Skye is the largest of the Inner Hebrides, a deeply indented island of 1,650 sq km off the northwest coast of Scotland, connected to the mainland since 1995 by a bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. The island has been inhabited since the Neolithic period; through most of recorded history it was contested between the MacLeod and MacDonald clans. Bonnie Prince Charlie hid here after Culloden in 1746.
The landscape is defined by the Black Cuillin — the most challenging mountain range in Britain — and by the rock formations of the Trotternish peninsula in the north: the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing, and Kilt Rock. Dunvegan Castle on the west coast is the seat of the MacLeod clan and the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland. The Talisker Distillery at Carbost produces the island's distinctive peaty single malt. Elgol on the south coast is the embarkation point for boat trips to Loch Coruisk, a remote glacial loch at the heart of the Cuillin range. Portree is the main town and the most practical base for exploring the island.
