Glamping Isle of Skye
Off-grid glamping on Scott and Nadia’s croft in the north-west of The Isle of Skye in Scotland, is where three Finnish-style cabins and a bell tent sit in native woodland with never more than eight guests on site at once. There is no electricity and no Wi-Fi. Light comes from rechargeable lanterns and candles, warmth from a wood burning stove. That is a deliberate choice, and it is the whole appeal — dark skies, a fire to sit beside, and the kind of quiet that has become genuinely hard to find. Dunvegan is just three miles down the road when you want a shop and a coffee.
THE CABINS
Three Cabins each sleeping two in a double bed and heated by a wood burning stove, with firewood provided. Every one has their own fire pit and picnic bench outside, for sitting out after a day on the island.
Each cabin and the tent has a Jackery power station — enough to keep a phone, tablet, camera or laptop going through your stay, though not a hairdryer.
Two guests per cabin, which is a licensing limit rather than a preference. Children over twelve are welcome in place of an adult, but the total cannot go above two, and extra beds are not possible. Up to two dogs by prior arrangement, at £10.
THE BELL TENT sleeps two in a double bed and has its own fire pit. Being canvas there is no stove, so instead you will find extra warm bedding, plenty of blankets and hot water bottles waiting for you.
WHAT your ACCOMMODATION INCLUDES
- A furnished cabin or bell tent with a proper double bed
- Extra warm bedding, blankets and hot water bottles
- A wood burning stove and all your firewood (cabins only)
- Linen and towels
- Your own fire pit and picnic bench
- A Jackery power station for charging phones, tablets, cameras and laptops
- Up to two dogs by prior arrangement at an additional charge
FACILITIES
Facilities are shared, campsite-style, but the site is tiny — a maximum of eight guests at any one time. On site you’ll find
- Compost toilets
- A rather lovely greenhouse shower
- Two camp kitchens, the Hub and the Shack, both warmed by wood burning stoves and equipped with gas burners, pots, pans, crockery and utensils. One of them has an oven
- Kettles are stove-top
- Cool boxes for anything that needs keeping cold. (There is no cooking inside the cabins themselves)
Worth knowing: no plug sockets, no Wi-Fi, very little phone signal, and a walk to the loo and the shower. You will also want to be happy lighting a fire and keeping it in. For most people who come here, that is precisely the point.
THINGS TO DO NEARBY
Bharcasaig Beach, a small volcanic beach, is a mile’s walk from the site. Coral Beach — white maerl sand — is fifteen minutes’ drive and then a mile and a half from the car park. Neist Point, the most westerly tip of Skye with its lighthouse, is half an hour away with an easy mile on good paths, and one of the finest places on the island to watch the sun go down.
Walkers have more on the doorstep. MacLeod’s Tables start from the site itself, though there are no paths and you will want a map and the skills to use it. MacLeod’s Maidens, the sea stacks off Idrigill Point, make an eleven-mile round trip over rough moorland. Oronsay Island is ten miles’ drive and a three-mile walk over a tidal causeway — keep an eye on the tide so you are not stranded. The Fairy Glen, a miniature Quiraing, is an easier outing.
Dunvegan, three miles away, has a well-stocked village store, a greengrocer, a bakery, cafés, a restaurant and a petrol station, along with Dunvegan Castle and Gardens.
A word on the weather, Skye sees high rainfall and high winds at any time of year, with the best spells usually falling between April and June. Bring warm clothes and waterproofs whatever the season!
PRICES
Bell Tent from £105 per night for 2
Cabins from £120 per night for 2
Over 12’s and adults only
Dogs welcome at an additional charge of £10