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A wooden bench overlooks a loch dotted with small boats beneath wooded hills.
Isle of Skye

Scorrybreac Circuit

A 3-kilometre loop round the headland on the north side of Portree Bay, homeland of the Clan Nicolson.

Welcome

Scorrybreac is a short loop round the green headland on the north side of Portree Bay, near enough to walk to from the square.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

It follows the wooded shore onto Clan Nicolson land, with the painted houses of the harbour behind you.

Out on the headland the views open up across Loch Portree to the Cuillin, over the water to Raasay, and up to the cliffs of Ben Tianavaig across the bay. The memorial and the stone seat at the point are good places to stop for the long view. It is a walk for any spare hour, morning or evening, and a fine way to see the town from the outside before a meal at one of the harbour restaurants.

The walk

Along the shore from the bottom of Scorrybreck Road, round the headland, up a steep zigzag and home through a birchwood.

Distance
3 kilometres, 1 to 2 hours, 164 metres of climb.
Start
The parking bays on the shore at the bottom of Scorrybreck Road, less than a kilometre from the centre of Portree.
The path
A clear path all the way; the second half is rough and stony, with a steep climb up a series of zigzags.
On the way
Picnic tables at the start and along the route, and a stone seat at the point.

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Did you know

A stone memorial plaque lists names on a low wall in a paved garden.
Did you know

Bought back by the Nicolsons.

Scorrybreac is thought of as the homeland of the Clan Nicolson, and members of the clan from all over the world bought the headland. A memorial with a flagpole names those who gave.

Portree's pink, blue and white houses line the harbour beneath a wooded hill, boats moored below.
Did you know

A tower for the sick.

The tower in the woods above the harbour is an apothecary's tower, built to tell passing sailors that medicine and medical help could be had in the village.

A weathered plaque set in a stone cairn overlooks a calm bay with moored boats.
Did you know

Eagles across the bay.

White-tailed eagles nest on the cliffs below Ben Tianavaig, the hill straight across the bay, so keep watching the sky.

A weathered map plaque set in a stone cairn marks a route across the landscape.
Did you know

The Black Rock.

The rock just offshore is the Black Rock, which you can reach at low tide. Common seals sometimes swim by along the shore.

Evening light warms a grassy headland beside a calm loch on the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

A little volcano.

Above the zigzags the view opens over to Raasay, where Dùn Caan stands up like a little volcano.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Skye

Clan history hangs thick on this wild spit of land just outside Portree. It was the stronghold of the Macneacail (Clan Nicolson) for more than eight centuries, and still hosts various gatherings and memorials.

Read more
Portree's pink, white and blue harbourfront houses reflect in the water at dusk, boats moored below.
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Where it is

On the headland on the north side of Portree Bay, below the Cuillin Hills Hotel.

Close byThe places nearest the walk, in Portree.
  1. A window table looking out over Portree.Scorrybreac RestaurantA restaurant perched above the harbour in Portree.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. A window table looking out over Portree Bay.The View RestaurantDining at the Cuillin Hills Hotel, on the outskirts of Portree.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Wood burner between exposed stone walls in a pub with a bar and menus on tablesDulse and BroseModern Scottish cooking above Portree's harbour.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. BirchBirchA speciality coffee roastery and café in the middle of Portree, opened in 2020.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. The LumpThe LumpAn easy hilltop above Portree Harbour, with fine views, walking trails and an old watchtower.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. MV Seaflower, a white forty-foot catamaran, lying at anchor on flat water in low evening sun.SeaFlower SkyeBoat trips on the MV Seaflower along the coasts of Skye and Raasay.Under a mile 3 min by road
  7. PortreePortreeSkye's main town, its painted houses set round the harbour Thomas Telford built.Under a mile 3 min by road
  8. Chocolate brownies from the bakery.Isle of Skye Baking CompanyA family-friendly café that serves and sells the treats it bakes, since 2007.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
Colourful houses line Portree harbour beneath misty, tree-covered hillside, with boats moored offshorePortreeCuillin Hills HotelPlace to stay · 0.3 miles
A stag print hangs above a bed dressed with orange cushions and a matching throw in a Bosville hotel room.PortreeThe BosvilleSleeps 4 · 0.5 miles
Green-framed shopfront windows painted with fish and "OK" motifs beside a slate roofShoppingÒR Shop Skye0.6 miles
Isle of Skye Distillers shopfront with Misty Isle gin sign and "We Are Open" boardShoppingThe Isle of Skye Distillers0.6 miles
Donnie Munro's mural along the wall of Bayfield Road.AttractionsThe Donnie Munro mural in Portree0.6 miles
Barista pours milk into a latte at a wooden counterBarsAntlers Bar & Grill0.6 miles
Stone column topped with a carved crown against pale skyAttractionsSomerled Square War Memorial0.7 miles
A king bed with a mustard throw and cushions and an upholstered bench at its foot, beside a desk and two chairs in a hotel room.PortreeMarmalade HotelSleeps 3 · 0.9 miles
Slate-roofed visitor centre with wooden picnic benches and a covered patioAttractionsIsle of Skye Candle Co1.8 miles

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The Daily for 23 October, from Scotland with love. Aerial view of a concrete road bridge with angled supports spanning a sea loch, twin cloud-wrapped mountain peaks rising behind autumn-coloured hills.

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the walk, and when each is next free.

Colourful houses line Portree harbour beneath misty, tree-covered hillside, with boats moored offshoreCuillin Hills Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Portree
  • Under a mile from Scorrybreac
Check datesA stag print hangs above a bed dressed with orange cushions and a matching throw in a Bosville hotel room.The Bosville
  • A hotel
  • In Portree
  • Under a mile from Scorrybreac
Check datesA king bed with a mustard throw and cushions and an upholstered bench at its foot, beside a desk and two chairs in a hotel room.Marmalade Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Portree
  • Under a mile from Scorrybreac
Check datesAttic bedroom with white panelled walls, double bed and framed floral printThe Crofter's House
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Camustianavaig
  • 3 miles from Scorrybreac
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.

ArticleA Day Ashore in Portree, SkyeCollectionWalks, Wildlife and Nature in SkyeCollectionSkye's Hidden Side
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