PORTREE
Portree is on the Isle of Skye and is also the biggest place on the island. The population of the village is greatly increased by the number of tourists, especially from Europe and America, visiting the island.
Portree is a village on the Isle of Skye and is also the biggest place on the island. The population of the village is greatly increased by the number of tourists, especially from Europe and America, visiting the island.
The island is known for spectacular scenery, hill and costal walks. There are also many visitor attractions such as Dunvegan Castle and Talisker Distillary. There are boat trips to view wild life, visit St Kilda or travel to the Outer Herbrides.
Prior to reaching Skye there is Glen Shiel to travel through and Eilean Donnan to visit.
Skye Eilean Donnan Talisker Distillary Dunvegan Castle
On a day trip.
Starting from the main Square, which is the main bus stop and the village car park. Start at The Isles which is in the far left corner of the Square then to the West Highland Bar is opposite the bus stop. After leaving The West Highland Bar walk away from the square towards the main road. turn left here and walk along to MacNab's Inn (at The Royal Hotel). Exit the bar via the large dining room and exit the hotel at the far corner and cross over the road to a flight of steps taking you down to the harbour. Walk along the harbour to The Pier Hotel.
After leaving The Pier Hotel walk back to the steps but go up the hill instead. At the top of the hill where it meets the main road, look up to your right and see Merchant Bar at the next corner. Walk back down to the town and turn right to find The Tongadale Hotel just along on the left. leaving here and continuing along the main shopping street brings you back to the starting Square
PUB INFO
All of the pubs are actually linked to hotels. This should be no surprise in a town full of tourists visiting the Isle of Skye.
All of the bars have restaurants as well as being hotels. Most of the hotel restaurants seem to only take reservations for guests; for the rest of visitors it is first come first seated. This saves empty tables awaiting someone who has booked.
Surprisingly only one, The Isles, has outdoor seating in a beer garden. Equally surprisingly, given the tourist nature of Portree, is that the loud bad language heard in half the places from half drunken men, competing with each other, is worse than anywhere else visited by the website.
PUB QUIZ
Which sport has the highest number referrees?
The Isles
The Isles bar counter is straight in opposite the door with only a little space for standing and bar stools. The counter has a thatched roof above it as it tries to create a feeling of being a replica of a Jacobite drinking room. To the left is a dining area with tables packed in with dining staff working hard during the evening. To the right there are some high tables and stools at the windows. The room also opens up with low tables and cushioned seating which are again packed into the room. There is a roaring fire heating the room. The bar also has a beer garden up steps at the rear.
Have a pint here
CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2025
Real ale: Sky Gold; Skye Red
Heavy: Innes & Gunn Roasted Oak IPA; Coast To Coast IPS (Caledonian); Tetley's
Lager: Tennent’s; Stella; Hoegarden; Amstel
Strongbow and Dark Fruit Guinness
West Highland Bar ❤
West Highland Bar is the bar of The Portree Hotel. Also on outside wall is ‘Antlers Bar and Grill’, however this is in fact a restaurant. The bar is in the right hand corner of the back wall with two booths opposite it and a TV on the side wall. There is plenty of standing room in front of the bar. The left hand side of the room has some dining seating and another TV. Beyond this is an arch to enter the restaurant. Lunch and evening meals
Have a pint here
CAMRS Good Beer Guide 2024
Rea ale: Sky Gold; Skye Red
Heavy: Innes & Gunn Dark Aged Beer; Belhaven Best; Mosaic Pale Ale (Adnams)
Lager: Carlsberg; West4; Three Hop Lager (Caledonian)
Cider : Somersby Guinness
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresbourgh Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
MacNab’s
MacNab’s is the bar of The Royal Hotel. Bottom floor of the hotel also has a fancy restaurant and a large pub food dining area through from the bar. This dining area also has a large TV screen. The main bar is through glass doors at the far end. The bar itself is entered from the other corner of the building. This has a pool table in the middle of the large floor area. The servery is at the opposite wall. There is some comfy seating along the window side of the room. There are settles along the curving left side wall with some small tables. To the right of the bar are the doors to the dining area for lunch and evening meals.
Real ale: Origin; Black Face both Cullin brewery
Heavy: Ember; Caledonia Best
Lager: Tennent’s; Stella; Heverlee
Cider: Magners; Old English (Gaymers) Guinness
The Pier Hotel ❤
The Pier Hotel has a small one roomed bar. The small counter is on the far wall with seating along window side and far wall. There is a strange mural painted on this far wall. A very pleasant local's pub.
Have a pint here
Heavy: Enber; John Smith
Lager: Tennent’s; Stella4
Ye Olde English Guinness
The Merchant Bar ❤
The Merchant Bar is the up-market looking bar of the Bosville Hotel. This is a contemporary boutique hotel with lounge and restaurant. The bar counter takes up most of the back wall of the thin room. There is one table at the back left and some low seating at the back right with a fire on the adjacent side wall. There is not a lot of space between door and the bar counter, but enough for a line of stools and some standing space. To the left of the entry are several dining size tables with a TV on the short left side wall. To the right of the entry are several high tables and stools. Also on right hand wall is entrance to Hotel and restaurant. This is a whisky dominated bar (approx. 115 malts) with knowledgeable staff. Tourists are often to be found asking advice and tasting different whiskies between them.
Have a pint or two here.
Real ale: Sky Gold; Skye Black; Skye Red (all Skye Brewery)
Heavy: Innes & Gunn IPA; Orkney Gold; Eilean-Or Golden Ale
Lager: West4
Tongadale Hotel ❤
Tongadale Hotel is a small hotel on the main shopping road. The bar takes up the right-hand wall. There is plenty of stools and standing area from entrance to bar. To the left of the entrance is a small area with tables and seating. Through the back from this is the restaurant. The dog friendly one.
Have a pint here.
Real Ale: from Isle of Skye brewery
Heavy: Caledonia Best; Ember
Lager: Tennent’s; Bear Faced (Drygate); Heverlee
Have a drink, I'll look better
ANSWER: Tennis