Portree

Portree sits around a natural harbour on the east coast of Skye, its coloured houses banked up from the water and the hills of the Trotternish peninsula rising close behind. The town is small but the ground around it is not: steep, folded, and often wrapped in cloud one moment and clear the next. Boats work in and out of the harbour below the main streets, and from higher up in town you get long views out over the water to the hills opposite. It's a landscape of sudden scale changes - tight streets giving way to open sky and sea within a few minutes' walk.

Portree works well as a base precisely because the landscape around it is the main draw. The town itself is compact enough to walk in an afternoon, but the surrounding hills and coastline pull you outward - up onto the Trotternish ridge, along cliff paths, or simply out to the edges of town where the views open up. For something more structured, the Portree Treasure Hunt Trail gives a way to see the town's streets and harbour with a bit of purpose, taking in the corners you might otherwise walk past.

What stays with people about Portree is less any single sight than the constant presence of the landscape - harbour, hill and sea all within view of the same street corner. It's a working town shaped by the ground it sits on, and a natural point to return to after a day spent further out on the island.