Day 48 – July 6, 2025 – Nairn to Portree, Scotland
Another great breakfast from Rowena this morning! We got all packed up and then Vance made the drive from Nairn to Tain, where the Glenmorangie distillery is. Both the guys were excited about this, and they were able to split a small tasting and John grabbed a bottle that you can’t get in the US.
Back on the road and had lunch at Kishorn Seafood Bar in Strathcarron. All of their seafood is local and fresh. I had the smoked salmon and John had a Thai coconut & lime soup. The food was good, but a little pricey for the amount you get. Across the street, there were some red deer hanging out and having their lunch as well, lol!
Back on the road to Portree and we finally made it to the Orchard House after going around in a circle twice. Their sign is not very visible, and GPS is not always the greatest, but we made it. We were greeted by Lance and his wife, Emma, and shown to our rooms, which are very nice. Again, it is very clean and modern, which we are happy to have! Lance suggested trying to find food early as most of the restaurants fill up fast, so we headed out and tried the Cuillin Hills Hotel first, which unfortunately did not have anything available, but it does have a beautiful view of Portree Bay. We think we may stop in for drinks there tomorrow after our excursions. We continued and found the Tianaviag Restaurant, and there was no one inside, which worried us, but it quickly filled up after we were seated. We all had leek and potato soup for a starter, and I had the sea bass, and John had the venison pot pie. The food was decent so we were happy.
We walked down to the bay street to see what was there and are thinking we may do some fish and chips for dinner tomorrow as that is what our guide in Edinburgh suggested we do as he said it’s the best place to get them.
It was a long day on the road today and we were all full, so it was an early night. John needed to get some work done and I needed to catch up on the blog writings so we will get together in the morning for breakfast. Excited to be in Portree!
A little about Portree:
It is the largest town on the Isle of Skye and sits on the island’s east coast, wrapped around a natural harbor with colorful buildings that have become one of Scotland’s most iconic views.
The name likely comes from the Gaelic Port Righ, meaning “Kings Port”, traditionally linked to a visit by King James V in 1540. Earlier Gaelic names suggest it was long used as a sheltered fishing and trading harbor.
The town is built around a deep, sheltered bay, protected by rock formations and headlands. It grew as a fishing village, then as a market town, and later became the main service center for Skye. Today, it’s the island’s tourism base.
