The Isle of Skye Pools Under the Cuillin: Boots, Rain and Time
The short answer. The Fairy Pools are a walk, not a viewpoint, and the tours that stop there give you between an hour and a quarter and two hours. That is enough to reach the main falls and come back. The path is rough and often wet, so wear walking boots and a waterproof, and expect rain in any month.
What the walk is
The Fairy Pools are a chain of clear pools and small waterfalls in Glen Brittle, west of the Cuillin mountains. You reach them from a car park on a path that runs up the glen beside the river. There is no building, no ticket and no gate. What you get is the water, the rock and the dark peaks of the Black Cuillin behind.
That makes the pools different from most tour stops. At the Old Man of Storr or Kilt Rock, a ten-minute stop gives you the view. At the Fairy Pools, you only see the falls if you walk to them. So the length of the stop matters more here than anywhere else on the island. What the rest of the island's sights are, and how long each deserves, is on the what-to-see page.
How long each tour gives you
Not every tour goes to the Fairy Pools. The most-reviewed day tours from Inverness skip them. The table lists the tours that stop there, longest stop first, from each operator's own itinerary.
| Tour | Leaves from | Time at the pools |
|---|---|---|
| Timberbush 2-day | Inverness | 2 h |
| Discover Scotland 3-day | Edinburgh | 2 h |
| Aye Tours private day | Inverness | 1 h 55 |
| Steam-train 3-day | Inverness | 1 h 45 |
| Tartan Trailblazer day | Portree | 1 h 30 |
| Highland Experience day | Inverness | 1 h 30 |
| Macleod private 3-day | Edinburgh or Glasgow | 1 h 30 |
| WOW Scotland day | Inverness | 1 h 15 |
| Highland Explorer Dunvegan day | Inverness | 1 h 15 |
Those are the listed times as of September 2026. The day may run shorter: one reviewer on the Portree day says their group had an hour, not the ninety minutes listed. Treat the figure as a guide, not a promise.
When in the day you reach the pools also differs. On the Portree day and the Highland Explorer Dunvegan day from Inverness, they are the first stop on the island. On the Highland Experience and WOW Scotland days, they come in the afternoon, after lunch in Portree. The Portree operator puts them first on purpose, to arrive before the day's crowds.
Is an hour enough?
An hour to an hour and a quarter gets you to the main falls and back without hurrying. Ninety minutes gives you time to stop at the pools on the way and take photographs. Two hours lets you go further up the glen at your own pace. If you are a slow walker, pick a tour from the top of the table.
If you are staying on Skye, the day from Portree is the simplest choice. It goes to the pools first thing, before the crowds, and gives them an hour and a half. From Inverness, the Highland Experience day gives the same ninety minutes for $107. The day tours with and without the pools are compared on Isle of Skye day tours.
The path in the rain
Skye is wet. The Met Office station at Prabost records 1,769 mm of rain a year. Every month from October to January brings about 200 mm, and even June, the driest month, has 82 mm. May is the sunniest month, with about 196 hours of sun.
On the Fairy Pools path, rain means mud, running water across the path and wet rock underfoot. The tours still go in the rain. One reviewer on the Portree day describes a lot of walking in the wet; another describes frequent rain and strong wind. Neither regretted it, but both were dressed for it. The month-by-month figures are on the Isle of Skye weather page.
What to wear and bring
The walk is not a climb, but it is on rough ground, and you will be out in the weather for an hour or more.
- Walking boots with grip. Trainers slip on wet rock, and the path has plenty of it.
- A waterproof jacket. Bring one on any day, in any month.
- A dry layer for the bus. The drive after the pools is long, and wet clothes make it longer.
- Water and a snack. The Portree day includes both; most others do not.
- Midge repellent in the warm months. One reviewer was told by locals to bring a midge net.
Which base suits a day at the pools
The right tour depends on where you sleep the night before, because the pools are a long way from both Inverness and Edinburgh.
- Staying on Skye: the day from Portree, at $134, gives the pools an hour and a half and spends the whole day on the island.
- Staying in Inverness, one day: the Highland Experience day gives ninety minutes for $107; the Highland Explorer Dunvegan day gives an hour and a quarter and adds the castle for $117.
- Staying in Inverness, two days: the Timberbush 2-day gives the pools two hours on the second morning, for $207.
- Coming from Edinburgh: the Discover Scotland 3-day gives two hours for $312, and you book your own rooms.
The day tours from Inverness are compared side by side on Isle of Skye tours from Inverness.
Photographs at the pools
The picture people come for is a waterfall with the Cuillin behind it, and that needs something you cannot book: a clear sky over the peaks. Low cloud can hide the Cuillin completely. When it does, turn to the pools themselves, where the water can be clear enough to show every stone on the bottom. You can see both kinds of day in the Isle of Skye photo gallery.
Who should skip the pools
The walk is not for everyone, and a tour without it can still be a very good day. The Portree day advises against booking with back problems and asks for moderate fitness. None of the tours here is wheelchair accessible. If walking on rough ground is hard for you, a day with more viewpoints and shorter stops will suit you better. The day tour from Inverness with an hour at the castle is one: its Skye stops are viewpoints and a harbour town, not walks.
Combining the pools with the rest of Skye
The Fairy Pools are close to Sligachan and its old bridge, and most tours stop at both. Trotternish, where the Storr, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing are, is in a different part of the island, so a day that does both covers a lot of road. If you can, give the pools and the north their own half-days. On a multi-day tour, that is what the full island day is for; the 3-day options are on Isle of Skye 3-day tours. For a boat trip under the same mountains, see Loch Coruisk on the Isle of Skye activities page.
Tours that walk up the glen
Isle of Skye and Fairy Pools Day Tour leaving from Portree
Eight hours from the Portree coach park, all on the island, twelve people at most. The waterfalls come first, before the crowds, then the east coast of Trotternish. Snacks and water are in the fare.
From $134 per person
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Skye Day Tour from Inverness with Fairy Pools & Dunvegan Castle
Twelve and a half hours from Union Street: an hour and a quarter at the waterfalls, then the clan seat in the north-west, with its entry sold as a fare option. Sixteen people at most.
From $117 per person
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Inverness: 2-Day Isle of Skye, The Fairy Pools & Highland Castles
Two days from Inverness with both of them on the island and a night in Portree, in the tour's B&B or your own room. Two hours at the waterfalls on the second morning, and six days' notice to cancel.
From $207 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: See why the castle is a separate question in our post on the castle before the bridge. Every fare sits side by side on Isle of Skye Day Tours.