Isle of Skye in 2019  

Hi Ulana,

I've never been to Skye but I've been a few times to Eigg.  The difference is that Skye is bigger and you can drive there vs a Ferry to Eigg (no cars allowed).

Why end of August instead of perhaps April when the days are shorter?

JM

Very interested but needs to be outside the summer months.   Spring or autumn?

Hi John,

The end of August because apparently the best times are either early Spring or Fall.  I am going to look into the timing but the idea was to avoid periods where there is a heavy influx of tourists, which happens in Summer.

More soon.

Cheers!

Hi Ulana,

The current proposed time frame is the last week of Aug or first week of Sept, which would be Fall there.

Cheers!

Hi Raaj and all at Guerbois Cafe

First a quick intro and apology for my late entry to Guerbois Cafe. My name is Neil MacLeod and I have been a friend of Kevin's for many years and recently met Raaj and Wendy on their trip up to Canada. I immigrated to Canada from the UK about 20 years ago and still here so we definitely now consider ourselves Scottish/Canadians. I been suffering from stage fright joining such grand masters of the lens but I could not ignore this last post from Raaj regarding a trip to Skye. I was born and raised on the Isle of Skye so the island holds a special place in my heart. If you have the opportunity to join this trip I am sure you will be stunned by the magical photographic opportunities that await you. There is something magical about the light in Northern Scotland and being on an island is even better. For those who have never been I have attached one photo of Uig a village at the North end, this ferry takes you to the Outer Hebrides. Also attached is a link to a You Tube by a guy called Mads Peter Iversen this will give you a flavour of the delights that await those who dare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yo1crTPaZI

Hi Neil - Welcome!

Perhaps you can chime in with recommendations on times to go and dates to avoid for Skye? (for good photography and not too crowded).  I have been to Eigg a few times but always in early April.  The group should probably visit Talisker too - right? 🙂

Hi John

Thanks for the welcome and of course to everyone else who sent welcome messages. I have finally shown up better late than never! Special thanks to Raaj for encouraging me to join.

So some recommendations first the weather and the midges. The weather is totally unpredictable so you just have to accept that horizontal rain won't last forever and fills the burns (creeks) up and creates new photo opportunities at various waterfalls. Midges are very small extremely annoying gnats that will drive you demented so take some mesh protection and bug spray. Probably best to buy bug spray locally. As to times to visit I would definitely avoid high season which is from about mid June thru to first week of September as the island gets very busy and accommodation prices go up. Spring and Fall are both excellent times to visit but the trip will be outstanding if the weather gods are cooperating. If not just makes shooting more interesting! Eigg, Rhum and Muck are islands all part of whats called the Inner Hebrides and although I have not been I am sure they are also wonderful. Depending on the photo ops the team want will dictate the best location, probably best to choose a central point that best meets the needs rather than moving around as most point are easily reached if centrally located. The Cullins mountains are also outstanding but need to be taken very seriously as they are extremely dangerous if the weather closes in. I have been on Skye in a Force 10 gale in the middle of the summer and also been in Skye when it was 30C in the middle of summer with flat calm seas. That however was exceptional so don't expect that every day. Talisker is the local distillery so if anyone fancies a wee dram that is well worth a visit.

N

Wow - great info - Thanks!

Welcome, Neil!  Great to see you posting here!

Thanks much for this info - since you're an expert on Skye, I am sure we will be reaching out to you for more help.

From your guidance, sounds like an ideal time might be 2nd/3rd week of Sept.

I'll share my research as I get more info from the B&Bs on the isle.

And definitely Talisker is on the agenda! 🙂

Cheers!

Hi Raaj

Sorry it took so long to show up! I will be glad to help with any info on Skye although some of mine may now be out of date as I haven't been up to Skye for four years. The big unknown of course will be the weather which can really make the trip outstanding.

N

I heard that the midges are pretty much gone by October and replaced with lovely fall colours?

Gang,

Sadly, this has sort of fallen by the wayside.  Several folks that were initially interested could not commit to any schedule and I stopped planning this further.  Maybe in 2020, inshallah, as the saying goes.

Cheers!