Skye is most synonymous with the rugged hills and landscape of the Black Cuillins and the Trotternish peninsular at the north of the islands. In recent years it has become more and more popular with sea kayakers. For good reason.

Skye has a lot to offer for sea kayakers. Firstly you have a very versatile landscape. You can look at the Cuillins from a different angle and paddle along the south of the islands to admire those rugged looking hills. If those clouds that visit the misty island don’t cover them up, that is. There are also many great landscapes along the east coast of Skye. You get the smaller Islands like Pabay, Scalpay, Raasay and Rona, which can be easily visited by kayaking quickly across (Rona is a slightly longer trip though). The further north you paddle the more astonishing the coastline gets. The sea cliffs north of Portree are pretty high and once you see the Kilt Rock it’s hard to beat the view. The northern tip has some smaller islands, a rougher coastline and some ship wrecks to look at. As it is more exposed it certainly is a more advanced area to visit too. Loch Dunvegan on the other hand is one of the most sheltered areas in Skye and can be paddled at almost any condition. You never get far away from the coast and it is a great place to experience sea kayaking for the first time. You also should be able to spot a few seal close up. One of the most exposed sea kayaking spots in Skye would be Neist Point. It is by far one of the most challenging places to pass on a kayak on the island and should be only attempted by advanced paddlers. But looking at the high sea cliffs from the bottom is worth the trip. Last not least the Cuillins and the south end of Skye has some great places to explore by sea kayak. You can find many remote places for stopping over and camping.

Not only are the sceneries in Skye worth watching. You also have some great wildlife. The area has many sea mammals like porpoises, seals and if you are lucky even a whale at the deeper waters to the west. You will see many sea birds along the coast and even some eagles like the golden eagle. There are basking sharks known to swim about in the waters too.

You would think that Skye is not the best place for sea kayaking since it can have a fair share of rain and it can be a bit windy at times. However looking at the coastline of the island, which spans hundreds of miles it is quite obvious that you can always hide somewhere from the wind and hopefully the rain too. There is always a spot where you can paddle about.

A great way to explore the Skye coastline is by hiring a sea kayaking instructor who has local knowledge and take you to all those places you always wanted to see.