Sleat: The “Garden of Skye” — Armadale, Clan Donald & the Museum of the Isles

Sleat: The “Garden of Skye” — Armadale, Clan Donald & the Museum of the Isles

Sunset over the sea from the Sleat peninsula, Isle of Skye.
Sunset from Sleat — the green, wooded “garden of Skye,” looking across the sea to the mainland hills.

Overview — the honest take

Sleat (say “slate”) is the long southern peninsula of Skye — softer, greener and more wooded than the rest of the island, which is why it’s known as the “Garden of Skye.” It’s the historic heartland of Clan Donald, the great MacDonald kindred who once ruled the west as Lords of the Isles, and it’s home to their castle, gardens and museum at Armadale. With big sunset views to the mainland mountains, it makes a lovely, gentle end to a Skye trip — and the ferry from Armadale is the pretty back-door route on and off the island.

Where it is

Sleat runs down the south-east of Skye towards the little ferry port of Armadale, from where the CalMac ferry crosses to Mallaig on the mainland — linking neatly to Glenfinnan and the Road to the Isles. The main village is Broadford to the north; the Sleat road threads south through woods and along the shore to Armadale and the Point of Sleat.

Clan Donald & the Museum of the Isles

A display about the MacDonalds of Sleat and Clan Donald at Armadale.
The story of Clan Donald — the Lords of the Isles — told at Armadale.

At Armadale, the Clan Donald Lands Trust looks after the ruins of Armadale Castle, its lovely gardens, and the Museum of the Isles. Together they tell the sweeping story of the MacDonalds — Clan Donald — who as the Lords of the Isles ruled a sea-kingdom from Islay to Skye in the Middle Ages, a power to rival the Scottish Crown itself. For anyone with MacDonald blood, or just an interest in Highland history, it’s a fascinating and beautifully set stop.

The colourful painted houses along Portree harbour front, Isle of Skye.
Portree’s painted harbour row, north on Skye — an easy day out from Sleat.

The garden of Skye & the views

View from Sleat across the sea to the mainland mountains.
Across the sea to the Knoydart and Kintail hills.

Sleat earns its “garden” name: sheltered and green, with woodland, wildflowers and little bays. The eastern shore looks across the sea to the mainland — the wild peaks of Knoydart and Kintail — and the light at the end of the day here is glorious. The pretty hamlet of Isleornsay, with its lighthouse island, is a classic viewpoint.

Walks

A coastal picnic spot on the Sleat peninsula, Skye.
A quiet coast to walk and picnic on.

There’s lovely, low-key walking down here, away from Skye’s busiest honeypots. The finest is the path out to the Point of Sleat, the island’s southern tip, with its little lighthouse, white-sand beach and huge sea views — a proper wee adventure of a walk. Closer at hand, the woodland and shore trails around Armadale and the gardens make for an easy, pretty wander.

Nearby

  • Portree — the island capital, north up the road.
  • Glenfinnan and the Road to the Isles — reached by the Armadale–Mallaig ferry.
  • Eilean Donan Castle — the great castle on the mainland approach to Skye.

Sources