Expert: Willie Wallace - 3/7/2010

Question
I will be visiting a friend in Belfast soon and I would love to go to the Isle of Skye.  I have very limited time (2 days) what is my best means to get to Dunvegan from Belfast?

Answer
Hi Andy,

Skye is beautiful, but you might find you are particularly stretched to get there and back (to Belfast, I presume) in a couple of days.  However, to do it, you need to fly to Glasgow.  

http://www.easyjet.com

fly from Belfast International Airport for as little as GBP44 return (if you do not check any bags - just take one small cabin bag for the two day trip and save GBP18).

http://www.ryanair.com

fly from Belfast City which may be more convenient if you are actually staying IN Belfast.  I checked fares for the 7th to 9th April and return was only GBP25 (again with out checked in luggage).  You will end up paying card charges and so on with both airlines, but those are still pretty cheap.

Ryanair fly into Prestwick Airport (which they call Glasgow Prestwick) which is only 30 minutes from Ardrossan for the ferry.

It is about five hours drive to Portree on Skye, so that is ten hours of your time taken up.  It is a scenic drive, so it is enjoyable, but doesn't leave you much time.

Hire car from

http://www.celticlegend.co.uk/car

I have another suggestion.  The island of Arran is as beautiful as Skye, but it is so much more accessible for you with your limited time.  It is a 45 minutes drive from the airport to Ardrossan to catch the 55 minute ferry crossing.

http://www.calmac.co.uk

for ferry tickets.

Arran has absolutely everything, from mountains to glens, to waterfalls, to beaches, to seals, to deer, to rivers, to standing stones, to Viking and prehistoric forts, to a distillery and brewery, plus castles, a heritage museum and seven golf courses.

There are loads of places to stay, but I recommend

http://www.kildonanhotel.com

upon the South side of the island.  Beautiful location and very comfy hotel with great food.

The Ormidale Hotel in Brodick has a great pub and is walking distance from the ferry, but you do need a car wherever you are going, if you are to make your two days work.

I hope this all helps and any further questions come back to me.  Here are a couple of websites to learn a little more about the island on the first one and see some not brilliant photos on the second one.

http://www.scotlandview.co.uk/isle_of_arran.htm

http://www.seyeneco.com/pages/pictures/isle_of_arran.html

Sorry for any spelling errors, but rushing to finish my work.

Cheers,

Willie