Trotternish circuit

A fairly hilly circuit round the northernmost peninsula on the Isle of Skye, passing iconic sites such as the Storr and the Quirang and with great views over the sea in all directions.

Portree, the main town on the Isle of Skye is the perfect start point for this route and also has bike hire available. From the centre of town follow the A855 which swings round above the harbour before turning northwards and climbing out of town towards Staffin. It’s not long until the typical Trotternish views of steep escarpments high above the road appear with the view towards the Storr from the Storr lochs being particularly impressive. Further on the road swings nearer to the coast and there are good views over to the islands of Raasay & Rona as well as to the more distant mainland. Shortly before Staffin it’s worth making a quick stop to see Kilt Rock, an impressive cliff of pillared rock which resembles the pleats of a kilt.

From Staffin there is a choice of routes. The first, continuing around the top of the Trotternish peninsula on the A855 keeps to the lower ground (but still with some hills) and has some excellent views to the Hebrides particularly around Kilmuir. Option two follows the shorter hill road over the Quiraing involving a steep, 250m climb out of Staffin before crossing open moorland and descending via hairpins into Uig where the two routes rejoin.

From Uig the route follows the busier A87 trunk road southwards towards Portree. It’s worth noting that much of the traffic on this road is to and from the ferries to the Hebrides which depart from Uig so you can time your ride to avoid much of the traffic. After a climb out of Uig the route is undulating as far as Kensaleyre. From here the most direct return to Portree is to continue on the A87 but a more pleasant and much quieter alternative is to turn right juts beyond Kensaleyre and follow the B8036 to the A850 Dunvegan road at Carbost. Turn left here and soon afterwards turn right to Penness. This minor road climbs gently to the B885 where a left turn leads back downhill into Portree.