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Portree is the largest Town on the Isle of
Skye, 33 miles north of the Skye Bridge,
42 miles north of the Ferry Port village of
Armadale, popular for the Isle of Skye Candle
Company, Macnabs Inn for Flora MacDonald and
Prince Charlie, Boat Trips, Walk to the Lump
for views over the town, and as a base for
exploring the Island.
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The Skye Live Music
Festival takes place on The Lump at Portree
in May.
Boat Trips from Portree can be taken with
skyeboat-trips.co.uk.
The image top is of the Isle of Skye Candle
Co on the south side of Portree, with a
Cinema, Restaurant, and Shop, formerly the Aros
Centre.
The second image is of Portree Market
Square, known as Somerled Square, named after
the Viking Somerled that was King of the Isles
in the 1100s, with Clan MacDonald being his
descendants.
The Square has parking, a larger car park
close by, and the Portree Hotel is the largest
building overlooking the Square.
The fourth image is of the Granary Diner
overlooking the Square.
The fifth image is of Wentworth Street with
most of the towns Shops, leading to the Harbour
area.
The sixth image is of Bank Street and Royal
Hotel with views over the Harbour.
Flora MacDonald and Prince Charlie had their
last meeting at MacNabs Inn on Bank Street, now
the Royal Hotel with the Bar named MacNabs Inn.
The seventh image is of Bosville Terrace
from where you get high views over the
Harbour.
The Harbour area has a number of Seafood
Restaurants, Guest Houses, and where you can
take Boat Trips from.
The Lump is a Park high above the Harbour
with a Tower for views over Portree, where the
Skye Live Music Festival takes place. This is a
popular place for Sun Bathing on warm days.
Portree History
2570 BC - there was a settlement in this
area with the remains of Timber Round Houses
and Stone Tools found in the area.
700s - a Church named Kiltaraglen is said to
have been built at the north side of Portree,
with the settlement known as Kiltaraglen at
that time.
1340 - Clan MacNicol took control of land at
Portree, with the Clan landowners responsible
for running courts and carrying out punishments
up to the 1800s.
1400s - Clan MacDonald took control of the
southeast area of Skye.
1469 - Clan MacDonald took control of much
of the Portree area in northeast Skye through a
Royal Charter, with Clan MacNicol still holding
their Estate as the two Clans were allies.
1540 - King James V visited Portree with a
Fleet of Warships in an attempt to persuade the
Island Clans to support him. Kings at that time
had to travel around Scotland's Castles and
Islands to ensure they had the support of most
Clans, and to try and stop the Clans fighting
amongst themselves.
It is said the Towns current name Portree
was adopted at that time, as Port Righ, Gaelic
for Kings Port.
1564 - The Maiden Guillotine was built in
Edinburgh to execute powerful landowners that
got on the wrong side of the Royals.
Large Clans on Skye at that time were
MacLeod and MacDonald, with smaller Clans such
as MacKinnon, MacNichol, Budge, and
MacQueen.
1707 - the Union between Scotland and
England led to Excise Taxes in Scotland, with
the Portree area used for Smuggling goods such
as French brandy, wine, tobacco, tea, salt, and
Single Malt Whisky from the Highlands.
1746 - after the Jacobite defeat at the
Battle of Culloden, Flora MacDonald
and Bonnie Prince Charlie had their last
meeting at Macnabs Inn at Portree, where the
Royal Hotel is today,
on Bank Street.
The failure of the Last Jacobite Rebellion
led to the Highland Clearances, with Portree
one of a few Departure Points for Scots sailing
to Canada and America.
Some people were dragged from their Farms,
others encouraged to leave through higher rents
and offers of free or subsidized travel to
America and Canada, with the promise of land
there for them to farm, that in many cases
turned out to be covered in forests.
The MacDonald's and MacLeod's are said to
have encouraged 20,000 people to emigrate from
Skye between 1769 and 1775.
1771 - Portree expanded through Fishing
after the MacDonald's developed Portree Harbour
to create work for people removed from their
Farms.
1820s - Thomas Telford built Gravel Roads on
Skye between Portree and Uig in the northwest, and south
to Kyleakin where the first Ferries ran
between the Mainland and Skye, where the Skye
Bridge is today.
1820 - Portree Parish Church was built on
Bank Street, with these Churches tending to be
influenced by the Landowners and the State.
1820s? - Portree Market Square was laid out
as the Town was expanding, with it named
Somerled
Square, after an 1100s Viking that Clan
MacDonald descended from.
1825 - Clan MacNicol sold their land at
Portree to Clan MacDonald as they hit financial
problems, with the Chief and his family
emigrating to Tasmania.
1826 - weekly Steamers from the Mainland
began visiting Portree.
1800s - The Lump, a 98ft high hill above the
Harbour, was landscaped into a Park for
Highland Games and Music Festivals.
1835 - The Lump Tower was built at 20ft
high, for Dr. Alexander MacLeod, a local
physician and engineer, named Apothecary's
Tower.
1846 - 1856 - Portree was again used as a
Departure Point for Emigrants due to the Potato
Famine on the Islands and Highlands of
Scotland.
1851 - Steamers traveling between Glasgow
and Stornoway on the Outer Hebrides began
calling at Portree.
1854 - Portree Free Church was built at the
Market Square so Landowners had no influence
over that Church.
1865 - Portree Court was built next to the
Market Square, a time the State was taking over
legal procedures in remote areas, ending the
Landowners right to try and punish
criminals.
1894 - regular Steamer Services ran between
Portree and Ullapool, Oban, Lochinver, and
ports in the Western Isles.
1895 - Portree Free Presbyterian Church of
Scotland was built at the Market Square.
1913 - Lodge St Kilda 881, a Masonic Lodge,
was built at the Market Square, still used
today.
1900s early - Cars began running on Skye
with Tar put on the Gravel Roads to keep the
dust down around that time.
1927 - the first Buses began running around
Skye.
1958 - the last of the Steamers MV Lochnevis
was withdrawn from the Portree route after Car
Ferries began operating on the short crossing
between Kyle of Lochalsh on the Mainland and
Kyleakin on Skye, taking most of the
trade.
1976 - Runrig played at The Lump, Loch
Lomond being their top song.
2023 - Pete & Diesel played at The Lump
for the second time, with My Island said
to be the locals favourite song blasted out
over Portree.
Today - Portree is the largest and busiest
Town on Skye, attracting many visitors from
around the world. There is a large car and
coach park in the town centre.
The area around Portree contains Shale,
being a possible site of Oil or Gas extraction
in the future.
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