The hand-turned crossing
Kylerhea
A remote-feeling Skye settlement beside Kyle Rhea, shaped by its seasonal turntable ferry and a forest trail to a wildlife hide.
- Best for
- The seasonal ferry and wildlife trail
- Give it
- A ferry crossing and about an hour on the forest trail
- Don't miss
- Watching the crew turn the ferry deck by hand
The Fox verdict
Come for the crossing, stay for the narrows
Kylerhea's defining experience is the short seasonal ferry to Glenelg, with a woodland wildlife trail and hide just above the settlement.
The MV Glenachulish gives the visit its character: a manually operated turntable ferry on a narrow crossing used for centuries. Pair it with the Marine Mammal Trail for views over Kyle Rhea and chances to see otters, seals, porpoises and white-tailed sea eagles, then use Glenelg or Broadford for food.
Where to go
Places in Kylerhea
Every place below is checked against a published source, listed with what it is and how long to give it.
Local signatures
3 placesMV Glenachulish Ferry
The world's last manually operated turntable ferry carries vehicles and foot passengers across Kyle Rhea, on a crossing used for centuries.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 30 minutes
- Locality
- between Kylerhea and Glenelg
- Access
- The ferry operates seasonally, bad weather can interrupt the service, and pre-booking is not required.
Christopher Main Memorial Shore Station
A café and shop above the mainland slipway, serving hand-roasted coffee, teas, handmade cakes and pastries with views across the narrows to Skye.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 45 minutes
- Locality
- above the Glenelg slipway
- Access
- The ferry provides direct access from Kylerhea during its operating season; bad weather can interrupt the crossing.
Deli Gasta
A deli-café in Broadford's old mill serving homemade food and Scottish produce, including venison, crab, smoked salmon and breads.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 45 minutes
- Locality
- in Broadford’s old mill
Food & drink
1 placeGlenelg Inn
A traditional Highland inn with log fires, a cosy bar, views across the Sound of Sleat to Skye and local Scottish cooking using produce from land and sea.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 90 minutes
- Locality
- in Glenelg
- Access
- It is only directly accessible from Kylerhea while the ferry is running.
Walks & outdoors
1 placeMarine Mammal Trail and Kylerhea Otter Hide
A woodland trail leads to a hide above Kyle Rhea, with chances to see otters, seals, porpoises and white-tailed sea eagles.
- Visit length
- Editorial estimate: Allow around 60 minutes
- Locality
- through mixed woodland to a hide over Kyle Rhea
- Access
- The wide, firm gravel has uneven or muddy patches and short steep slopes. The steps and bridge on the optional circuit can be avoided by returning from the hide the same way.
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Three ways to explore Kylerhea
Signature outings
Ride the hand-turned ferry
Watch the crew turn the MV Glenachulish's deck by hand before the short seasonal crossing between Kylerhea and Glenelg.
Look out from the hide
Settle into the sheltered hide and give the narrows time: otters are elusive, and a sighting takes patience and luck.
Pause at the Highland inn
Pair a stop at the inn with the story of nearby Sandaig, where Gavin Maxwell wrote Ring of Bright Water.
The village story
Kylerhea: the Hand-Turned Ferry and Wildlife Narrows
A hand-turned ferry, a wildlife hide above the narrows and a road that makes the remoteness felt.
The Ferry and the Road In
At Kylerhea, the MV Glenachulish carries cars and foot passengers across Kyle Rhea to Glenelg. Its crew turn the vehicle deck by hand for loading and unloading: it is the world's last manually operated turntable ferry. Car ferries have used this crossing since 1934, while boats have crossed the narrows for centuries. The Isle of Skye Ferry Community Interest Company runs the service and reinvests its profits in the vessel, infrastructure and local groups.
Kylerhea is a small, remote-feeling settlement on Skye's east coast beside the tidal channel of Kyle Rhea. The road in climbs Bealach Udal to 279 metres before dropping through hairpins to the shore. From the Skye Bridge, follow the A87 for three miles, then roughly six and a half miles of steep, winding single-track road. No bus serves either Kylerhea walk start; the nearest bus stop is across the water at Glenelg, about two miles from the ferry terminal. Kyle of Lochalsh is the nearest railhead, with onward travel to Kylerhea by road.
Wildlife Trail and High Hills
Above the settlement, the Marine Mammal Trail follows 2.1 kilometres of mostly firm gravel through mixed woodland to a hide overlooking Kyle Rhea; allow about 45 minutes. The hide is among Britain's best places for spotting otters, with chances to see harbour and grey seals, porpoises and white-tailed sea eagles. The outward track is mainly flat and suitable for most pushchairs and wheelchairs, although it has uneven or muddy patches and short steep slopes. Returning from the hide the same way avoids the steps and bridge on the optional circuit. Parking, Blue Badge parking, seasonal toilets and picnic tables are near the start, and the hide remains in use year-round.
For anyone wanting more than a stroll, the hills behind the village make a hard day: fourteen kilometres over Beinn na Caillich, Sgùrr na Còinnich and Ben Aslak, eight to ten hours of pathless, boggy, steep ground, with views to Plockton, Knoydart and Sandaig. No scrambling, but you need to be able to find your own way.
Drovers, Raiders and the Old Inn
A turf-walled change house once gave drovers a stop on their way to the Crieff and Falkirk cattle trysts. During Skye's last cattle raid, Sleat men led by Ruairidh MacIain Macdonald confronted the Macmillans of Loch Arkaig there. A stone inn replaced the change house in the early 1800s. The listed Kylerhea Old Inn is attributed to architect James Gillespie Graham.
Food Across the Water and in Broadford
For food, cross to Glenelg or drive to Broadford. Above the Glenelg slipway, the Christopher Main Memorial Shore Station serves hand-roasted coffee, handmade cakes and pastries. The Glenelg Inn offers a cosy bar, log fires and Scottish cooking with local produce. In Broadford, about ten and a half miles from the Kylerhea forest site, Deli Gasta serves homemade food in the old mill.
Turned by Hand
The crew turn the ferry deck by hand, a working reminder that people have crossed these narrows for centuries.
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A guide with a point of view
Written from research. Edited for real journeys.
Use the Official site links for live practical details, then use this guide for context, ideas and room to explore.
Sources
Every place on this page is checked against a published source. Each entry links the record we used and names who publishes it.
- MV Glenachulish Ferry — skyeferry.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Marine Mammal Trail and Kylerhea Otter Hide — forestryandland.gov.scot statutory register or public authority
- Glenelg Inn — glenelg-inn.com operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Christopher Main Memorial Shore Station — skyeferry.co.uk operator, sector body or destination organisation
- Deli Gasta — highland.gov.uk statutory register or public authority