Travel

If you are coming from further afield,  Inverness Airport is the nearest international and domestic airport and is about 80 miles away from Kyle of Lochalsh by road (usually takes 1.5 – 2hrs). However, more international flights will arrive at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports, all of which are about a 4 – 5 hour drive away from Lochalsh and 5 – 7 hours from the Isle of Skye.

Scotrail operate trains to Stromeferry,  Plockton,  Kyle of Lochalsh and Mallaig. However, onward transport is then required to reach your final destination.  Stromeferry,  Plockton and Kyle of Lochalsh are served by the North West Highland Line from Inverness whilst Mallaig is served by the West Highland Line from Fort William.  Both are very scenic options and can even make great day trips! 

There are no rail services on the Isle of Skye or Isle of Raasay.

Inverness, Kyle of Lochalsh, Portree and Uig  (as well as other stops in between)  are served by both local and national bus services, predominantly Citylink and Stagecoach.  There are restricted local bus services in the area so make sure they offer the destinations you are looking for.

Caledonian MacBrayne operate a timetabled roll-on-roll off car ferries between Mallaig (mainland) and Armadale (Isle of Skye),  Sconser (Isle of Skye) and Isle of Raasay,  Tarbert (Isle of Harris) and Uig (Isle of Skye) and between Lochmaddy (North Uist) and Uig (Isle of Skye).  Booking is essential for these ferries – especially in the summer! Please remember the only way to reach the Isle of Raasay is to take a ferry, it is not connected by road.

Between Easter – October Skye Ferry a small community-run turntable ferry,  also takes vehicles and passengers to the Isle of Skye.  It crosses the sea between Glenelg and Kylerhea and involves a scenic drive over Mam Ratagan pass and offers the chance of seeing otters,  sea eagles and seals!  It may take a little longer than the Isle of Skye Bridge,  but it is certainly worth it for the views! And if you don’t do it on your way to the Isle of Skye, then it is well worth it as a day trip!  There is no public transport to this ferry.

It is always advisable to plan your journey ahead and check bus routes,  train and ferry timetables,  especially if you are looking to stay in a cottage out of the way and do not have use of a vehicle. Local bus times are often not linked to ferry or train arrivals / departures so you may have some waits between different forms of transport.

The easiest way to plan your route by public transport is to use Traveline Scotland.  They link up the rail networks,  local and national bus services and ferry timetables to give a complete overview.

The best way to explore the Isle of Skye and Lochalsh is with your own transport.  Public transport is very limited and does not connect all the towns, villages,  tourist attractions and walks that you may want to do.  So to explore fully,  your own transport is highly recommended.

If you are driving to the area,  it is worth checking Traffic Scotland and Bear Scotland for any accidents,  road closures or roadworks that could disrupt your journey.  Due to the terrain,  there are few roads in this part of Scotland.  So quite often if a road is closed,  there is no easy alternative route.

There are petrol stations in Inverinate,  Kyle of Lochalsh,  Armadale,  Broadford, Portree,  Staffin and Dunvegan.  If you have an electric vehicle,  check if your holiday cottage has electric car charging facilities,  or that you are able to use your own on their supply.  There can be an additional charge for this facility.  There are also public charging points and Charge Place Scotland shows their locations and if they are working.

The Isle of Skye is linked to the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh by the Isle of Skye Bridge.  It arrives on the Isle of Skye at Kyleakin and is toll free.  It is the simplest and quickest way of crossing to the Isle of Skye. The alternative is pick one of the ferry options above which can be more fun!

If you do not have your own vehicle,  there are car hire companies in Inverness and in the Skye and Lochalsh area which are worth booking in advance as very limited locally.  Alternatively there are local tour and private hire companies where you can join a scheduled tour or enjoy a bespoke trip tailored to suit what you would like to see.