The largest town on the Isle of Skye is Portree - nestled by the ocean, surrounded by rugged hills. Skye itself is a wonderful place to visit, with lots of hikes (see my post on the Fairy Pools), dramatic landscapes, a rich history, and wonderful winding roads to drive on. Amidst all of the nature, there are a few towns scattered throughout the island which provide rich local culture and some great attractions.
Portree has a plethora of colored buildings which are extremely pleasing to the eye! When you walk around the harbor you can get quite great views of these buildings - opportunities for 'instagram worthy' pictures are plenty!
When I last visited Portree, the old stone church building in the picture above (directly above the light green and blue house) was open to the public and had a lovely local market going on inside! There were local vendors with their products, lots of knitting, wool, local art, and other goodies! I strolled the market with my grandpa, a memory I will not forget any time soon.
Wentworth Street in downtown Portree is filled with shops and cafes, we ate lunch at "the Cafe" which is the floor level of the Caledonian hotel. I had a delicious milkshake which was topped with whipped cream and other goodies like cookies and sprinkles, it was great! There are only a few major streets in Portree, but they all have some sort of cool shop or cafe.
Another great place to eat, and drink 😉, is the Merchant Bar - located on bosville terrace, which is centrally located and just next to the harbour. This is a cool looking bar with modern finishes that still maintain the charm of an old highland pub. They have local scotch and beer available as well as many other great options.
In a few pictures above, I pointed out the stone church where my grandpa and I visited the market. Above that church, there is a large forested area where this tower is located! If you walk past the church up along the road, there will be a foot path on to the left. That path will take you into the highland games area, which is a large natural peninsula looking over the ocean. If you continue to walk around the forest, veering to the left, you will reach somewhat of a foot path through the trees. The footpath will lead to this stone tower! There is an opening where you can enter the tower and climb stairs to the top!
(View from the Tower)
While Skye itself is an attraction, Portree is definitely a place that should not be missed!
Thanks for reading,
Madison xx
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