Day 1 – Inverness
Day 2 – Inverness and Isle of Skye
Day 3 – Isle of Skye
Day 4- Inverness
As we were hoping for a relaxed trip rather than one condensed experience for this journey, we decided to spread our journey to Inverness and Isle of Skye across 4 days (or rather, 3 days and 3 nights). The journey was admittedly planned in rather a rush as we bought the tickets as soon as we saw affordable fares. This also explains why we found ourselves with a 6 hour bus waiting time and having to book a hotel within half a day.
Before everyone gets into a panic of any sort, the 6 hours bus waiting time was due to us missing the first ride by 1 minute and then realizing that there are only two buses from Inverness to Portree on weekends.
As a note, you can join day tours to Isle of Skye from Portree, Uig or Inverness. We chose Portree due to the comparatively more affordable accommodation prices at the point of our trip.
On the first day of our arrival from London to Inverness, we experienced a flight delay (which we were only informed of after we were well buckled into our flight seats), which meant that not only do we have our scheduled dinner plans disrupted, our original plans of exploring Inverness also had to be cancelled.
Transportation
Regarding buses between Inverness and Portree, they can be quite costly so you might want to take bus fare into careful consideration when considering your travel budget. Citylink provides bus services not only between Inverness to Portree but also from places such as Edinburgh and Glasgow. We recommend booking in advance as it will cheaper than if you buy a standard ticket on the day.
There is also train service provided by the ScotRail between Inverness and Portree where you can board the train from Inverness city centre. Our advice is to take the train one way and travel by bus on the other way back due to the difference in scenery.
If you prefer more flexibility and control in your itinerary, you might consider hiring a car. Morrison car hire is a possible option though we have not personally tried it and won’t be able to vouch for it.
Alternatively, you can hire a cab from Inverness to Portree though that will certainly burn a hole through your pocket especially if you have a tight budget to begin with. Oh by the way, Uber and Grab doesn’t work there.
Accommodation
After sifting through countless websites (think Airbnb, Agoda…), we decided to book for a night at Duirinish Guest House.
Initially, we had chosen this guest house due to the wonderful reviews about its breakfast, its relatively short walking distance to the city centre (about 5-10 minutes by foot) and also simply because of its coziness (our photo probably doesn’t do it justice. Really.). When we arrived, we found more than what we had expected.
Ruth & Allan, the owners, were extremely courteous and patient with us despite our bookings changes, enquiries and delayed arrival. After contacting Ruth regarding the issue with the 6 hour bus waiting time, she extended the reception hours just for us and even offered to prepare simple dishes for us despite the late hour (for which we were immensely thankful).
Tours
As mentioned, we booked the tour quite near the date so by then, most tours had already been fully booked. The good thing about most Isle of Skye tours is that majority of them are in small groups up to around 12 persons. You get to really chat with people in your tour and have fun.
On our trip, we chose Angela’s Great Skye Tour. Angela tailored the tour to us and the other two members of our tour group. This meant that we were able to spend more time at places we preferred and skim through places which appeales to us less. Despite having only spent the past decade or so in the area, Angela shared many stories about the places we travelled to, backed by historical contexts, and kept the entire tour in a lively mood.
Prior to that, we also considered the Real Scottish Journey’s Skye Bus Tour. The tour itinerary was comparatively more value for money than several other tours we looked at. They generally received good reviews. When we e-mailed and made our enquiry, their replies were clear and prompt so we will recommend everyone to give them a try too.
Wanderers Travels 