Fairy Pools from Inverness
A Fairy Pools tour from Inverness is a 12-hour day on Skye with 90 minutes at the pools in Glen Brittle, for $105 per person. Two of the 13 trips on this site go to the Fairy Pools: that day, and a two-day trip with a night away at $224. Below: the walk, the shoes, what each price covers and how they compare with the Skye days that leave the pools out.
Quick answer
The short answer. If the Fairy Pools are the reason you are going to Skye, book the 12-hour Fairy Pools day at $105: it is the one listing here that says how long you get at the pools, 90 minutes. If you want a night away and more of the island, the two-day trip at $224 has a hike to the Fairy Pools on its second morning. If Eilean Donan and the Old Man of Storr matter more than the pools, Skye days on this site start from $91 per person.
The walk
Ninety minutes, sturdy shoes, and one line about winter.
The Fairy Pools sit in Glen Brittle, and the 12-hour Fairy Pools tour from Inverness gives them the longest stop of the day: 90 minutes. The listing says it twice, once as a 90-minute stop and once in the itinerary as 1.5 hours. No other day trip on this site goes there.
On the walk itself the listing is short and plain: the walk to the Fairy Pools is moderately challenging, so please wear adequate footwear. It gives no distance and no climb, and we will not invent them. Plan on shoes with grip, not sandals.
One caveat: during the winter months, the listing says, it is on occasion not possible to visit the Fairy Pools, and the day then goes to other places instead. If the pools are the whole point of your Fairy Pools tour from Inverness, read that line before you pick a winter date. Carol from the United States: «The stops were well planned to get us in before the crowds and enjoy every moment.»
At the pools
Four frames of the pools, the stream and the hills and moor around them.
A white stream pours over a step of dark rock and runs on between boulders, with a steep green bank of grass and heather above it.
Sharp peaks streaked with snow rise over a brown moor, with a frozen pool in front and a row of red and white posts on the slope to the right.
A stony stream drops over a small fall and runs down a wide green glen, with grey mountain tops in cloud behind it.
A two-lane road runs straight over a frosted brown moor toward a row of rounded hills, with low grey cloud above.
The rest of the day
The Fairy Pools are the longest stop on the Fairy Pools tour from Inverness, but not the only one.
The meeting point. Times back are approximate, so do not book a tight onward train or flight on the same evening.
A 10-minute photo stop by the loch on the way west.
A 20-minute photo stop. On this trip you see the castle from outside.
Your way onto the island; the listing names both on the route.
Both are named on the route of the day, on the island side of the bridge.
An hour in the island capital, with time for lunch. Lunch is not included, so bring money for food.
Every trip, current fare
The two Fairy Pools trips next to the three Skye days that leave the pools out, and our top pick from Edinburgh. Every price is per person; lunch is not included on any of them.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairy Pools day | $105 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned vehicle and a driver-guide; 90 minutes at the Fairy Pools; an hour in Portree; photo stops at Eilean Donan and Loch Ness | 25 Union Street, Inverness | 4.7 · 1,278 |
| Two days with the Fairy Pools | $224 | per person | 2 days | Transport with a driver guide; a hike to the Fairy Pools on day two; Eilean Donan. Whether a room is included is not stated | Railway Terrace, Inverness | 4.8 · 513 |
| Eilean Donan and Portree | $91 | per person | 12 hours | Air-conditioned bus; time at Eilean Donan; Portree, the Old Man of Storr, Lealt Falls. No Fairy Pools | Railway Terrace, Inverness | 4.8 · 5,019 |
| Eilean Donan and Trotternish | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Up to 16 people; the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing; back around 20:00. No Fairy Pools | Ardross Street, by Inverness Cathedral | 4.9 · 1,809 |
| Myths and legends | $94 | per person | 12 hours | Small group; the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock, the Quiraing; Eilean Donan entry at your own expense. No Fairy Pools | 15 Union Street, opposite the Victorian Market | 4.7 · 180 |
| Three days from Edinburgh, our top pick | $304 | per person | 3 days | Glencoe, two nights in Portree, Eilean Donan; whether rooms are included is not stated. No Fairy Pools | Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, 9:00 | 4.8 · 1,239 |
Day or overnight
A long day with a fixed 90 minutes, or two days with a hike on the second.
Only two trips on this site take you to the Fairy Pools, and they answer different wishes. The 12-hour Fairy Pools tour from Inverness is the choice if the pools come first: it costs $105, it gives them 90 minutes, and 1,278 reviewers rate it 4.7. It also passes Loch Ness, stops for photos at Eilean Donan and gives you an hour in Portree, so you see a good part of the island in one long day.
The two-day trip costs $224 and is rated 4.8 by 513 reviewers. It is an overnight trip, and the hike to the Fairy Pools comes on the morning of day two. The listing does not say how long you stay at the pools, so if time there is what you are paying for, the day trip is the one that puts a number on it. What the second day adds is room for the rest: Sligachan, Sconser, lunch in Broadford, Fort Augustus and Loch Ness.
Skye without the pools
Three other 12-hour days leave Inverness for Skye and do not go to the pools. Here is what each one puts in their place.
The lowest price on this site, with 5,019 reviews at 4.8. Time at Eilean Donan, lunch time in Portree, the Old Man of Storr and the waterfall at Lealt Falls.
Rated 4.9 by 1,809 reviewers, the highest score here. Up to 16 people, the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing, and you can go inside Eilean Donan. Back around 20:00.
Stories of clans and folklore, with stops at the Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and the Quiraing. Eilean Donan entry is at your own expense; a 1-hour guided visit costs extra.
Our top pick for a longer stay: Glencoe on the way north, two nights in Portree and Eilean Donan on the last day. The listing does not include the Fairy Pools.
The overnight trip
What the night away adds, and what to ask before you book it.
If you would rather not rush, the two-day trip from Inverness is the other way to reach the Fairy Pools. The listing calls it an overnight trip with two medieval castles, charming villages and mountains, and it names one of the castles: Eilean Donan. Transport with a driver guide is included, and the listing describes a small group without giving a number.
Check three things on the booking page. The listing does not say whether your room for the night is in the price, and it mentions breakfast in the morning without saying who pays. It does advise booking a table for dinner, because restaurants in Portree can get very busy. Pack light: one medium-sized suitcase, 63 to 67 cm.
Reviewers like the pace. Susana from the United States: «We had a good amount of time to explore the sites visited.» Annalea from the United Kingdom: «It was packed full of scenery, information and wow moments.»
Before you book
A few minutes on the listing makes your Fairy Pools tour from Inverness easier on the day.
The walk to the Fairy Pools is moderately challenging, and the listing asks for adequate footwear.
In the winter months it is on occasion not possible to visit the Fairy Pools; the day then goes to other places.
Lunch is not included on either trip. The day trip stops in Portree for it, the two-day trip in Broadford.
The day trip is not for children under 3; the two-day trip is not for children under 4.
Both trips offer free cancellation, but the deadline is not the same on each. Check it on the booking page before you pay.
Our verdict
Book the 12-hour day if the pools are why you are going. For $105 this Fairy Pools tour from Inverness gives you 90 minutes at the pools, Eilean Donan, Loch Ness and Portree in one day, and 1,278 reviewers rate it 4.7.
If you want a night away, take the two-day trip at $224, and check whether the room is included before you pay.
Book direct
The Fairy Pools day and the two-day trip first, then the lowest-priced Skye day and our top pick from Edinburgh. All four are priced per person.
★ 4.7 · 1,278 reviews
★ 4.8 · 513 reviews
★ 4.8 · 5,019 reviews
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews
Common questions
On the 12-hour Fairy Pools tour from Inverness, 90 minutes: the listing calls it a 90-minute stop and the itinerary gives 1.5 hours. The two-day trip includes a hike to the Fairy Pools on its second morning, but does not say how long you spend there.
The listing describes the walk to the Fairy Pools as moderately challenging and asks you to wear adequate footwear. It gives no distance or climb, so plan on shoes with grip.
Not always. The listing says that during the winter months it is on occasion not possible to visit the Fairy Pools, and the day then goes to other places instead.
No. Two of the 13 trips on this site do: the 12-hour Fairy Pools day at $105 and the two-day trip at $224.
No. On the Fairy Pools tour from Inverness there is an hour in Portree with time for lunch, and on the two-day trip lunch is in Broadford. Neither listing includes the meal, so bring money for food.
The 12-hour day meets at 25 Union Street in Inverness. The two-day trip meets at Railway Terrace, Inverness. Neither picks you up, and return times are approximate.
Go deeper
Four long days and one two-day trip from the Highland capital, side by side.
Two daysA night on the island: what the second day adds.
In one dayWhat a twelve-hour day from Inverness covers on the island, and which day suits you.
Eilean DonanThe castle on its island at the head of Loch Duich, and the tours that stop there.
Loch NessThe loch on the road west, and how long each tour stays.
Edinburgh: 3-Day Isle of Skye, Highlands, and Loch Ness Tour
★ 4.8 · 1,239 reviews · 3 days