Scotland Guide
Skye and the Western Isles
Skye
Jutting out from the mainland like a giant butterfly, the bare and bony promontories of Skye ( 
www.skye.co.uk ) fringe a deeply indented coastline. Despite the unpredictability of the weather, tourism has been an important part of the island's economy for a hundred years, since the train line pushed through to Kyle of Lochalsh in the western Highlands in 1897. Though some estimate that today only half the island's population are indigenous Sgiathanachs (pronounced "Ski-anaks"), Skye remains the most important centre for Gaelic culture and language outside the Western Isles.