Best Places to Visit Near Portree
Written by UK Hidden Gems Editorial
Updated 5 August 2026
The best places to visit near Portree are Loch Fada, Bride's Veil Falls, Loch Leathan Dam, Bearreraig Waterfall, The Old Man Of Storr, Allt Daraich, Amar River Viewpoint and Gesto Bay Viewpoint.
Portree, the little capital of Skye, makes a fine base for exploring the Trotternish peninsula and the wild heart of the island. Most of these spots lie within a short drive of the town, strung along the coast roads to the north and out toward the Cuillin in the south.
Head north and you soon reach Loch Fada, whose still water mirrors the pinnacles of the Storr, followed by the slender ribbon of Bride's Veil Falls. A little further on sit the Loch Leathan Dam of the old Storr Lochs hydro scheme and Bearreraig Waterfall, reached by a long staircase down to the shore, before the celebrated climb to the Old Man of Storr.
To the south, the deep pool of Allt Daraich waits near Sligachan for a cold dip. West toward Dunvegan, the Amar River Viewpoint and Gesto Bay both open out over water toward the Black Cuillin.
Lochs and falls, a landmark walk, a wild swim and sweeping viewpoints all feature here. Here are eight places to visit near Portree.
Loch Fada
Photo: John Allan via Geograph.org.uk
Loch Fada Just a few miles north of Portree beside the A855, Loch Fada sits on the eastern side of the Trotternish peninsula. It is best known as the foreground for the classic view of the Old Man of Storr, the tall rock pinnacle rising on the ridge behind, and on a still day the loch mirrors the pinnacle and the crags in perfect reflection.
The ground down by the shore is rough and boggy, so tread carefully. The loch forms part of the Storr Lochs hydro scheme, linked to neighbouring Loch Leathan so the two can share their water.
It is an easy stop close to town.
Bride's Veil Falls
Photo: Elliott Simpson via Geograph.org.uk
Bride's Veil Falls A short way on, Bride's Veil Falls slips down a rock face in a thin white ribbon, the shape that gives it its name, below the rocky pinnacles of the Storr. You can see it from a layby on the coast road, and a short, steep scramble leads up to its foot, over often wet and muddy ground.
From there, and from the road, the views open out over Loch Leathan and the sea, with the jagged crest of the Storr rising behind. It is a small, informal spot rather than a marked landmark, a pretty pause on the drive.
In heavy rain it swells, while dry spells thin it to a trickle.
Loch Leathan Dam
Photo: Rudi Winter via Geograph.org.uk
Loch Leathan Dam Close to the car park for the Old Man of Storr walk, and just off the A855, the Loch Leathan Dam holds back the main reservoir of the Storr Lochs hydro scheme. Built between 1950 and 1952, the scheme gave Skye its first general supply of electricity.
From the loch, water drops to a power station on the coast at Bearreraig Bay, reached down a steep private railway of six hundred and forty-seven steps. Loch Leathan and neighbouring Loch Fada are the scheme's two reservoirs, linked together so they can share their water.
It is an unusual bit of engineering set in wild country, an easy add-on to a Storr visit.
Bearreraig Waterfall
Photo: S Parish via Geograph.org.uk
Bearreraig Waterfall This is the waterfall at the foot of that great staircase, where the Bearreraig River drops toward the sea at Bearreraig Bay below the Storr. Getting down is a steep business: a long concrete stair of six hundred and forty-seven steps zigzags down the hillside above a sharp drop to the shore.
At the bottom lies a boulder and shingle bay beneath crumbling cliffs, with a small hydro power station tucked in, since the river's flow is controlled by the Storr Lochs scheme. The falls come and go with how much water is released.
The bay is a noted place to hunt for Jurassic fossils, with the island of Holm just offshore.
The Old Man Of Storr
Photo: John MacKenzie via Geograph.org.uk
The Old Man Of Storr The best-known walk on this list, the Old Man of Storr, climbs to a tall rock pinnacle on the Trotternish ridge, one of the most photographed sights in Scotland. It stands amid a great landslip, a jumble of spires and crags below the cliff of the Storr, with the fifty-metre pinnacle towering above them.
A there-and-back route of about three miles climbs from a car park on the road north of Portree, steep and rocky higher up, and opens wide views over the sea to Raasay and the mainland. The pinnacle itself was first climbed in 1955.
Set off early to beat the crowds.
Allt Daraich
Photo: Richard Dorrell via Geograph.org.uk
Allt Daraich South of Portree near Sligachan, Allt Daraich is a burn that tumbles down a small rocky gorge at the northern edge of the Cuillin. A short way up it, a waterfall drops into a deep pool with a grassy bank alongside, its water dark and cold off the peaty hills.
It takes only a few minutes on foot from the old stone bridge at Sligachan, up a path along the gorge and then down to the water, and the pool is deep enough for a proper swim rather than just a paddle. All around lies open moor, with the black Cuillin peaks and the sharp point of Sgurr nan Gillean rising behind.
Amar River Viewpoint
Photo: Richard Dorrell via Geograph.org.uk
Amar River Viewpoint Over on the west side of Skye, on the road between Portree and Dunvegan near Struan, the Amar River Viewpoint is a simple roadside stop. From a raised layby you look down over the short River Amar as it winds through low green ground toward the sea, its banks grassy and rushy and the surrounding hills low and rugged.
Beyond the river mouth a sea loch opens out. This is a place to pull over and take in the view rather than to walk, a quiet stretch of Highland strath with water threading through it, and a pleasant pause if you are heading across to Dunvegan.
Gesto Bay Viewpoint
Photo: Darren Haddock via Geograph.org.uk
Gesto Bay Viewpoint Close by in the Struan area, Gesto Bay is a quiet bay on the north shore of Loch Harport. From the shore the view runs straight across the loch toward the jagged line of the Black Cuillin, a fitting finale to a tour of the island's viewpoints.
This is a scenic, out-of-the-way spot rather than a built-up lookout, with no facilities to speak of. The bay sits below open croft and farm land on this stretch of the Skye coast, so it stays peaceful and unspoilt, well worth the short detour off the Dunvegan road for the mountain outlook alone.
FAQs
What is the most popular walk near Portree?
The Old Man of Storr is the standout, a there-and-back climb of about three miles to a towering rock pinnacle north of Portree, with wide views over the sea to Raasay and the mainland.
Can you go wild swimming near Portree?
Yes. Allt Daraich, near Sligachan south of Portree, has a deep pool below a waterfall that is deep enough for a proper swim, set in wild moorland beneath the Cuillin.
Where are the best viewpoints around Portree?
Loch Fada frames the Old Man of Storr to the north, while west toward Dunvegan the Amar River Viewpoint and Gesto Bay both look out over water toward the Black Cuillin.
Conclusion
From mirror-still lochs to plunging waterfalls, the country around Portree holds some of the finest scenery on Skye. Head north along the coast and you can string together Loch Fada, Bride's Veil Falls, the Loch Leathan Dam and Bearreraig Waterfall before tackling the steep climb to the Old Man of Storr.
Turn south and Allt Daraich offers a deep, cold pool near Sligachan beneath the Cuillin, while the drive west toward Dunvegan opens up the Amar River Viewpoint and the peaceful shore of Gesto Bay. Lochs and falls, a landmark walk, a bracing wild swim and wide mountain views all sit within a short drive of the town, so whether you crave a big walk or a quiet layby, these are the places to visit near Portree.
