Cycling on the Isle of Skye : Portree – Uig was the second of three days of cycling on my five day trip to Skye. The trip covered the period 19th. – 23rd. April 2023.
I cycled this route on Friday 21st. April 2023.
Yesterday I was in Broadford and I cycled from Broadford to Elgol (see Cycling on the Isle of Skye : Broadford – Elgol). This morning I drove up from Broadford to Portree. I parked my car in the hotel car park and started cycling from there.
Portree
Portree is the capital of the island of Skye. It is a bustling tourist town with several bars, restaurants and hotels.
There is a pleasant village square just off the main road.
Portree of course also has a picturesque harbour.
Cycling on the Isle of Skye : Portree - Uig
- Route Directions
After leaving Portree the route is straightforward as it follows the A87 road all the way to Uig.
To get to the A87 road from the harbour in Portree I cycled along a road called The Green. This led on to Bridge Road. At the end of Bridge Road I turned right onto the A87 road.
Cycling on the Isle of Skye : Portree - Uig
- My Timings & Distances
Left Broadford by car 8.35 / Portree 9.15 / Started cycling 10.20 / Uig Pier 12.40 (16.60) / Cafe 12.50 – 1.35 / Left Uig 2.00 / Back at Portree 4.20 (33.09).
(The figures in brackets are the cumulative miles from the start of the route.)
Cycling on the Isle of Skye : Portree - Uig
- Log
It was another beautiful sunny day with a clear blue sky.
The route today was on the main A87 road. Unlike the minor roads in Skye this road was well surfaced with only a few potholes. The route passed by a couple of small villages.
Although the A87 was a main road there wasn’t a lot of traffic on it. The cars tended to come in groups of three or four and there was ample time and space for them to overtake.
On the first part of the route there were some fine views over Loch Snizort.
After that, however, the road was more inland and any views were obscured by the headland. Consequently the scenery was mostly low lying hills and fields.
It wasn’t until a few miles from Uig that the views became better.
On the outskirts of Uig, across from the Uig Hotel, is this monument overlooking Uig Bay.
During the morning ride the hills were mostly long but not too steep. When required I used the first level of assistance from the electric motor to help get me over the tops of some hills. There were a couple of hills that were a bit steeper and I used the second level of assistance as well for a short distance on these.
From the headland overlooking the bay there was a very steep descent all the way down to Uig.
Uig
At Uig Harbour there is a ferry terminal from which ferries travel back and forth to the Outer Hebrides.
There are major construction works being carried out just now at the harbour.
At the harbour I went to a cafe overlooking the bay for lunch. I sat at the picnic tables on the decking outside the cafe to eat my lunch, whilst admiring the views along the bay in the sunshine.
After lunch I bought an ice cream and walked about a bit. I walked along the long stay car park and noticed that there were a few places available.
I went into the ticket office and asked about the long stay car park. They advised that it was free and that you could leave your car there for a long period as it wasn’t monitored. I did this as I was looking for somewhere I could leave my car for a week to allow me to tour the island on my bike later in the year.
Uig - Portree
On the return journey there was of course a very steep climb out of Uig.
I used the first level of assistance from the electric motor to help get me up the first section of the hill and then I used the second level of assistance to get me over the top of the hill.
Once I had climbed the steep hill out of Uig there were good views down over the harbour.
After the steep climb out of Uig there was a welcome long steep descent. This was followed by a long but not too steep ascent. I mostly used the first level of assistance from the electric motor on this hill when required, although I used the second level of assistance once for a short distance.
During the return journey to Portree the weather remained the same as in the morning. It was sunny with clear blue skies and hardly a cloud to be seen.