Portree (/pɔːrˈtriː/; Scottish Gaelic: Port Rìgh, pronounced [pʰɔrˠʃt̪ˈɾiː]) is the capital[2] and largest town of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.[3] It is a civil parish and lies within the Highland council area, around 74 miles (119 km) from its administrative centre of Inverness.
Portree
| |
|---|---|
 Portree Harbour | |
  Portree Location within the Isle of Skye | |
| Population | 2,310 (2022)[1] |
| OS grid reference | NG483454 |
| • Edinburgh | 152 mi (245 km) |
| • London | 475 mi (764 km) |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | PORTREE |
| Postcode district | IV51 |
| Dialling code | 01478 |
| Police | Scotland |
| Fire | Scottish |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Portree has a harbour, fringed by cliffs, with a pier designed by Thomas Telford.[4] Attractions in the town include the former Aros Centre, now the Isle of Skye Candle Co. Visitor Centre,[5] which celebrates the island's Gaelic heritage. Further arts provision is made through arts organisation ATLAS Arts, a Creative Scotland regularly-funded organisation.[6] The town also serves as a centre for tourists exploring the island.[7]
Around 939 people (37.72% of the population) can speak Scottish Gaelic.
Portree is connected to the Skye Bridge by the A87 road, which then leads northwards to Uig. The A855 road also leads north out of the town, passing through villages such as Achachork, Staffin and passes the rocky landscape of the Storr before reaching the landslip of the Quiraing.
Etymology
editThe current name, Port Rìgh translates as 'king's port', possibly from a visit by King James V of Scotland in 1540. However this etymology has been contested, since James did not arrive in peaceful times. The older name appears to have been Port Ruighe(adh), meaning 'slope harbour'.[8]
Prior to the 16th century the settlement's name was Kiltaraglen ('the church of St. Talarican') from Gaelic Cill Targhlain.
Prehistory and archaeology
editArchaeological investigations in advance of construction of a housing development in 2006–2007, by CFA Archaeology, uncovered evidence of occupation of Portree from the Early Bronze Age to the Medieval period (the earliest radiocarbon date was 2570 BC, and the latest was AD 1400). They also found stone tools that indicated people were in the area in the Early to Mid Neolithic, possibly as far back as the Late Mesolithic.[9]
The archaeologists discovered the remains of timber roundhouses, a circular ditch-defined enclosure, miniature souterrains, probable standing stone sockets and an assortment of pits. While not many artefacts were recovered there was an assemblage of Beaker pottery. This was the first discovery of a site dating from the Later Bronze Age on the Isle of Skye.[9]
The archaeologists also found evidence of the shooting range that was created in the 1800s with the formation of the Rifle Volunteer movement, set up in 1859 to defend the country against a potential French invasion. The first official unit in Portree was the 8th Inverness-shire Rifle Volunteer Corps, formed in July 1867.[9]
History
editIn the 1700s, the town was a popular point of departure for Scots sailing to America to escape poverty. This form of use repeated during the famine in the 1840s. Both times, the town was saved by an influx of boats, often going between mainland Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, who used Portree's pier as a rest point. The town also began exporting fish at this time, which contributed greatly to the local economy.
The Royal Hotel is the site of MacNab's Inn, the last meeting place of Flora MacDonald and Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1746.[10][3]
The town had the last manual telephone exchange in the UK, which closed in 1976.[11]
Tourism
edit
Portree is considered to be among the "20 most beautiful villages in the UK and Ireland" according to Condé Nast Traveler and is visited by many tourists each year.[12]
A report published in mid 2020 indicated that visitors added £211 million in a single year to the Isle of Skye's economy, prior to travel restrictions imposed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] This was expected to decline substantially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Skye is highly vulnerable to the downturn in international visitors that will continue for much of 2020 and beyond", Professor John Lennon of Glasgow Caledonian University told a reporter in July 2020.[14]
In 2016, over 150,000 people stopped at the VisitScotland centre in Portree, a 5% increase over 2015.[15] Overcrowding during peak season was a problem, however, before the pandemic, since it is "the busiest place on the island". One news item recommended that some tourists might prefer accommodations in quieter areas such as Dunvegan, Kyleakin and the Broadford and Breakish area.[16]
The 2020 reports did not cover tourism in Portree specifically but a December 2018 report by well-known travel writer Rick Steves had recommended the village as "Skye’s best home base" for visitors. He indicated that Portree "provided a few hotels, hostels and bed-and-breakfasts in town, while more B&Bs line the roads into and out of town".[17] The tourism bureau added that visitors would appreciate the "banks, churches, cafes and restaurants, a cinema at the Aros Centre, a swimming pool and library, (...) petrol filling stations and supermarkets".[18]
Media
editLocal news and television programmes are provided by BBC Scotland and STV North (formerly Grampian Television). Television signals are received from one of the local relay transmitters (Penifiler[19] and Skriaig[20]).
Portree is served by nation-wide stations, BBC Radio Scotland on 92.9 FM and BBC Radio Nan Gaidheal (for Gaelic listeners) on 104.7 FM. The local radio station Radio Skye is a community based station that broadcasts to the Isle Of Skye and Loch Alsh on 106.2 FM and 102.7 FM.[21]
Education
editPortree now has 6 schools. This includes 2 primary schools (Portree Primary School and Portree Gaelic Primary School) one high school (Portree High School) one nursery (Portree Nursery) one Pre-school (Portree Pre-school) and one college (Portree College).
Sport
editThe town plays host to the Isle of Skye's shinty club, Skye Camanachd.[22] They play at Pairc nan Laoch above the town on the road to Struan.
Portree is home to two football clubs that play in the Skye and Lochalsh amateur football league called Portree and Portree Juniors.
Portree is now home to a new youth football club, Skye Young Boys.[23]
Climate
editLike most of the British Isles, Portree has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb). The nearest weather station to Portree is located at Prabost, approximately 5+1⁄2 miles (9 km) north-west of Portree.
| Climate data for Prabost (67 metres or 220 feet asl, averages 1981-2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.4 (43.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
10.8 (51.4) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
16.8 (62.2) |
14.7 (58.5) |
11.7 (53.1) |
8.7 (47.7) |
6.7 (44.1) |
11.4 (52.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
4.1 (39.4) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
12.0 (53.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
13.6 (56.5) |
11.6 (52.9) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.3 (43.3) |
4.2 (39.6) |
8.4 (47.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.5 (34.7) |
2.3 (36.1) |
3.9 (39.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
10.5 (50.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
8.5 (47.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
3.8 (38.8) |
1.7 (35.1) |
5.4 (41.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 211.2 (8.31) |
158.2 (6.23) |
160.4 (6.31) |
93.9 (3.70) |
79.2 (3.12) |
81.4 (3.20) |
106.7 (4.20) |
129.3 (5.09) |
169.6 (6.68) |
209.2 (8.24) |
209.3 (8.24) |
197.8 (7.79) |
1,806.2 (71.11) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 21.8 | 18.5 | 21.1 | 14.7 | 13.8 | 14.4 | 16.5 | 17.6 | 19.0 | 23.3 | 21.9 | 20.7 | 223.3 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 34.2 | 61.1 | 93.0 | 138.6 | 195.9 | 155.9 | 128.6 | 115.2 | 97.5 | 68.7 | 37.7 | 34.0 | 1,160.4 |
| Source: Met Office[24] | |||||||||||||
Portree shale
editPortree shale is a geologic association in the vicinity of Portree, the existence of which is linked with potential petroleum occurrences of commercial importance.[25]
References
edit
- ^ "Mid-2020 Population Estimates for Settlements and Localities in Scotland". National Records of Scotland. 31 March 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
- ^ "Portree, Raasay & Central Skye". A Guide. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
- ^ a b Murray, W.H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155.
- ^ Portree Regeneration (15 September 2007). "Portree". Archived from the original on 17 November 2007.
- ^ Isle of Skye Candle Company, Isle of Skye Candle Co. Visitor Centre, accessed 28 April 2024
- ^ "ATLAS Arts - bringing art and audiences together in Skye and Lochalsh". Creative Scotland. Creative Scotland. Retrieved 3 January 2016.
- ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate, pages 173-4
- ^ Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Ainmean-àite/Placenames. (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "Vol 54 (2013): Excavation of post-built roundhouses and a circular ditched enclosure at Kiltaraglen, Portree, Isle of Skye 2006-07 | Scottish Archaeological Internet Reports". journals.socantscot.org. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- ^ "Portree" Undiscovered Scotland. Retrieved on 15 September 2007.
- ^ BT History 1976
- ^ "THE 20 MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES IN THE UK AND IRELAND, 20 October 2020". Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ Year-long economic study finds Skye visitors boosted economy by £211 million pre-lockdown
- ^ Tourists generated £211 million for Skye pre-pandemic, finds study, 17 July 2020
- ^ "Skye islanders call for help with overcrowding after tourism surge". The Guardian. 9 August 2017. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023.
- ^ 15 Tips to Avoid the Crowds on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, 15 July 2020
- ^ Exploring Scotland’s majestic Isle of Skye, 13 December 2018
- ^ Portree
- ^ "Freeview Light on the Penifiler (Highland, Scotland) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Freeview Light on the Skriaig (Skye) (Highland, Scotland) transmitter". UK Free TV. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Radio Skye". Retrieved 9 October 2023.
- ^ "Skye Camanachd" skyecamanachd.com. Retrieved 26 September 2007.
- ^ "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Skye: Prabost UK climate averages". Met Office. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
- ^ C.Michael Hogan, (2011) Sea of the Hebrides. Eds. P. Saundry & C.J.Cleveland. Encyclopedia of Earth. National Council for Science and the Environment. Washington DC.
