Gravel Cycling
Skye Trotternish Circuit
A road loop round Trotternish — the Storr, Staffin and the Quiraing road to Uig
Quick facts
- Distance
- Not published
- Ascent
- Not published
- Difficulty
- Challenging
- Route type
- Loop
- Archetype
- Island Circuit
- Region
- Isle of Skye
- Start point
- Portree
- Grid ref
- NG 483 435
- Parking
- IV51 9EF
- Midges
- High
- Dogs
- On lead only
Surface breakdown
- Tarmac single-track100%
About this route
The Trotternish peninsula, in the north of Skye, is lined along its eastern side by the Trotternish ridge — a long escarpment of landslips that includes the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. A road loop goes round it: north from Portree on the A855 past the Storr and Kilt Rock to Staffin, over the minor road that climbs past the Quiraing to Uig on the west coast, and back to Portree on the A87.
It is a road ride on public tarmac, not a gravel route — the gravel archetype it was filed under is a historical label. This page used to carry generated distance and climbing figures, so it has been reduced to the line of the loop; measure it yourself on OS Explorer 408 before deciding whether it fits your day.
Highlights
- The Old Man of Storr seen from the A855
- Kilt Rock, the basalt sea cliff north of the Storr
- The minor road over the ridge past the Quiraing
- Uig Bay on the west coast
Key waypoints
- 1. Portree
- 2. The Storr car park
- 3. Kilt Rock viewpoint
- 4. Staffin
- 5. The Quiraing road
- 6. Uig
- 7. Portree
Cafés & pubs on route
- · Portree and Uig have shops and cafés — check opening times out of season
Route notes
Not a traced route — no distance, ascent or timings are published. Ridden Portree–Storr–Staffin–Quiraing–Uig–Portree, the loop runs anticlockwise. The A855 carries a lot of visitor traffic near the Storr in summer, and the Quiraing road is a narrow single-track climb with passing places.
Island conditions & season
Midges can be bad in still summer weather. The Quiraing road is exposed and can be dangerous in strong wind, snow or ice.
Key hazards
- Heavy visitor traffic and parking at the Storr in summer
- Strong gusts on the exposed Quiraing road
- Narrow single-track roads shared with campervans
- Sheep on unfenced roads
Water sources on route
- Few reliable fill-ups between Portree, Staffin and Uig — carry water
Always filter or treat water from natural sources. Carry at least 1L reserve on remote sections.
OS map sheets
Nearest hill
Glamaig - Sgurr Mhairi
775m · skye-small-isles
View hill
Nearest bothy
Taigh Thormoid Dhuibh
8km walk-in · skye-small-isles
View bothy
Daylight Today
- Sunrise
- 07:49
- Sunset
- 16:27
- Civil dawn
- 07:07
- Civil dusk
- 17:10
NOAA Solar Calculator · 7 November 2026
Common questions
- Do I need a ferry to reach Skye?
- No — the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh carries the road from the mainland. There is also a small seasonal ferry from Glenelg to Kylerhea; check its current operating dates before relying on it.
- Is this a gravel route?
- No. The loop is entirely on public tarmac roads, and a road bike or gravel bike on lighter tyres suits it.
- Which direction should I ride?
- Portree, Storr, Staffin, Quiraing, Uig, Portree is anticlockwise. Either direction works; this one does the Quiraing road from the Staffin side.
- How long is the circuit?
- This page does not publish a distance. The figures it used to carry were generated rather than measured, so measure the loop yourself on OS Explorer 408.
After the ride
Resupply, eat, drink — on the SCOT network.
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