When to visit Isle of Skye?

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Matt.

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I'm considering a few days on Skye this year but don't know which time to choose. I can do May, June, or September. When is best to go?

Have any of you visited? This is clearly somewhere with huge weather complications and this could well end up just being a washout and prep for another trip!


Thanks
 
Midges. Think midges. If it's June, get a midge net. Even early May and mid-September can be midgey. Visually I'd prefer May, but others may prefer later in the year.
 
It was the wife's 50th birthday on January 27th just gone, guess where we went? :eek::eek:

Yep a 10 day trip including driving there and back to the Isle of Lewis, but via a 2 night stay on Skye, was originally going to be one night but due to weather was 2 as the ferry was cancelled.

So yeah 2 days on Skye, 5 on Lewis & Harris, if I was to do it again I'd spend more time on Skye.

What I would say is that the weather was certainly challenging, I think that will happen any time in the Outer Hebrides to be fair, however when I go back again it wont me June - September for sure. We loved the trip and looking on Youtube there's a Kim Grant that has a photography channel seems to have been on Skye a fortnight later and her weathers been great!
 
Oh, also a few things about Skye, the roads. My god the roads are awful, it's a constant noise of road grit hitting your wheel arches, the pot holes and pot trenches are awful, it's genuinely like the council spends as little as physically possible. Don't expect much in the way of shopping either :)

On skye this was my favourite shot, it's now a five foot canvas in the living room.

027 - The Cuillins, Skye by Donnie Canning, on Flickr

The whole album is at https://flic.kr/s/aHsmbW4D8j but the Skye pics specifically are only images 6 to 17
 
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June or September would be best but only because there is a lesser chance of mist.
I try to get up once a year at least and in all honesty have never been bothered by the midges but always be prepared.
Skye can be very misty also and although it can lend itself to some pictures it kills 98% of them.
I make my base in Kidonan or Edinbane as its a nice central location. 7 miles from Dunvegan, 12 from Portree, etc etc.
I personally have never shot the south of the island but i might do that this year.
I note the comments about the roads and shops etc but if your only going for a few days im sure you will survive.
Truth be told you will find pretty much everything on Skye that you would on the mainland.
 
Early May and you might miss the midges. July - no chance and September, depends on the weather and when you go.

Midges in Scotland can be horrendous but in the 5 or 6 times I have been to Skye those on the island are a breed apart.

If you are affected by them (and there are some who shall be know as "The Blessed" who are not) they will not flay you to the bone, but you might which they had.

However, the midges are a very small price to pay for some spectacular scenery.

Like many places that were once relatively quite, Skye has become very popular -

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...or-help-with-overcrowding-after-tourism-surge

- so I was going again I'd try to go out of season. Just be prepared for some interesting weather.

Have a great time.

Dave
 
From late April through May to early June the NW is often dry and reasonably warm for a good 2 or 3 weeks, you also have long daylight hours and often some snow remaining higher up.
Midges are not at their worst but will still be about in sheltered spots.
Most years July, onwards tends to be unsettled but you can be lucky and conditions change rapidly by the hour so lots of variety.
 
I’d honestly go in May. Midges aren’t too bad (I really don’t see the issues with them, they won’t kill you like a jihadist will in Paris or London, or a snake will in Australia or a rhino will in Africa) and the tourist season won’t have picked up.

June and September is actually lovely with everything nice and green as opposed to bare and brown like in the winter months but it’ll be busier.
 
Well, I'd agree with May (or April) as a best bet. I lived on Skye for a couple of years recently, and still intend to return to build a house, once some pressing family matters are sorted.
Midges? Loads - but it depends upon your attitude and experience. Expect to be bitten unless its winter. Plan to minimise this by having the least amount of flesh available (tuck trousers into long socks!), avoiding damp airless areas (if you can see clouds of them, they'll annihilate you!). Wind is good - it blows them away. Sun is good - most biting species avoid direct sunlight. Expect a couple of hours after dawn, and the late afternoon/evening to be the worst for midges. If there are a lot, plaster your face & exposed skin with some cheap skin cream - nothing expensive and the scent is immaterial. The midges will land on this greasy surface ,stick to it and die. With a nice (??) thick greasy layer you'll gradually turn black as the midge corpses pile up, but very few will penetrate it to bite you!
Weather? Well, this really is pot luck. It is not unusual for a whole week to be wet and overcast on Skye. Weather forecasts are much less reliable than in most other locations - The Island makes it's own weather, especially if you have an air mass coming from the SW or W, over the sea.
But, in my experience, it is always worth bearing in mind that the weather on Skye can be dramatically different from one location to another. When we stayed (or lived, in English parlance!!) in Glen Eynort (between Glen Brittle and Glen Talisker) we'd often experience a very overcast, dour & drizzly day. All day. But if we drove 4 miles to Carbost, on higher ground, you could sometimes see a different story. Perhaps to the north-west it looked a bit brighter - in which case a drive up to Trotternish might be worthwhile (a long way, though, this is not a small island - so we really only tried this if we had visitors!). Otherwise a brighter aspect to the east might encourage a drive to Broadford and then down the road towards Elgol. Do not assume that crap weather over the Cuillin - or even very poor weather near the Cuillin, means that the whole Island is similarly afflicted!

Another quick observation. On Donnie's excellent panorama of the Cuillins you'll see a brighter area on the horizon just right of middle. Believe it or not, this is almost always there! This gap is Glen Sligachan, running pretty much between the Red Cuillin and the Black Cuillin. I've lost count of the times that the Black Cuillin are shrouded in cloud, the Red Cuillin may also be, or swirling mist, but there is a very bright and interesting area of sky between the two. It can be very interesting at sunrise, but the area is so changeable that a striking image is possible at any time of the day.
Hope this helps.
To go back to time of year, yep May would be my pick. Otherwise, September (watch the midges!), or October if you could stretch it.
 
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Depends how you want to see the island, but I only go up between Nov-March because you get some amazing conditions (if you like getting wet whilst waiting on the best winter light you'll find anywhere) Sept. out of your available times easily. The rest is pretty much middle of tourist season and you'll not see the island in it's true beauty, you'll see it in it's overrun crowded state that unfortunately it needs to survive. it's a victim of it's own success in that regard.
 
Went for a couple of days in June last year, it was reasonably busy with tourists but then as I was one I can't really complain about that.

As for the midges - I used 'Smidge' and for first time in my life I could enjoy a trip to the West coast without getting eaten alive - highly recommended
 
April is a good time to visit, but avoid bank holidays. In the summer, it gets VERY busy and makes driving around a PITA. Too many inconsiderate drivers parking anywhere they please and making it difficult to get by.
Some folks are lucky and don’t find the midges a problem, but many do have their time spoiled by them. Ok as mentioned above, they wont kill you, but getting them crawling in your ears, up your nose and around your eyes is unpleasant for many. I use a midge jacket as I find it better than a hood and don’t give a toss how it looks, much better to be comfortable than win any awards for how it looks!
 
Northaway said:
Midges, and tourists. It's getting busier every year. The ends of the year are definitely preferable. October--April I'd say.
Click to expand...

Most definitely agree. The west side isn’t so busy at these times but even in November last year the storr and quaring was still very busy
 
Avoid summer months as the roads are getting so bad with traffic the island is coming to a stand still and its really hard to find parking spaces

late september onwards is normally good

i went on February a couple of years ago and the weather was horrendous could hardly stand handholding the camera :eek:

ps if your looking for accommodation i can highly recommend this little place

www.isle-of-skye-croft.co.uk/
 
I live and work on Skye and would definitely go in May. Less crowded, less midges (but personally think midge menace is over rated. Smudge does well to keep them off you but they will still buzz round you). June and September will be rammed with people but always possible to get away; on the day the BBC said Skye was full last year, I was guiding a client all day in the Cuillin and once 50m from the road didn't see a soul all day.

Get in touch if you want any particular advice etc or have a look at the Facebook group I've set up

https://www.facebook.com/groups/165143940728168/

Here's a couple of recent photos to get you in the mood for Skye
tttttttttt.jpg
789.jpg
_DSC6391.jpg

PS winter is best, in my opinion but failing that anytime October to May. Hope you have a great time whenever you go.
 
I'm considering seeing if I can switch some days at work and go late April. Would that be better than October?
 
cuillinade said:
I live and work on Skye and would definitely go in May. Less crowded, less midges (but personally think midge menace is over rated. Smudge does well to keep them off you but they will still buzz round you). June and September will be rammed with people but always possible to get away; on the day the BBC said Skye was full last year, I was guiding a client all day in the Cuillin and once 50m from the road didn't see a soul all day.

Get in touch if you want any particular advice etc or have a look at the Facebook group I've set up

https://www.facebook.com/groups/165143940728168/

Here's a couple of recent photos to get you in the mood for Skye
View attachment 122855
View attachment 122856
View attachment 122857

PS winter is best, in my opinion but failing that anytime October to May. Hope you have a great time whenever you go.
Click to expand...

i loved the second image
 
I would simply go when the weather suits your mood. For me it is at least partially sunny, and as things are many weeks can be a wet misery. It is impossible to book in advance and get what you want. If you see it will be good over next few days just pack up and go.

Any time in the year can be "good" if the weather is cooperative.

Midges might be a little annoying, but frankly not a major issue. Get some citronella essential oil and that should reduce the problem without poisoning you with neurotoxins.

In summer months be prepared to camp as everything gets booked or becomes too expensive. Any other time it is almost free for all.
 
For me I still say the summer as it is really lovely. Depends what you want to see - the angle of the sunrise and sunset changes dramatically. The high summer is really good on the Trotternish ridge as the sun comes up slightly behind you. And it's lovely and lush and green. I don't like it here any other way although I might end up here tomorrow anyway.

_DSC1286 (1) by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

It can still be quite "brown" in May - particularly towards the start of the month but the light will fall nicely on Trotternish but again deeper into the summer works. This was right at the very start mind. Two weeks later and it would be a nicer less brown hue

_DSC0706 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

October is a good time too as the Moorland goes a deep red colour - weather might be less stable mind you.

_DSC3380 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

March it can be a bit brown but hill top snow if the winters been harsh.

_DSC2015 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Brown and bare though :(

_DSC0408 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Wintery months Elgol is a good bet for sunset and sunrise - not quite so ideal in the summer with the sunset behind the mountains

_DSC2898 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Same shot but in August

_DSC8858 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Elgol in the morning is just, well, better IMHO

_DSC0178 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr
 
SFTPhotography said:
And it's lovely and lush and green
Click to expand...
Argh!! Green?? You want Skye to be green??? :eek: ......:dummy:
Very interesting how differently people see things. I'm captivated by the different brown textures of the grasses, sedges, rushes, heathers, bog myrtle. For me, green equals artificial, overgrazing, horrible!
So it goes... ;)
 
Bill Cook said:
Argh!! Green?? You want Skye to be green??? [emoji33] ......:dummy:
Very interesting how differently people see things. I'm captivated by the different brown textures of the grasses, sedges, rushes, heathers, bog myrtle. For me, green equals artificial, overgrazing, horrible!
So it goes... ;)
Click to expand...

Green to me signifies life, being alive. I like it green the best

I found myself waking up to Eas Mor waterfall yesterday and I didn’t take a picture. The leafless trees killed it for me. A summer or autumn afternoon up there would be mega
 
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SFTPhotography said:
I like it green the best
Click to expand...

Brilliant how differently people see things! We moved from Skye to Dumfries & Galloway nearly 2 years ago, to be closer to my 100 year old mother-in-law who needed and deserved more frequent visits. Both my wife and I struggled a lot with "green". As in, "Wow, can't believe this green! Looks like a park. Not real." We're only now just coming to terms with it. Still doesn't feel right, though, especially where fields have been heavily fertilised. Red Cuillin Card small.JPG Red Cuillin Card small.JPG
If it's of any interest, here is an impression of Skye I did for a message card - not a photo obviously, but a mini watercolour. Not at all real - huge vertical exaggeration, and the colours are way different to reality, but this is one version of how it apeals to me
 
Bill Cook said:
Brilliant how differently people see things! We moved from Skye to Dumfries & Galloway nearly 2 years ago, to be closer to my 100 year old mother-in-law who needed and deserved more frequent visits. Both my wife and I struggled a lot with "green". As in, "Wow, can't believe this green! Looks like a park. Not real." We're only now just coming to terms with it. Still doesn't feel right, though, especially where fields have been heavily fertilised. View attachment 123283 View attachment 123283
If it's of any interest, here is an impression of Skye I did for a message card - not a photo obviously, but a mini watercolour. Not at all real - huge vertical exaggeration, and the colours are way different to reality, but this is one version of how it apeals to me
Click to expand...

A lot of people like the earthy tones of winter and spring - don't get me wrong I still take pictures in these conditions but my heart really cries out for a colour palate like this (not skye) - and I know I am in the minority. I like the Autumn colours too, when the moorland is nice and red - too short a season. I could easily swap a month of winter out for another of Autumn.

_DSC0828_Rendition 3 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Nice painting, I wish I could do that.

We really are all different - variety is the spice of life and you get that on Skye.
 
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