Portree

Portree, the capital of Skye, is its most attractive town. Pastel-painted houses step down to the water’s edge, fishing boats bob in the harbor, and small boats arrive and depart from its pier. Climbing away from the harbor, the town’s streets are lined with attractive shops. If you have not booked your ferry passage from Armadale to Mallaig, you can do so at the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry office behind the bus station. The town derives its name from Port an Righ, meaning “King’s Haven,” following the visit in 1540 of James V who made a vain attempt to reconcile the feuding MacLeod and Macdonald clans