Best of the Isle of Skye, The

Welcome to Hidden Scotland’s guide to the extraordinary Isle of Skye. Many islands around Europe can claim to be blessed with grand scenery, but precious few can match the raw, elemental drama of Skye. Craggy slopes and muscular headlands stretch across the map like works in some gargantuan open-air gallery, while a glimmering array of lochs, burns and white-sand bays offset the towering geology. The island is no pocket-sized retreat. Covering more than 1,650 square kilometres, it stands as a realm of its own, a land where eagles soar, skies brood and single-track roads snake off into the distance. As a cultural destination, meanwhile, it’s vibrantly alive, with a string of historical settlements and a population of some 12,000. Among these locals runs a rich vein of creativity and a long tradition of producing artists, musicians and makers – indeed, spend long enough among Skye’s cloud-snagged mountains and wave-bashed peninsulas and it’s hard not to feel inspired yourself.