The Skye Trail Walking Holiday – Walk Skye North to South
Walk the Isle of Skye from north to south on one of Scotland’s great long-distance trails. Over seven days, we’ll follow the Skye Trail from Rubha Hunish to Broadford, travelling through Trotternish, past the Storr, along remote coastline and beneath the Cuillin.
With a maximum of eight people, this is a small-group, fully supported walking holiday. We’ll take care of the daily transport and logistics, so you only need to carry a day pack and concentrate on completing the trail. If you’ve walked the West Highland Way and are wondering what comes next, the Skye Trail could be it.
8 nights · 7 days walking Grade: Active Distance: 14–22km/day Group: Max 8
Rooms: Shared hostel rooms Transport: Glasgow transfers included Meals: Breakfast + packed lunches From £1,800pp
Check Dates & Book Your Place
Select a date to check availability, room options and prices.
Upcoming departure dates
29 May – 6 June 2027
Deposits – Pay a 20% deposit when booking more than 12 weeks before departure. The remaining balance is due 12 weeks before departure.
A Good Fit for You If…
You’re comfortable walking 14–22km on consecutive days.
You enjoy rougher, more remote walking and don’t need well-surfaced paths.
You like the idea of completing a long-distance trail without carrying a full backpack.
You’re happy with sociable hostel accommodation and shared facilities.
Probably not for you if…
You’re looking for a leisurely holiday with shorter walks.
You prefer well-surfaced, clearly defined paths.
You want private hotel accommodation and an en-suite room.
You’re uncomfortable with exposed terrain, steep slopes or indistinct paths.
What People Say
“I completed the West Highland Way with Large Outdoors and the support throughout was wonderful. Having the transport and practical side taken care of meant I could simply enjoy the walking each day.”
— Large Outdoors guest, Google Review
Exploring the Isle of Skye
Walking the Skye Trail gives us a very different way to get to know the island. Rather than travelling from one well-known viewpoint to another, we’ll gradually make our way from the northern tip of Skye to the south, through some of the island’s most distinctive landscapes and communities.
The route takes us through Trotternish, past the Quiraing and Storr, through Portree and on towards Sligachan, Elgol and Torrin. Along the way we’ll encounter Skye’s crofting history, abandoned settlements and reminders of the Highland Clearances, as well as the small communities where people continue to live and work today.
Our evenings are deliberately flexible. We might stop somewhere for dinner, find a local pub or restaurant, or head back to the hostel and cook. By the time we reach Broadford, we’ll have experienced a substantial part of Skye on foot rather than simply visiting its best-known sights.
What’s Included
Eight nights’ hostel accommodation.
Seven days of guided walking with a Large Outdoors walk leader.
Glasgow city-centre pick-up on arrival day and return transport on departure day.
All transport required during the holiday, including daily walk transfers.
Support vehicle throughout the trip.
Breakfast each morning.
Packed lunch on each walking day.
Large Outdoors support before and during your holiday.
You’ll only need to carry a day pack while walking – your main luggage stays at our accommodation.
What’s Not Included
Evening meals.
Lunch on travel days.
Drinks and personal spending.
Travel to and from Glasgow.
Personal walking equipment.
Travel insurance.
Keeping evening meals separate gives us more flexibility. On some days we may eat while we’re out, while on others we can return to the hostel and cook together or make our own arrangements.
Suggested Itinerary
The Skye Trail is an outdoor journey, so our itinerary always remains flexible. Weather and ground conditions can have a significant effect on Skye, and your leader may alter timings or arrangements where necessary.
The aim, however, is to complete all seven stages of the trail from Rubha Hunish to Broadford.
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We’ll meet in Glasgow city centre before setting off together for the Isle of Skye – but today isn’t simply about getting from A to B.
We’ll make the journey part of the holiday, stopping at a few Highland cafés along the way before having lunch in Fort Augustus, where there’ll be time to stretch our legs and take a look at Loch Ness.
From here, we’ll continue through the Highlands, stopping at Eilean Donan Castle before crossing the bridge onto Skye and making our way to our accommodation. Once settled in, we’ll get together to run through the week ahead and get ready for our first day on the Skye Trail.
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Approximately 20km
And we’re off.
We begin at Rubha Hunish, the northernmost point of Skye, and start our journey south.
The conventional first stage finishes at Flodigarry, making it considerably shorter than the demanding stage that traditionally follows. On our supported version of the Skye Trail, we continue beyond Flodigarry towards the Quiraing.
This gives us a first day of approximately 20km and divides the northern part of the trail more evenly across our first two walking days.
Our vehicle will meet us at the end of the stage and return us to our accommodation.
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Approximately 22km
We return to where we finished and continue south through the Trotternish landscape towards the Storr.
This is one of the more demanding parts of the Skye Trail, with rough terrain and substantial ascent and descent. It is also a day that puts us right amongst some of the geological features for which northern Skye is known.
By starting at the Quiraing rather than Flodigarry, we’ve reduced the length of the conventional second stage and created a more balanced pair of days.
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Approximately 14km
Today we leave the Storr and follow the coastal version of the Skye Trail towards Portree.
It’s a shorter day in terms of distance, which comes at a useful point after our first two stages, although this remains proper rough-country walking.
Eventually the island’s main town comes into view and we reach Portree – an important milestone on our journey south.
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Approximately 19km
Leaving Portree behind, our route heads south towards Sligachan.
The character of the trail begins to change as we move away from Trotternish and towards the mountain landscapes of central Skye.
We finish at Sligachan, with the Cuillin providing the backdrop to the next part of our journey.
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Approximately 18km
Today we walk from Sligachan towards the west coast and Elgol.
We’re now passing beneath rather than over Skye’s biggest mountains, with the Cuillin accompanying us through much of the day.
This section takes us through some much quieter country before eventually reaching the small coastal community of Elgol.
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Approximately 16.5km
From Elgol, we continue around the southern side of Skye towards Torrin.
Although slightly shorter in distance, this is another varied day of walking through a much less visited part of the island.
By now Broadford is getting closer and there is a definite sense that we’re approaching the final part of our journey.
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Approximately 20km
Our final stage.
We leave Torrin for the last section of the Skye Trail, passing through the landscape and abandoned settlements of southern Skye as we make our way towards Broadford.
Eventually we reach the end of the trail.
Seven walking days and approximately 130km after leaving Rubha Hunish, we’ve crossed Skye from north to south on foot.
We’ll return to our accommodation for our final evening together and a well-earned chance to celebrate completing the trail.
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After breakfast, it’s time to leave Skye and begin our journey back to Glasgow.
We’ll make appropriate stops during the journey and aim to arrive back in Glasgow later in the day, where our trip ends.
Exact timings will be confirmed in your final joining information.
Getting There & Accommodation
Here’s everything you need to know about getting there and where you’ll be staying.
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This is designed as a car-free walking holiday. We’ll collect the group from a central Glasgow meeting point on Day 1 and travel together to the Isle of Skye, returning to Glasgow on Day 9.
There’s no need to bring a car. Once on Skye, we provide the transport needed to get to and from each stage of the trail.
The exact Glasgow meeting point, collection time and expected return time will be included in your joining information. Please allow plenty of time for onward travel on the final day in case of traffic or other delays.
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We’ll be staying in hostel accommodation for eight nights. Rooms and facilities are shared, creating a sociable base for our small group, but it’s worth knowing that this is a different style of accommodation from our hotel-based walking holidays.
Your main luggage stays at the accommodation, so you’ll only need to carry a day pack while walking.
Breakfast and a packed lunch are included on each walking day. Evening meals are kept flexible – we may stop somewhere to eat after a walk, eat locally or return to the hostel and use the self-catering facilities.
Check Dates & Book Your Place
Select a date to check availability, room options and prices.
Upcoming departure dates
29 May – 6 June 2027
Deposits – Pay a 20% deposit when booking more than 12 weeks before departure. The remaining balance is due 12 weeks before departure.
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