Skye’s Gaelic nickname is the Misty Isle, and it earns it: the island is wet and windy, with weather that can run through four seasons in an afternoon. Rain is possible on any day of the year, and so is brilliant sunshine. The real variables are daylight, midges and people.
Season by season
Spring (April–May)
The best-kept secret. April and May are on average the driest months, the days are long, the hills still carry snow and there are no midges until the end of May. Most hotels and restaurants have reopened after the winter.
Summer (June–August)
Daylight until nearly 11 pm in June, the warmest temperatures and everything open. It is also when the car parks overflow, beds are scarce and midges swarm on still evenings. Start early every day.
Autumn (September–October)
September keeps the long-ish days and loses much of the crowd; the light turns golden and the hills russet. October is stormier, and many businesses close at the end of the month.
Winter (November–March)
Short days — barely seven hours of light in December — gales and frequent rain, with snow on the Cuillin. A good number of hotels, restaurants and attractions shut. In return you get empty roads, dramatic skies and a chance of the northern lights.
Month by month
| Month | High | Low | Daylight | Crowds | Midges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7 °C | 2 °C | 7 h | Quiet | — |
| February | 7 °C | 2 °C | 9.5 h | Quiet | — |
| March | 8 °C | 3 °C | 12 h | Quiet | — |
| April | 11 °C | 4 °C | 14.5 h | Moderate | — |
| May | 14 °C | 6 °C | 16.5 h | Busy | Some |
| June | 16 °C | 9 °C | 18 h | Peak | Peak |
| July | 17 °C | 11 °C | 17.5 h | Peak | Peak |
| August | 17 °C | 11 °C | 15 h | Peak | Peak |
| September | 15 °C | 9 °C | 12.5 h | Busy | Some |
| October | 12 °C | 7 °C | 10 h | Moderate | — |
| November | 9 °C | 4 °C | 8 h | Quiet | — |
| December | 7 °C | 2 °C | 6.5 h | Quiet | — |
Temperatures are rounded long-term averages for the nearest weather station; real days vary widely, especially in the hills.
Festivals & events
- MaySkye Live
A music festival on the Lump in Portree, mixing traditional and electronic acts. - Early AugustIsle of Skye Highland Games
Piping, dancing, heavy events and a hill race in the natural amphitheatre above Portree harbour. - April – OctoberBoat-trip season
Wildlife cruises from Portree, Elgol and Dunvegan, weather permitting. - WinterAurora and dark skies
Skye has very little light pollution; clear nights can bring the northern lights.
Crowds & booking ahead
Visitor numbers on Skye have grown enormously in the past decade, and the infrastructure of a small rural island strains under them from late June to the end of August. The symptoms are full car parks at the Storr, the Quiraing and the Fairy Pools from mid-morning, queues on single-track roads, no restaurant tables without a booking, and no beds at all for late planners. None of this applies at 8 am, or in May, or in late September. If your dates are fixed in high summer, book everything — rooms, dinners, ferries, tours — as far ahead as you can, and consider basing yourself in a quieter corner such as Sleat or Waternish.
