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Isle of Skye

Skye Weavers

A small weaving mill in Glendale, making tweed, throws and scarves from Skye wool on bicycle-pedal looms.

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Welcome

On the road out to Neist Point, in the crofting country of Glendale, a sign by a gate points down a drive to an old croft house and a small weaving shed.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Inside, the looms clatter as the weavers work the pedals, and warp threads in cream, green and purple run taut between the wooden beams. Walls of yarn cones in every colour stand on shelves under the rafters.

The shop next door is bright and wood-panelled, with folded throws, blankets and scarves, cushions, caps and bags, much of it in tweed made a few steps away, some from wool grown on Skye itself. Each piece carries a label that says Powered by Pedal. It is a small, friendly place where the people who make the cloth are happy to show how it is done. Stop on the way to the lighthouse, or on the way back as the light goes.

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Arrives at 5am every day.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

No need to book in summer: come any time the shop is open, watch the looms at work in the weaving shed, and browse the little shop.

Winter
No regular hours while they weave stock for the year ahead: arrange a visit, or stop if the Open sign is out by the road.
Where
Glendale, near Dunvegan, on the way to Neist Point; follow the signs.
Parking
Visitor parking is halfway down the drive, and the shop and shed are a short walk down the hill. There is limited parking at the bottom of the drive for anyone with mobility needs.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
10am–5pm
Wednesday
10am–5pm
Thursday
10am–5pm
Friday
10am–5pm
Saturday
10am–5pm
Sunday
Closed

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Did you know

Thread spools and metal rods thread through a traditional loom's mechanism at Skye Weavers.
Did you know

Looms driven by bicycle pedals.

Everything here is made on looms worked by bicycle pedals, driven entirely by the weavers' feet: no electronics, just mechanics.

Close-up of a loom's heddles strung with yellow and grey threads beneath a wooden beam
Did you know

Built for Harris Tweed.

The looms were designed for weaving Harris Tweed, which is the one thing these weavers cannot make: it has to be made in the Outer Hebrides.

Grey yarn bobbins with coloured tips are stacked in rows on a wooden rack.
Did you know

Wool from thirty crofts.

The Skye wool comes from more than 30 crofters and farmers around the island. In one year the weavers graded over 2,000 kilos of fleece by hand.

Colourful cones of yarn fill wooden shelving above a workbench in a weaving workshop.
Did you know

Four natural shades.

White Cheviot wool and brown wool from darker breeds are mixed into four natural shades: all white, all brown, a light grey of 85 parts white to 15 brown, and a mid-grey of 60 to 40.

Purple, green and cream threads run taut across a loom at Skye Weavers.
Did you know

A teacher's 3D-printed part.

To weave their Ebb Tide throws, a pattern like the rivulets on sand at low tide, one loom needed a chain eight times longer than usual. A local high school teacher designed and 3D-printed the part that made it work.

Folded throws and hanging cushions fill a bright wood-panelled shop beside a clothing rail.
Did you know

From Mull to Glendale.

Roger and Andrea Holden learned to weave at Ardalanish, an organic farm and weaving mill on Mull, and moved to Glendale in 2012 to set up in the old family croft house.

Close texture of woven grey tweed fabric on a loom at Skye Weavers.
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New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on on Skye
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Where it is

In Glendale, near Dunvegan, on the road to Neist Point in the north-west of Skye.

Close byThe places nearest the weavers, around Glendale.
  1. The green valley of Glendale running down to a deep blue bay under high cliffs.GlendaleThe crofting district at the far west of Skye, beyond Dunvegan.1 mile 2 min by road
  2. The Three ChimneysThe Three ChimneysThe celebrated restaurant with rooms at Colbost, on the shore of Loch Dunvegan.3 miles 4 min by road
  3. Milovaig LoopMilovaig LoopA two-mile loop round the crofting township of Milovaig in Glendale, above Loch Pooltiel.3 miles 5 min by road
  4. Neist PointNeist PointThe most westerly headland on Skye, with a lighthouse of 1909 at its tip and cliffs on every side.5 miles 6 min by road
  5. Isle of Skye Sea Salt CompanyIsle of Skye Sea Salt CompanySalt made the slow way from Loch Snizort seawater, dried by sun and wind.7 miles 9 min by road
  6. Dunvegan CastleDunvegan CastleThe seat of the chiefs of MacLeod for 800 years, on a rock above Loch Dunvegan.8 miles 14 min by road
  7. Coral BeachCoral BeachA white beach of crushed red seaweed north of Dunvegan.12 miles 19 min by road
Directions
Black wood burning stove behind a safety guard, with a wicker log basket and sheepskin rugCafeCafe Lephin1.1 miles
The Old School at Colbost, home of Skye Silver.ShoppingSkye Silver1.2 miles
GlendaleBlack Box CabinSleeps 4 · 2.2 miles
An aerial view shows a white and timber-clad house set among autumn trees above a bay dotted with small islands.Isle of SkyeLochviewSleeps 4 · 2.6 miles
A white bungalow with a glazed gable end sits before an autumn hillside, a wooden bench on the lawn in front.ColbostTigh an TobairSleeps 8 · 2.6 miles
A dark timber-clad gabled cabin with a chimney and skylights glows warmly from within at dusk on a grassy hillside.Lower MilovaigHarlosh Wood hSleeps 6 · 3.5 miles
A white house with a dark slated roof sits above a rocky headland and sea, a weathered bench in the garden.MilovaigMilovaig HouseSleeps 4 · 3.7 miles
The Black Shed, DunveganSkinidinThe Black ShedSleeps 2 · 4.2 miles
Sheep standing in tall grass on a coastal hillsideAttractionsRamasaig to Orbost Coastal Walk5.3 miles

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Stay nearby

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

Black Box Cabin
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Glendale
  • Under a mile from Glendale
Check datesWhitewashed cottage with grey slate roof behind a pale blue picket fenceThe Three Chimneys
  • To stay
  • In Colbost
  • 2 miles from Glendale
Check datesA white bungalow with a glazed gable end sits before an autumn hillside, a wooden bench on the lawn in front.Tigh an Tobair
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Colbost
  • 2 miles from Glendale
Check datesAn aerial view shows a white and timber-clad house set among autumn trees above a bay dotted with small islands.Lochview
  • Sleeps 4
  • In the Isle of Skye
  • 2 miles from Glendale
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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We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

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What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.

From the magazineA Guide to Skye's Best ShopsFrom the magazineSkíō: Made by Hand on the Edge of SkyeCollectionThe Isle of Skye's Best ShopsCollectionRainy Day Activities on Skye
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .