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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Broadford
An t-Àth Leathann
Stay 1 night in Broadford only as a Skye stopover or supply base; skip it as a destination — Portree has more to do and more beds.
Broadford is the junction village of Skye: all island roads meet here, so you will pass through it whether you plan to or not. It has a Co-op, a fuel station, a handful of restaurants and a straggle of B&Bs, hostels and small hotels along the A87. Most travellers use it for one night before or after the Skye Bridge, or as a base for the Cuillin, Elgol and the Sleat peninsula. It is not a sightseeing town.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- An t-Àth Leathann
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (midges, full ferries and B&Bs), Nov–Mar (many places shut)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard 999 · EU emergency number 112 · NHS non-urgent (24 h) 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips (takeaway) | £10–15 |
| Restaurant main course | £14–24 |
| Pint of beer in a hotel bar | £5–6.50 |
| Petrol, per litre | £1.40–1.60 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | £8–15 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- INV · Inverness
- Nearest airport with scheduled flights; about 2 h 30 min by road via the A82 and A87, or Citylink bus 917 from Inverness
- GLA · Glasgow
- Citylink bus 915 runs about twice daily from Glasgow Buchanan Street via Glasgow Airport; about 6 h 30 min to Broadford
- EDI · Edinburgh
- No direct bus; rail to Inverness or Glasgow then onward, or drive about 5 h
Typical fares
- Citylink 915 Glasgow → Broadford
- about £45, about 6 h 30 min (check)
- Armadale → Mallaig ferry
- about £10 per foot passenger, about 30 min (check)
- Taxi Broadford → Portree
- £45–60 (check)
Get around
The village straggles along the A87 and you can walk the centre, but Harrapool, Breakish and Skulamus are 1–3 miles out and need a car, bike or bus. Citylink 915 and 917, Stagecoach 52 and 55 cover the island and the mainland links. Fuel and the Co-op are here; fill up before Elgol, Raasay or the far west.
See and do
Known for
- Skye's main road junction and supply stop
- Beinn na Caillich (732 m) behind the village
- Base for Elgol, Sleat and the Cuillin
- Otters, seals and sea eagles along the shore
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Elgol | B8083 west from Broadford, about 14 miles; no useful bus, so drive or taxi | About 30–40 min each way |
| Armadale and the Sleat peninsula | A851 south, about 16 miles; Stagecoach 52 connects with the Mallaig ferry | About 30 min by car |
| Portree | A87 north via Sligachan; Citylink 915/917 or Stagecoach 52 | About 45 min by car, 50–60 min by bus |
| Uig | A87 north through Portree; Citylink 915 continues to the ferry terminal | About 1 h 15 min by car |
| Carbost and the Talisker distillery | A87 north then the B8009 west; no direct bus, so drive | About 45 min |
| Kyleakin and the Skye Bridge | A87 east, about 8 miles; Stagecoach 55 and Citylink 915 | About 15 min |
Sleep
- Village centre (Main Street and Torrin Road)
- Walk to the Co-op, restaurants and the shore. Broadford Hotel, Dunollie Hotel, Skye Basecamp and several B&Bs.
- Harrapool and Lower Harrapool
- East side of the bay along the A87; Hebridean Inn, Claymore and The Sprig. Quieter, still walkable.
- Breakish and Skulamus
- Breakish is east towards the airstrip; Skulamus sits at the A851 junction for Armadale. B&B-only, car useful.
- Sleat (Kinloch Lodge, 10 miles south)
- Upmarket lochside option off the A851; only worth it if you are heading to the Mallaig ferry.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Halòhal-oh |
| Thank you | Tapadh leattah-pah let |
| Goodbye | Mar sin leatmar shin let |
| Please | Mas e do thoil emas eh do hull eh |
| Where is the ferry? | Càit a bheil an aiseag?katch a vayl an ash-ak |
| How much is it? | Dè a' phrìs?jay a preesh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Midges are fierce from June to August, especially near water at dusk: bring repellent.
- Book the Armadale–Mallaig ferry in summer; turning up without a booking means a long wait.
- Many restaurants and hostels close from November to March: check before you book a winter night.
- Fuel stations on Skye are sparse; Broadford's Asda Express is one of the few, so fill up here.
- Mobile signal is 4G only; 5G has not reached this area.
Broadford is a small, low-crime village and safe for tourists. The real risks are single-track roads with passing places, weather that turns fast on the hills, and midges in summer: tell someone your route before walking Beinn na Caillich.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Broadford yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Skye's main road junction and supply stop
- Beinn na Caillich (732 m) behind the village
- Base for Elgol, Sleat and the Cuillin
- Otters, seals and sea eagles along the shore
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- VisitScotland — Isle of Skye: www.visitscotland.com/places-to-go/islands/isle-of-skye
- CalMac — Armadale to Mallaig ferry: www.calmac.co.uk/
- Citylink — bus 915 and 917 timetables: www.citylink.co.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Broadford, revision 5206604 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5206604
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
BroadfordAn t-Àth Leathann
Chun an seòladh seo, mas e do thoil e
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance, coastguard999
- EU emergency number112
- NHS non-urgent (24 h)111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies on Skye; the nearest US consulate-general is in Edinburgh and most others are in London or Edinburgh.
Gaelic is spoken by a minority; English works everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/broadford). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.