Hitching
Hitching is never one hundred percent safe, but residents of Skye are generally very open to giving rides in remoter areas especially if you've missed the last bus of the day or it's raining.
By bike
Many of the roads in Skye are well cyclable, although traffic can be a problem in late summer. If you're cycling, make sure you have good raingear; Skye is wet even by the drizzly standards of Scotland. The ferry from Mallaig accepts bicycles, and the ride from Armadale north to the bridge is pleasant.
By car
Although substantial European and Scottish funding has been made available to improve and widen certain key routes most recently the southern section of the Armadale to Broadford road, major roads are still quite narrow and can get congested in high season. However in low season driving in Skye is a delight with only the occasional sheep wandering onto the tarmac to concern you. On narrow single track rural roads pay attention to passing places and drive courteously, being ready to pull over to allow an oncoming vehicle to pass.
Car hire is available in Portree and Kyle of Lochalsh, but can be expensive. When travelling to the island in the high season, call ahead for availability.
By bus
A rural network of local buses is provided by Stagecoach Highlands (http://www.stagecoachbus....). Routes include:
49, 49B Portree / Elgol
50, 55 Portree / Kyle of Lochalsh for coach and train connections to Inverness, and coach connections to Fort William and Glasgow,
52, 52C Portree / Broadford / Armadale for ferry connections to/from Mallaig and trains to Fort William and Glasgow
53, 54 Portree / Carbost and the Talisker Distillery / Fiscavaig
56A, 56B Portree / Struan / Dunvegan
56 Portree / Dunvegan / Glendale
57C clockwise & 57A anti-clockwise Portree / Flodigarry Peninsula for Old Man of Storr, the Quirang and Uig
59 Portree / Peinchorran
Fares rise by distance travelled, with a half-hour journey usually costing around £3. In early 2009 a number of fares were increased and the useful three day Rover ticket was discontinued. The only remaining special ticket of interest to tourists is the £6 One Day Rover, which will normally make sense if you are using more than two buses in one day although drivers will normally advise you if it is cheaper to buy that or singles.
Although they are listed alongside local buses in journey planners and at bus stops, passengers should avoid taking Scottish Citylink coaches for journeys wholly within Skye or across the bridge to Kyle of Lochalsh since fares are substantially cheaper on local services. That being said, they are the only public transport option on Sundays outside of summer.
An area guide for Skye and Lochalsh lists all bus times, and is issued twice annually for winter and summer seasons. It can be downloaded in pdf format from Stagecoach Highlands (http://www.stagecoachbus....) by clicking on 'Timetables' and then scrolling down to 'Skye and Lochalsh' or picked up in paper form from buses and tourist information centres. It is strongly recommended to check times in advance, paying special attention to any timetable notes relating to days when the bus runs or does not.