London to Skye by public transport
‘Wherever I wander, wherever I rove, the hills of the Highlands forever I love.’ – from From ‘My Heart’s in the Highlands’ by Robert Burns.
Skye: Accessible via Public Transport.
One of best things about Skye is how, with a bit of planning and forethought, it can be a destination that is totally accessible using predominantly public transport. For anyone who can’t drive, or for those who feel nervous about tackling Skye’s narrow country roads by car, it will come as a pleasant surprise to learn that you can get to Skye and travel around without your own vehicle.*
*Disclaimer: While P and I were visiting Skye, my friend E was also on the island and she had a rented car. It allowed P and I to visit a couple of places on Skye that we otherwise would have needed to pass by using only public transport.
How to get to Skye using public transport.
The first thing to plan when visiting Skye using public transport is how you’ll get to the island itself. There are two main options:
- By train and bus! Citylink run three daily services from Glasgow to Portree on Skye. You could travel by train to Glasgow (there are direct Avanti services from London Euston multiple times a day) and then onto Skye via a Citylink bus.
- By train, ferry and taxi! Take a train service to Mallaig and catch the Mallaig-Armadale ferry. You can pre-book a taxi to pick you up and take you onwards to Portree.
Both options have pros and cons. Admittedly, the first option (train and then bus) is cheaper and probably more direct and therefore quicker. However, if you want an adventure and have more money to spend, then the second option might be more appealing. As a big fan of train travel, P and I chose the second option and planned our journey from there.
First, we needed to get to Fort William.
P and I chose to take the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train from London Euston to Fort William. We shared a Classic Room which cost us £235 altogether (£117.50 per person).
The Caledonian Sleeper is a comfortable and classy way to begin your trip. The service departs London Euston at around 9.15pm and you arrive at Fort William the next morning at approximately 10am. Our compartment was spotlessly clean, with comfortable bunk beds and nice little touches like a Sleep Kit included. In the COVID era, travelling in a compartment also means you can take off your face mask. We did not come across any other passengers throughout our journey and the entire trip felt very COVID-secure.
The best part about taking the sleeper train is that when you wake up, you’re in the Highlands! Being greeted by incredibly beautiful scenery is a great way to start the day! Be sure to take snacks and drinks, but don’t worry about breakfast. You can get a great Scottish fry-up at Fort William station for less than £10 if you want. Alternatively, head into town for other options.
On from Fort William: a couple of public transport options!
It is Fort William onwards where our choice of public transport became a little more arduous. I love trains. Anyone who knows me well will understand why I chose to take the train to Mallaig. However, if you arrive in Fort William on the sleeper, you also have the option to take a Citylink bus service onwards to Portree. The buses from Fort William go straight to Portree without any detours. A bus timetable and fares can be found here if you decide this is the option for you!
Alternatively, if you’re a fan of train travel like me, you could stay a night in Fort William. This would allow enough time to do a return trip on the West Highland Line, taking in the Glenfinnan Viaduct along the way. Return to Fort William and then take a more practical bus journey the following day to Skye.
Ever impractical, and due to my love of train travel, P and I opted to take the train to Mallaig the same day. We departed at 12.12pm on a Scotrail train. The ticket cost £9.85 each, booked in advance on Trainline.
This portion of the journey by train is particularly beautiful. The train winds along beside Loch Eil for miles before climbing and chugging slowly across the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct. From there, the train descends to hug the coastline in the final stretch into Mallaig. It’s not named one of the world’s most scenic rail journeys for nothing, and even if you’re not a train fan, I would recommend taking this trip!
Taking the ferry from Mallaig to Armadale.
The train timetable coincides with ferry crossings in Mallaig. We arrived at 1.34pm and had about an hour in Mallaig before our ferry. As Mallaig is so small, this was the perfect amount of time to do a quick wander, eat some of our snacks and spot a seal in the harbour. We booked our foot passenger tickets on CalMac Ferries and were surprised at just how cheap our crossings were! £6 each for return tickets (Mallaig to Armadale).
Our ferry departed on time and before long, we were pulling out into channel of open water that separates Skye from the mainland. It was a very calm crossing and within forty-five minutes we were arriving at Armadale, ready for our onward leg of the journey. There are at least several ferries a day from Mallaig to Armadale, even during low season. I enjoyed the crossing, and despite it being less than twenty four hours since we’d departed London, by this point I felt like I was a million miles away from the big smoke!
Public transport from Armadale to Portree is limited.
Arriving in Armadale is when our trip using public transport became tricky. While researching the trip, P and I were surprised to learn that public transport from Armadale to Portree was extremely limited. We wrongly assumed that there would be buses running between the two places. Be warned! Buses actually run fairly infrequently across the island and as a result, we risked being stranded in Armadale.
In the end, we pre-booked a taxi to take us from Armadale to Broadford, a journey of about sixteen miles. Our trip cost £30 for the two of us. From Broadford, we hopped on a Citylink bus which carried us the final miles to Portree. The bus ticket cost us each £5. As a taxi from Armadale to Portree was quoted as anything from £60 to £80, we felt this was a much better way to go about it!
Finally, after an epic twenty hours of travel, we arrived in Portree around 5.30pm and walked the last half mile to our B&B. I won’t lie – the journey was long and tiring. But it was also adventurous and if you’re someone who enjoys the travel as much as the destination, I would recommend this route. It’s beautifully scenic and it settles you into the holiday mood. However, if you just want to get somewhere and begin enjoying the destination, I’d definitely recommend taking the bus from Glasgow or Fort William. Far cheaper and much less hassle!
On Skye – Getting around using public transport
Travelling to Skye on public transport is all very well, but what about once you arrive? I came to the conclusion that the best way to see Skye without a car was to take a tour. It seemed the most practical way to see as much of the island as possible! It was particularly good as we only had three nights on Skye and were pressed for time.
Skye Minibus Tours – a great tour option!
We booked a day tour around the island with Skye Minibus Tours, and spent £54 each for our trip. It was SO worth it!
Our driver and guide for the day was extremely knowledgeable and so friendly. His COVID-secure measures were meticulous. In one long but wonderful day, we saw most, if not all, of the island’s main attractions. It was a bit whistle-stop, but we learned so much and the tour felt worth every penny.
My only gripe with tours universally is that you obviously don’t get to spend long at each destination. On Skye, this meant that we didn’t get to hike to the Quiraing or up to the Old Man of Storr. If you want to hike or do an activity and you are without a car, I’d recommend paying for a taxi. Thankfully for us, my friend E was on hand to help out!
Want to see some of the beautiful destinations we visited while on Skye? Check out Postcards From Skye and get inspired for your trip!
We cheated a little – we had some access to a car…
By good fortune, E was on Skye at the same time as us. She drove us up to the Old Man of Storr and we hiked the mountain together. It’s a fifteen minute drive out of Portree, about two hours of walking if you don’t have a car. Grab a taxi (£10-20 according to Rome2Rio), or figure out the bus network and take a bus (£2-5).
During this trip, we didn’t hike the Quiraing. Something to go back for! However, E offered to take us to Armadale for our return ferry to Mallaig. This ended up saving us about £70! Be warned – on Sundays, taxis on Skye are a rare find and those you do come across are expensive!
Other than our day trip and our excursions with E, we stayed in and around Portree. There are plenty of hikes from Portree if you don’t have a car. Additionally, the local buses all come through Portree as it’s the main town. I don’t think you’ll find yourself wanting too much if you use Portree as your main base for your stay.
How to get back to London (or elsewhere!) using public transport
Firstly, avoid travel on Sunday at all costs. Taxis are rare and expensive. There are few or no buses. Try to arrange to depart Skye any other day! I would recommend you take a Citylink bus to Fort William or Glasgow when departing, especially if you’ve already taken the route via Mallaig on your way to Skye. You will then have many onward travel options. In hindsight, this is what we should have done.
The West Highland Railway Line.
However, hindsight is twenty-twenty! Thank goodness for E! She drove us to Armadale and we took the last ferry off Skye and arrived in Mallaig at 5pm. The late departure allowed time for us to take another hike, which was great, as the day was warm and dry! However, it meant it was too late to catch any onwards trains. We booked a night in a basic hostel in the centre of town (£25 each for a private room). The next day, we boarded the first train from Mallaig to Glasgow.
This is the fabled West Highland Line. It’s an epic five and a half hour journey, wending through some of Scotland’s most beautiful and iconic scenery. The ticket cost £25.80 with a railcard. I loved this portion of the trip, although I didn’t love wearing my mask for so long! We were subject to a couple of delays and rolled into Glasgow a little later, resulting in a sprint across the city centre to Glasgow Central. Here, we boarded our final train, an Avanti service to Euston (£21.75 each with a railcard – a STEAL!). Finally, nearly five hours later, we arrived back in London after a long day of travel. Even I was tired of trains when we finally disembarked! Definitely tired of face masks…
In hindsight, we definitely made things hard for ourselves!
Our travel times definitely could have been drastically reduced. We probably should’ve taken the bus instead of faffing around with different trains and the ferry/taxi/bus scenario on Skye. However. I love trains and the feeling of being in motion. I enjoyed the journey (mostly). It’s not for everyone, but it worked (mostly) for us.
And it goes to show that even Skye, a place I previously considered remote and difficult to get to, is within our grasp using public transport. Yes, a car is handy. But it’s not always feasible. So if Skye is on your bucket list, but you’ve previously been unsure how to get there, now you know! Do some research, figure out the best route for you and go for it! You won’t regret it!
Finally: If you like reading about my travels in Scotland, be sure to check out the Scotland archives!
