Broadford printable guide

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.

Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.

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.

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