction
Uig is 15 minutes down the far side. Leave the car at Uig Community Hall, which asks for a donation, and walk back up the A855 single file, the lead short, as there's no pavement. The Woodland Trust's Uig Wood welcomes dogs, and a path climbs about 200 metres up the Rha Glen to a waterfall dropping in two steps: keep the dog close above the drop. Then take the picnic down to the bay.
8 min by car
Fairy Glen
An attraction
It's 8 minutes' drive through the village and up the lane signed for Sheader and Balnaknock to the Fairy Glen's small car park. Little green cones and lochans fill the glen, and sheep graze it, so the lead stays on. By afternoon the narrow paths are busy: an hour is plenty. Flora MacDonald's grave is 18 minutes' drive north at Kilmuir, but that is a Council burial ground where only guide dogs may go, so turn for Portree, 30 minutes' drive home. There, the Isles Inn on Somerled Square lets dogs into its bar for supper.
If it rains
Rain on its own does no harm here: Lealt, Mealt and the Rha run at their best after it, and the Storr's main path and the Fairy Glen are fine in waterproofs. Wind or low cloud is different. The Quiraing's path runs above big drops, so leave it out, give the Rha and the Fairy Glen longer, and be back in Portree for the Stardust boat's two-hour trip on the Sound of Raasay; its skippers welcome dogs on board. Check the day's sailings, book, and ring that morning, as it sails only when the weather allows. The Isles Inn is the place to shelter, with the dog beside you in the bar.
Worth a detour
- Loch Fada
On the A855 before the Storr, with no extra driving: the lay-bys halfway along Loch Fada look up the loch to the Old Man on his ridge, a favourite view of him for photographers. Five minutes, the dog on a lead, as the lay-bys are right beside the traffic.
- An Corran Beach
Just north of Staffin, before the Quiraing turn, a lane signed for the beach and the slipway runs 1.1 miles down to An Corran, the day's only sand. Near low water the dog can have a run on the sand; keep it on the lead along the road, where cattle and sheep graze. At mid to low tide, look for dinosaur footprints on the rock shelf below the ramp, which is very slippery. Loos in the harbour building at the road end. Half an hour.
- Scorrybreac Circuit
Back in Portree, 4 minutes' drive from Somerled Square to the shore at the foot of Scorrybreck Road: the town's own dog walk, 3 km round the headland on the north side of Portree bay, with picnic tables on the way and a steep, stony second half. An hour or so, if the dog still wants more.
Where to eat
Antlers Bar & Grill, pub grub, Portree Hotel.
The Hungry Gull, brunch café in Staffin.
Day two
Dunvegan and Glen Brittle
West to a white beach and a castle garden, then south to the dark sand and the pools under the Cuillin, with an early supper in Carbost on the way home. It's just over two and a half hours at the wheel.
2 hr 39 min at the wheelAbout 82 miles
50 min by car
Coral Beach
An attraction
Breakfast is at Café Arriba on Quay Brae, which welcomes dogs and opens at 8; it shuts two days a week, so check the day. Then it's 50 minutes' drive west by Edinbane to Dunvegan and on past the castle, which opens at ten, to the Claigan car park at the end of the road. The beach is 2 km on, by a farm track, then beside the shore. The track crosses croft land where cattle graze, sometimes with a bull, and the local guidance is plain: all dogs on leads. Keep the dog back from any seals on the rocks, and carry its water, as there are no loos or taps until Dunvegan.
10 min by car
Dunvegan Castle
An attraction
Drive 10 minutes back down the road to the castle. Only assistance dogs may go inside, and none on the seal boats, but the gardens welcome dogs on a lead: buy a garden ticket at the gate and follow the paths through the gardens and their woodland. If you'd like to see the rooms, take turns, one inside while the other walks the dog. For lunch, the MacLeod Tables Café at the car park has tables outside, with hot food from noon.
50 min by car
Glen Brittle Beach
An attraction
From Dunvegan it's 50 minutes' drive by Bracadale and Drynoch, then down Glen Brittle's single-track road to the beach at its foot. Check the tide table for your day: at low water the dark sand runs furthest out beneath the Cuillin. Sheep, and at times cattle, graze down to the dunes, so look before letting out a long lead; with none about, it's the dog's best run of the two days. The campsite welcomes dogs under control; ask before taking one into its café, open until seven.
About 12 min by car
Fairy Pools
An attraction
Head 12 minutes back up the glen to the pools, now past their midday rush. The path up to the first big waterfall and back takes about an hour, on a lead for the sheep. A dog can cool off in a calm pool, never after heavy rain, when the burn rises fast; mind its paws on the rough gravel. The Cuillin above are scrambling ground on rough gabbro, no place for a dog: enjoy them from the path. For an early supper, the Old Inn at Carbost, 14 minutes away, lets dogs in, though it takes no bookings: if it's full, Seumas' Bar at Sligachan is on the road home. Talisker's distillery nearby allows none on its tour. Portree is 30 minutes on.
If it rains
Coral Beach's path crosses a river and streams on stones, and after heavy rain it's boggy and the crossings are deep: then go straight to Dunvegan instead, 40 minutes from Portree. The castle is shelter for people only, so take turns inside while the other walks the dog under the gardens' trees; in a gale the castle and gardens can shut at short notice, so look at their website first. At the Fairy Pools after heavy rain the burn rises fast: keep to the path and the dog out of the water. The Old Inn at Carbost, and Seumas' Bar at Sligachan on the way home, are the dry places for a wet dog.
Worth a detour
- Fairy Bridge
On the A850 where the Waternish road turns off, with no extra driving: a lay-by just along the B886 and the old stone bridge, out of use, beside the road. Five minutes to stretch the dog's legs on the way to Claigan.
- Dun Beag Broch
On the A863 above Struan, with no extra driving: a small car park, then 300 metres up a path through a sheep field to the stump of an Iron Age broch looking over Loch Bracadale. Half an hour, the dog on a lead.
- Sligachan Old Bridge
On the road home from Carbost, with no extra driving: Telford's old bridge at Sligachan, beside the A87, with the Cuillin rising behind it. Twenty minutes in the evening light, and Seumas' Bar next door lets dogs in.
Photograph by robert.steven