Portree, Isle of Skye
The Town
As our property search company can confirm, Portree, capital of the Isle of Skye, lies in a harbour naturally fringed with cliffs and enclosed by hills. As our property buying agent will confirm, Skye is extremely popular with tourists. Ask your Recoco property finder to point out Fingal’s Seat (or Suidh Fhinn) to the west and Ben Tianavaig to the south. A little further north on the road to Staffin is the Old Man of Storr.
Our property buying agent will tell you Portree offers a quiet life, although the town has banks, cafes and restaurants, churches, supermarkets and petrol stations, and a cinema.
Transport
Our buyers agents can outline travel options: ferry or private boat, light aircraft (there is a small airfield on the island), or via the Skye bridge from the mainland; our property search company can confirm it’s about 35 minutes to Portree from the bridge, depending on traffic. Ferries from Mallaig to Skye take around 45 minutes. Once on the island, transport is by bus, car, or boat. The main A855 road from Portree draws the property buyer north, passing through villages including Achachork and Staffin. Ask our real estate buyer agent about the distinctive rocky landscape of the Storr, leading to the Quiraing landslip. A bus service runs to Glasgow and Inverness; or check with our Recoco property finder about the local service around the island.
History
If you’re a property buyer who enjoys a little history with your property search, you might be interested to know Portree itself was created as a fishing village. Before the 16th century, the name of the settlement was Kiltaraglen.
The late 1700s to the 1840s were particularly tough in Scotland and may have been worse if it had not been for the laird, Sir James MacDonald, who developed the fishing port from 1771. In the 1820s, roads improved, with steamers running weekly from West Loch Tarbert. In the 1840s, many residents emigrated due to the potato famine. By 1894 the situation had improved, and daily steamers ran to Strome Ferry, Ullapool, Oban, Lochinver, and other Western Isles ports.
Ask our Recoco property finder to point out the Royal Hotel, on the site of MacNab’s Inn – the last meeting place for Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald in 1746.
Education
For more information on island educational facilities, ask our property search company about the primary schools on the island. There is one secondary school, Portree, and our buyers agents can confirm it has just under 500 pupils.
Leisure and Events
If sport is a factor in your property search, two football clubs play in the Skye and Localsh amateur football league – Portree and Portree Juniors. The Isle of Skye’s shinty club is based in Portree – your Recoco buying agent will happily explain shinty.
The Aros Centre celebrates the island’s Gaelic heritage as well as serving as a tourist centre, as our real estate buyers agent will attest. There are also regular film screenings, concerts, and theatrical events. The school has a library and swimming pool, with several book and gift shops and a tourist information centre. Annual events include the Portree Show and the Isle of Skye half marathon. The largest event is the Skye Highland Games.
The island is highly popular with walkers, as our real estate buyers agent can tell you. If time outdoors will help your property search decision, Portree Forest is popular with hikers. Check with your Recoco buying agent about watersports on offer whether you’re a property buyer or a visitor: diving, kayaking, sea fishing. Seals, otters, and even eagles (great golden and sea eagles) are often spotted on wildlife cruises. Sight-seeing trips run from the pier by bus, car, or boat around the island. There’s also pony-trekking to enjoy.
Ask our Recoco buying agent about Wentworth Street’s “interesting” shops, and more on the roads from Somerled Square to the harbour.
Celebrity Connections
Our property buying agent can tell you about Bonnie Prince Charlie, ill-fated claimant to the throne of Great Britain in the 1740s. Author Gavin Maxwell, of Ring of Bright Water, also lived on the nearby island of Eilean Bàn.
Foodies’ Corner
The local fare is excellent: our real estate buyers agent can recommend a restaurant to suit, whether it’s Scorrybreac Restaurant, Sea Breezes, or Dulse & Brose. Prefer pastries? Try the Isle of Skye Baking Company or MacKenzie’s Bakery, other options include the Cuchullin Restaurant; Café Arriba; the somewhat unexpected Red Brick Café; and the Antlers Bar & Grill.
Fun Fact
As our buyers agents can confirm, you’re never more than 11 miles from the sea on Skye.