Walking the Isle of Skye Private Adventure

Explore rugged landscapes, abandoned villages and Fairy Pools on a wild adventure in the Inner Hebrides

Off the west coast of mainland Scotland, the Isle of Skye offers wild walking trails across wind-whipped landscapes and through time-stood-still fishing villages. It’s the star attraction in the Inner Hebrides and for good reason with wonderfully rugged scenery providing a sensational setting for an adventure on foot. For this hiking trip, we are based in the hill-cradled fishing town of Portree, heading out each day to explore a different part of the island led by our expert local guide.

Did you know you can travel by train to this trip? Find out more here

People, Places & Planet

We work hard to create trips that have a positive impact on the people and places we visit and look after the planet we explore. Learn more about our sustainable travel ethos and practice here and find out about the work of the Exodus Travels Foundation here.

Some sustainable travel highlights of this trip include:

People

How this trip helps improve life for local communities.

• Local guides keep you well informed about local traditions and cultural-social sensitivities.
• This trip brings income and opportunity to the destination community through the inclusion of locally owned hotels, restaurants, and other enterprises, and by championing locally produced food wherever possible.
• Read more about our other initiatives

Places

How this trip helps protect and conserve local landscapes and nature.

• By travelling in a small group, we ‘tread lightly’ to minimise our impact on local resources and the environment.
• We work with our partners on the ground to proactively reduce waste; this includes eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles by providing refills for reusable bottles.
• With our partners, Rewilding Apennines, we rewild 100 square meters (1,075 sqft) of land per passenger who travels with us.
• Read about our commitment to nature protection and restoration here, including our rewilding commitment for every customer who travels with us.

Planet

How we seek to keep the carbon footprint of this trip low.

• Accommodation and restaurants in the itinerary use locally sourced food which has not been transported long distances. In particular the Rosedale hotel is proud to serve locally caught fish and other produce from across Scotland.
• Both properties are independent and locally owned so have a lower carbon emission than chained properties of a similar size in the area.
• Walking trips like this have very little detrimental impact on the environment and the locals, as it is a quiet, low-impact activity requiring comparatively few resources to support.
• Read about our climate action here, including our carbon reduction and compensation commitments.

Tips for sustainable travel on this trip

• Leave no trace: We do all we can to ensure we leave no rubbish in the wild and beautiful places we visit; we ask that you do the same. If there are no recycling facilities in-country, consider bringing recyclable materials home with you.
• Plastic waste reduction: Please bring a reusable water bottle on this trip, also consider avoiding single-use hotel toiletries, which generate a large amount of plastic waste.

Is this trip for you?

This trip has been graded Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.

• Walking days: Five
• Maximum height gained: 2,297ft (700m)
• Maximum distance walked: 11mi (17km)

The Isle of Skye is known for its beautiful rugged landscape. The paths used can be narrow at times with a lot of steep steps, and rocky, loose stone sections. So it is important to be confident with your footing.

A good level of fitness is required and it is important to pack for the potential for unpredictable Scottish weather (see packing list).

Following a review of all our trips we have categorised this trip as generally not suitable for persons of reduced mobility. However if you are a regular traveller on such trips, please contact customer services to discuss the trip and your personal condition.

Vaccinations and Health

United Kingdom

There are no required vaccinations. However, you may want to consider vaccinations for polio, tetanus and rabies (bat lyssavirus). Please confirm with your doctor or travel clinic.

Scotland

No vaccinations are obligatory.

Visa

United Kingdom

Travellers from the US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter the United Kingdom. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/united-kingdom
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-kingdom
• USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/UnitedKingdom.html

Scotland

UK passport holders do not need visas for this trip. Other nationalities should check with the relevant embassies.

For further Brexit travel advice please visit https://www.abta.com/tips-and-advice/brexit-advice-for-travellers

Food & Drink

All breakfasts, three picnic lunches and two dinners are included.

At Ardross & Glencairn provide a hot and cold buffet-style breakfast, guests can help themselves to a continental selection and a full cooked breakfast. The Rosedale Hotel provides a continental breakfast with a changing selection of fruit, cereals, pastries, cheese, cold meats etc.

The picnic lunches consist of a sandwich, a piece of cake and fruit.

Dinners are 2 course from a small menu choice.

Weather

Rain can fall at any time of year; however, the temperatures typically rise from around 12C (54F) in April to the high 20Cs (around 80F-85F) or above in September. Like most of the UK in recent years, there have been some hotter days in the middle of summer.