How to find us
Although Tarskavaig is over 650 miles from London as the eagle flies, we are not as far away as you might think. The village, nestling at the southern tip of Skye, is just over 2 hours from the main Highland city of Inverness by road, or around 5 hours from the central belt cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Many visitors want to travel 'over the sea to Skye' and so conveniently the CalMac ferry service operates from Mallaig to Armadale throughout the year, with Armadale Pier being just 15 minutes drive to Braeside Cottage. For an alternative way to Sleat you can take the roads from Inverness and the south though stunning mountain scenery via the Skye Bridge at Kyle which is just around 35 minutes from the village. Whether you are travelling by car, bike, train, coach or air, getting to Skye is easy and here are a few ideas.
by road
Skye is connected to the mainland by a network of great roads both via the Skye Bridge and the famous 'Road to the Isles' from Fort William to Mallaig. From Inverness take A82 south to Invermorriston which connects with the A87 to Kyle and Skye. Just before Broadford the main Sleat road the A851 is a left turn and Tarskavaig is 25 minutes further south. From the central belt of Scotland most roads converge at Fort William, where you can take the A82/A87 north to Kyle or the A830 to Mallaig to connect with the ferry. Allow plenty of time for the journey, you will want to make lots of stops for photos! Click here for the AA Journey Planner or call us to help you plan your trip.
by air
If you planning a holiday in Skye flying to Inverness and hiring a car can save a lot of time and give you a longer stay on the island. Frequent services operate from London, Bristol, Belfast and a number of other UK cities. There is a great choice of car hire at the airport, and using the good network of roads you can be at the cottage in well under 3 hours. Travelling by air often saves stopping over for a night in both directions and at just an hour from London it is a great alternative to a long car journey. Click here for the Inverness airport website.
by ferry
Many visitors like to travel to Skye by ferry, and the Mallaig to Armadale service with CalMac has been frequently voted as one of the best ferry journeys in the world. There are up to 8 sailings a day in the summer and a reduced service in the winter with a daily crossings except Saturday. Coming from the south by ferry saves around 60 miles of road journey and is just 30 minutes from sailing to docking. The CalMac boats have excellent facilities on board and their website is packed full of ideas on making your journey to Skye that much more enjoyable. Click here for CalMac's website, and we do recommend making reservations well in advance as many crossings in the peak summer months can be booked up!
by bus, train or bike
There are plenty of other ways to get to Skye, including inter-city buses, and the railway lines from Inverness to Kyle and the famed West Highland Line from Glasgow, Fort William to Mallaig, frequently voted as one of the best railway journeys in the world. But not having a car in the West Highlands does make travelling difficult, but if you don't have four wheels do get in touch with us and we'll help you find the best way for you!
We have shown below some links that we hope will be useful in planning your journey to Braeside Cottage.
Traveline Scotland, a great guide for all public transport in Scotland
First Scotrail, Scotland's railway network
Citylink, Scotland's inter-city coach system
Google Maps, a map of Sleat, in the south of Skye
Traffic Cameras, the 'live eye' view of Scotland's major trunk roads
Enjoy the journey!
