★★★★★
The whole day on Skye from Portree
We saw Skye without the stress of the single-track roads or hunting for a parking space, and far more of it than we would have found on our own.
Kim O. · 2026
Isle of Skye and Fairy Pools Day Tour from Portree
All day on SkyeBack the same nightMax 12 guests
If you are already on the island, this is the day that keeps you there. You meet a white minibus in Portree at 9am and walk to the Fairy Pools before the crowds. Then you work north round Trotternish with twelve people at most, a guide and a separate driver.
Your day from Portree at a glance
The Fairy Pools first
An hour and a half at the pools, timed to beat the crowds.
Eight hours, all on Skye
No mainland driving: you start and finish at the Portree coach park.
Twelve people, two hosts
A guide who talks, and a driver who only drives.
Snacks and water in the fare
Lunch is an hour in Portree around midday, on your own bill.
5.0 from 80 reviews
From $134 a person, with free cancellation to 24 hours.
Starting in Portree: the coach park at 9am
This tour starts where the others are still on their way. You meet at the coach and car park in Portree at 9am, so there is no early start in Inverness and no long mainland drive. Every minute of the eight hours is on Skye. That is why the tour suits you if you are staying on the island without a car, or if you would rather not drive its single-track roads yourself.
Two people run the day. One drives the minibus and the other guides, so your guide is talking to you, not watching the road. Twelve people is the most the tour takes. Snacks and bottled water are in the fare.
The Fairy Pools walk, an hour and a half
The Fairy Pools come first on purpose. The operator aims to reach them before the day's crowds, and gives you an hour 30 minutes there. That is long enough to walk up the glen past the waterfalls, with the Cuillin behind them, and back to the bus. The path is rough and often wet, so wear boots that can take it.
How the walk goes in rain, and what to pack for it, is in our post on the pools under the Cuillin. After the pools you stop for 10 minutes at Sligachan, by the old bridge, with the Cuillin ridge behind it.
North round Trotternish: Lealt Falls, Kilt Rock and An Corran beach
Lunch is in Portree, where the tour aims to arrive around midday to beat the queues. You get an hour, and your guide will suggest where to eat. After lunch the minibus heads up the east coast of Trotternish. There is a short stop to meet Highland cattle, then Lealt Falls for 10 minutes, where the river drops into a gorge.
Kilt Rock gets 20 minutes at the railing above the sea. Then comes An Corran beach, for 20 minutes, where you look for dinosaur footprints in the rock. The stop is timed with the tide to give you the best chance of seeing them, though no tide can promise it.
The Quiraing and the Storr on the way home
The Quiraing is the landslip at the north end of the ridge, and you get 20 minutes there. That is enough to walk a little way along the path and look back down the slopes. The last stop is the Old Man of Storr, for 10 minutes at a viewpoint below it. You see the pinnacle; you do not climb to it.
Then it is a short drive south to Portree, where the day ends at the coach park. One reviewer gives their day as 9am to 5pm. If you want more time at any one of these places, private Isle of Skye tours let you set the pace.
How the eight hours run
- 9:00am, the Portree coach park. Find the white minibus with the blue round logo.
- The Fairy Pools, an hour 30 minutes. The walk up the glen, before the crowds.
- Sligachan, 10 minutes. The old bridge and the Cuillin.
- Portree, an hour. Lunch around midday, on your own bill.
- Highland cattle, 15 minutes. A stop to meet the cows and their calves.
- Lealt Falls and Kilt Rock, 30 minutes. Two waterfalls on the east coast.
- An Corran beach, 20 minutes. Dinosaur footprints, if the tide allows.
- The Quiraing and the Storr, 30 minutes. The ridge, then the pinnacle from below.
- Back to the coach park. The tour ends where it began.
Who this suits: you are staying on Skye without a car
Book this if
You are sleeping on Skye and you want a full day of the island's sights without hiring a car or hunting for parking. You are fit enough for a rough path to the pools. You like a small group, and you want a guide whose attention is on you rather than on the road.
Book something else if
You want a vehicle for your own party: the customisable private day on Skye collects you anywhere on the island and includes parking fees, but it cannot be refunded. The private day from Portree includes the Dunvegan Castle ticket; read its terms, because the listing gives two refund rules. If you are in Inverness, not Portree, take the day tour from Inverness. Anyone with back problems should skip this one: the listing advises against it.
What the fare covers
In the fare
- Guide
- Snacks
- Bottled water
Not in the fare
- Restroom on board
- WiFi on board
Meeting at the Portree coach park
You meet at the coach and car park in Portree, postcode IV51 9EW, at 9am. Look for the white Tartan Trailblazers minibus in one of the bays: it has a blue round logo on the front. Your hosts wear blue tartan trousers, which makes them easy to spot. The tour ends back in the same car park.
If you are staying in Portree, you can walk there. If you are staying elsewhere on the island, allow time for the single-track roads and for parking in town. Where Skye's other tours start, and how you reach the island in the first place, is on the getting-to-Skye page.
Know before you go
- Wear boots that can get wet. The path to the pools is rough, and it is often muddy.
- There is no toilet on board. Use the stops; Portree at lunch is the longest.
- Children from six only. Younger children cannot join this tour.
- Moderate fitness is needed. The listing advises against it for back or serious heart problems.
- Bring money for lunch. Snacks and water are in the fare; lunch is not.
- Pack a waterproof. Skye's weather changes fast, and every stop is outdoors.
What travellers say about the day from Portree
★★★★☆
The whole day on Skye from Portree
Lots of short stops and a fair hour at the Fairy Pools: the typical day that covers a lot of ground.
Rony D. · 2026
★★★★★
The whole day on Skye from Portree
It goes ahead rain or shine. Expect mist, and a fair bit of walking in the wet to reach the Fairy Pools.
Jean A. · 2026
Frequently asked questions
What time does the tour start?
At 9am, from the coach and car park in Portree. It lasts about eight hours and ends back at the same car park.
How long do we get at the Fairy Pools?
The listing gives an hour 30 minutes, first thing in the day. One reviewer says their group had an hour, so treat the time as a guide.
Do we climb the Old Man of Storr?
No. It is a 10-minute stop at a viewpoint below the Old Man of Storr. The customisable private day on Skye gives you two hours there.
Is lunch included?
No. Snacks and bottled water are in the fare, and you stop in Portree for an hour around midday to buy lunch.
I am staying in Inverness. Can I join this tour?
Only if you can reach Portree by 9am, which is hard from Inverness. The day tour from Inverness collects you in the city instead, with an hour at Eilean Donan on the way.
Will we see the dinosaur footprints?
The operator times the stop at An Corran beach with the tide to give you the best chance. The tide and the weather decide it, so it cannot be promised.
Other ways onto the island
Ready for a whole day on Skye?
Check the dates still open for the day from Portree, twelve people at most, with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
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