Cars and Taxis

Skye is a much larger island than most people expect - to drive from the Northern tip to the Point of Sleat is approximately 70 miles and takes almost 2 hours. As the local bus services are rather limited, the best way to get around on Skye is by car. However, driving in the Highlands and especially on the islands such as Skye can be quite different to what you are used to so here are some handy hints:

Watch out for sheep! Many roads in the Highlands and Islands are not fenced and sheep are still free to wander onto the road to graze the road verges. You must slow down when passing sheep as they are quite likely to walk out in front of your car. If you hit a sheep at speed you are likely to severely damage your vehicle, and the driver (not the sheep!) is responsible for the damage. In particular, watch out for the situation where a lamb is on one side of the road and it's mother is on the other side; the lamb will easily panic and rush across the road in the path of your car.

Be aware that many places in the Highlands and Islands can only be reached via narrow, "single track" roads where vehicles can only pass at "passing places". There are passing places every 50 to 100 metres to allow vehicles to pass each other. In addition, many of these roads have blind summits and sharp corners which slow you down quite considerably. Allow plenty of time for your journey and enjoy the view... If someone is in a rush behind you, please pull into one of the passing places and let them past - thus avoiding the Highland equivalent of road rage!