(Gaelic ''Port Rígh'', the King's port) is the largest
Town on
Skye in the
Scottish Inner Hebrides .
It has a busy
Harbour , fringed by
Cliff s, with a
Pier designed by
Thomas Telford . Attractions in the town include the
Aros Centre and the
An Tuireann Arts Centre , both of which celebrate the island's
Gaelic heritage. The town also profits as a centre for
Tourist s exploring the island. It contains some renowned restaurants, but reservations are necessary and parking can be very hard to come by.
Public transport is also very limited, even during the main tourist season and visitors planning to use buses to get to and from other parts of the island should carefully plan their day in advance.
Like the rest of Skye, Portree suffers from the Scottish
Midge during the summer months. These small biting insects descend on unwary visitors in clouds at this time of year and a good quality insect repellent (opinion varies on which is the most effective against midge attacks) and other items such as protective head nets should be carried at all times. Thankfully midges are unable to fly when there is any sort of breeze but a still period after heavy rain seems to bring them out in their thousands. Pools of water seem to have especially heavy midge concentrations and walkers would do well not to linger at such places.
It takes its name from a visit by King
James V of Scotland in 1540.
