I'll also provide some feedback since we also just returned from the Highlands/Hebrides.

We stayed in Portree for our time on Skye. For our day driving the Trotternish Peninsula, we did drive the whole loop. We didn't hug the coastline all the way around. We cut over the pass at the Quiraing to do the hike there, and came back along the west side of the peninsula to check out the Fairy Glen. The Fairy Glen was neat, but not a major highlight for us. The eastern side of Trotternish has the most dramatic scenery and beautiful views.

We also drove to Skye on the A87 and returned back to the mainland via the Armadale/Mallaig ferry. No issues there. It's always worth it to see something different in my opinion. The route through Mallaig would take you past the beaches near Morar, Glenfinnan, and of course through Glencoe, which is peak Highlands. All of that is well worth a longer drive in my opinion.

If you've never driven in Scotland, the Highlands and Islands make for an adventure with all the single track roads. I actually found it kind of charming and enjoyed it for the most part. There is some etiquette involved in single track driving, but you get the hang of it pretty quick.

I'm a little envious, as I would have loved to hike The Storr or Quiraing, but it just wasn't in the cards for us. I'm a little bummed we didn't travel more north and west, as I'm sure there are a lot of beautiful points of interest that we missed. I was a bit surprised at just how long it took to get from point A to point B. We spent a lot of time in the car just to do what we did. And the weather on the second day threw a wrench into our plans (not just rainy, but VERY windy).

The only thing that made me nervous about driving (or passengering, since I didn't actually drive) was the complete lack of a shoulder on most of the roads. At best there was a thin dirt strip, at worst there was a sharp drop off/pothole between the edge of the road and the dirt. The kind that eats up a rim and tire. This caused a bit of friction, since I had a clear view of the problem on my side, but despite what felt like a couple of hard hits, the car was completely unscathed.

My BF felt like drivers coming the other way hugged (or even crossed) the "center line" a bit too much. I use quotes because in many places there isn't actually a line.

The single track was not an issue (other than slowing us down), as drivers are very polite and courteous. They know how to take turns.

Agreed on the driving! The single track stuff didn't bother me, as I found that nearly everyone followed the etiquette and offered a friendly wave in the process.

The 2-lane driving at high speed was a lot more nerve wracking. You're right…narrow lanes and no shoulders. The locals seem to have no qualms about going 60+ on winding 2-lane roads with minimal spacing from oncoming traffic. If I had a dollar for every time my wife told me I was running us off the road…

Haha...tell your wife I hear her and empathize!

Scotts Tot said:

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Agreed on the driving! The single track stuff didn't bother me, as I found that nearly everyone followed the etiquette and offered a friendly wave in the process.

The 2-lane driving at high speed was a lot more nerve wracking. You're right…narrow lanes and no shoulders. The locals seem to have no qualms about going 60+ on winding 2-lane roads with minimal spacing from oncoming traffic. If I had a dollar for every time my wife told me I was running us off the road…

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My rental car did the beeping warning thing every time I was too far over on the left side (and it happened A LOT), but I didn't care!

Between the lane "assist", the auto braking, and the beeping warning every twenty minutes that we needed to take a break to avoid driver fatigue, the rental care drove us nuts!