Ferries to Isle of Skye: Daring Dream Destination

Skye is a bit of an interesting one, in terms of ferries. Unlike most of Scotland’s other islands, you don’t actually need a ferry to get there. You can simply drive across the Skye Bridge. But depending on where your Scotland road trip takes you, a ferry to Isle of Skye might actually make more sense. And one of those ferries happens to be the last of its kind in the world. More on that weirdness later. To keep your travels as stress-free as possible, here’s what to know about driving to Skye, taking the CalMac ferry from Mallaig, and hopping aboard the wonderfully unusual Glenelg ferry.

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Where To Stay on the Isle of Skye

Since you’ll be staying in the beautiful Isle of Skye, you want a hotel that capitalizes on that beauty. Duisdale House Hotel fits that description pretty neatly.

For starters, it’s a gorgeous hotel on top of a hill – looks more like a grand, historic mansion than a traditional concrete complex. But it’s not outdated at all; it’s got a lovely interior that looks nice while still being comfy and relaxing.

You can even upgrade to a cottage for extra privacy.

Stone country house hotel with steep gabled roofs, large windows, surrounding trees, and a wide green lawn in front.

Bright white hotel bathroom with a freestanding bathtub, chrome fixtures, two champagne flutes, and an arched window overlooking the water and distant hills.

Elegant hotel bedroom with a navy blue bed, silver tufted headboard, orange armchairs, and large windows overlooking the water and surrounding hills.

Scenic water view framed by leafy trees, with sailboats on the loch and rugged mountains rising beneath a partly cloudy blue sky.

Elegant hotel dining room with green velvet chairs, set tables, a crystal chandelier, and large windows overlooking the surrounding gardens.

PHOTO CREDITS: DUISDALE HOUSE HOTEL VIA HOTELS.COM

PLANNING A TRIP TO ISLE OF SKYE SOON?

Below are some of the best tours, hotels, and more to kickstart your plans!

Popular Tours & Activities in Isle of Skye:

Top Places to Stay in Isle of Skye:

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Do You Need a Ferry to Get to the Isle of Skye?

Nope! This is an important thing to know before you start planning your entire Scotland road trip around ferry schedules.

The Skye Bridge connects Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland with Kyleakin on Skye, and it’s free to cross. So if you’re already exploring Scotland by car, you can just follow the road onto the island. No schedules, reservations, or waiting around required.

When I was coming from the Isle of Mull, I actually didn’t take a ferry to get to Skye, and used the bridge instead. It was a roundabout way to go, but it took me right past Ben Nevis, and I ended up stumbling into a cute little hide-and-seek tradition with painted rocks along the way. I also got to see a sheep and her baby sitting in the middle of the road! And missed taking a picture, dang it!

But depending on where your road trip takes you before or after Skye, driving across the bridge isn’t necessarily the route that makes the most sense for you, and that’s exactly where the ferries come in.

Red car driving along a winding rural road through green countryside, with dramatic rocky mountains rising in the distance.

PHOTO CREDIT: DepositPhotos.com

When Ferries to Isle of Skye Make Sense

There are two ferries between mainland Scotland and Skye worth knowing about. One is practical. The other is basically an attraction disguised as transportation, but those are the kind of quirky things I love!

CalMac: Practical for Southern Routes

Rather than thinking of the ferry as something you have to take to get to Skye, think of it as another route you can work into your road trip. CalMac will be a familiar name if you’ve read my Mull and Islay posts.

The Mallaig ferry travels to Armadale, near the southern end of Skye, so it can make a lot of sense if your Scotland road trip approaches Skye from the south. This route would have made sense for me since I was coming from Mull and by not taking the ferry I added hours to my already long ass itinerary.

The Mallaig to Armadale crossing takes about 45 minutes, costs £13.25 one way for a car plus £4 per adult passenger, which includes the cost of bringing your car along for the ride.

Glenelg-Skye: Unique and Memorable

Adventurers, boat enthusiasts, and lovers of the unique and unusual will be enamored with the MV Glenachulish. Also called the Glenelg-Skye Ferry, this is the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world. How’s that for one-of-a-kind?

It crosses between Glenelg on the mainland and Kylerhea on Skye. Unlike CalMac, I wouldn’t necessarily choose this one because it makes your route more efficient, and I mean from any direction you might be coming from in Scotland. I’d choose it because when else are you going to drive your car onto the world’s last ferry of its kind?

The route is more about enjoying the journey than shaving minutes off your trip. And there’s now a Shore Station Café & Shop next to the Glenelg pier, so you can grab some refreshments while you’re waiting instead of sitting around staring longingly across the water.

For planning purposes, this ferry operates about every 20 minutes between 10am and 6pm. Only seasonally, though, generally from April through October, and you don’t need to pre-book. You actually pay the £20 fee for a car and up to 4 passengers once you’re on board. Bad weather can affect service, so try to check the ferry website before making the drive.

Small open-deck ferry with red railings docked on a narrow stretch of water, with wooded hills and rugged slopes in the background.

PHOTO CREDIT: DepositPhotos.com

Booking Ferries to the Isle of Skye in Three Clicks or Less

If you’re taking CalMac between Mallaig and Armadale, it’s good to book in advance. CalMac currently lists advance booking as essential for this route and you’ll need a valid ticket before traveling.

Schedules can also change – depending on the time of year, there might only be three ferries leaving Mallaig per day. That may be an exaggeration, but it could happen, right? So, check the current timetable when planning your route instead of assuming there’ll be a ferry waiting whenever you roll into town.

The Glenelg ferry is much more casual. You don’t need to pre-book, so just check the current operating times, show up, and enjoy your ride on a tiny piece of maritime history. If you’re taking this turntable boat, just be sure to bring a book to read in case there’s a long line.

Ready to Ride the Ferries to Isle of Skye?

Whether you drive straight across the Skye Bridge, take the practical CalMac route from Mallaig, or get a little weird with the last manually operated turntable ferry in the world, getting to Skye is only half the fun. Once you roll off the ferry, the island rewards you with dramatic landscapes, ridiculous amounts of history, and plenty of reasons to keep that rental car moving.

Start plotting stops at the best Isle of Skye castles, sample your way through the island with this guide to Isle of Skye distilleries, or steal some ideas from my Isle of Skye day trip itinerary if you need help narrowing down the madness.

And if one Scottish island suddenly turns into an entire island-hopping obsession, well…welcome to the club. After Skye, you can start plotting some unusual things to do on the Isle of Mull, then keep the ferry adventures going with my guides to ferries to Mull and ferries to Islay. Because apparently once you’ve driven onto one boat in Scotland, the only reasonable response is to keep doing it until you’ve run out of islands.