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Isle of Skye, Scotland

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A sleepy coastal loop characterized by single-lane roads, signs in Gaelic, and mists swirling on craggy mountains. By Candice Gianetti

Day 1
Skye Bridge to Colbost
(100 miles, 31/2 hours)

The most convenient route onto Skye, a 50-mile-long, lobster-shaped island in the Hebridean archipelago, just off Scotland's west coast, is via the mile-long Skye Bridge.

• Don't Miss Despite being the island's biggest town, Portree (pop. 2,500) doesn't have a whole lot to keep you occupied. A rare exception is the Isle of Skye Soap Co. (Somerled Square; 44-1478/611-350), right off the square; its wooden shelves are stacked with handmade aromatherapy soaps named after local mountain ranges.

• History Lessons A 45-mile loop around the Trotternish Peninsula begins just past the colorful harborfront town. At Staffin, dip into the Quiraing, an area of strange rock formations shaped by prehistoric lava flows and shifting glaciers. Toward the end of the loop, a road leads west to Dunvegan Castle (44-1470/521-206; tickets $15), a stronghold of MacLeod chieftains since the 13th century that's worth a visit if only to see the Fairy Flag, a piece of silk hundreds of years old that's said to have mystical powers.

• Where to Stay Getting to the Three Chimneys Restaurant & the House Over-By (Colbost, 44-1470/511-258; threechimneys.co.uk; doubles from $493, including breakfast), on the Duirinish Peninsula, is half the fun. A five-mile-long country lane passes islands floating in the distance and sheep munching grass by the roadside. Three Chimneys, the area's best restaurant, is in a former farmer's cottage with stone walls and peat-burning fireplaces. In high summer, be sure to order local wild salmon, in season for only a short time. In the adjoining hotel, House Over-By, each of the six modern rooms has French doors that open onto a garden.

Day 2
Around Colbost
(24 miles, 1 hour)

The route today could be speedy, but it's much more appealing to take your time exploring the island's wild northwestern corner.

• Tasting Tour Skye produces some of Scotland's best single-malt whisky. From the Fairy Bridge at the foot of the Waternish Peninsula, a one-lane road follows the coast to the village of Stein, where the 18th-century Stein Inn (MacLeod's Terrace, Waternish; 44-1470/592-362; steininn.co.uk) stocks 120 Scottish favorites.

• Worth the Detour Follow the west coast of the Dunvegan Peninsula to windy Claigan, a minuscule village with only a handful of houses. A mile-long walk across low hills stitched with old stone walls leads to Coral Beach, covered with bits of white and pink seashells. Look out on the tiny islets offshore to spot seals.

Day 3
Colbost to Sleat
(80 miles, 2 hours)

• Tasting Tour At the Talisker Distillery (Carbost; 44-1478/614-308), 25 miles south of Colbost, the house tour demonstrates how copper stills transform the spring waters from a nearby hill into headier stuff. Sample your way through variously aged distillations to find one with just the right intensity of smoky peatiness.

• Worth the Detour A 12-mile-long lane off the main road, A850, twists and turns past fields and church ruins as it leads to Elgol; from the tiny town's pier, you'll take in the finest view of the craggy hills called the Black Cuillins, across the inlet.

• Where to Stay Noted cookbook author Lady Claire MacDonald has held court for over three decades at Kinloch Lodge (off A851, Sleat Peninsula; 44-1471/833-333; kinloch-lodge.co.uk; doubles from $396, including breakfast). Once a farmhouse, the pretty white building is surrounded on one side by sea and on the other by low green hills. Inside the 14-room inn, drawing rooms mix the baronial (ancestral portraits) with the comfortable (sofas piled with cushions). But the biggest draw is the formal dining room. There, Lady Claire serves dishes such as lemon-curd parfait with Skye strawberries marinated in elderflower liqueur—a delicious reward at the end of a summer's drive.

Local Sign Language
Cattle Crossing (you'll see dozens of these signs here)

T+L Tip Take it slow on the island. The roads are mostly unfenced, so expect to find sheep and lambs ambling onto the asphalt.

Total mileage: 204

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