Isle of Skye Textile Experience 2025

Textile tour with workshops, talks, visits and stories all about textile and fibre art & crafts on the Isle of Skye
Dates: 9-18 April 2025 fully booked – waitlist only
Tutors: Various
Activities: Weaving, spinning, felting, plant fibre art & more
Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland
Price: From GBP 3590
Suitable for all creative skill levels

A wonderful treat for lovers of textile and fibre art! Immerse yourself in the pleasures of textile art and crafts whilst exploring one of the most iconic locations in Scotland, in the company of like-minded spirits.

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What to expect

This 10-day creative experience combines a series of workshops with local makers, talks and tours of textile studios, with exploring the island and learning about its history and heritage. 

With its wealth of long established as well as new enterprises the Isle of Skye, the largest of the Inner Hebrides, has grown into a destination buzzing with creativity.

This unique textile adventure includes: 

> Full-day weaving workshop using hand-dyed wool/silk yarn at Skye Silks
> Half day at Island at the Edge croft including croft tour (meet the sheep!) and spinning demonstration
> Full day workshop at The Handspinner Having Fun – felting and peg loom weaving
> Half-day Plant fibre art workshop with Caroline Dear
> Dorset Button making workshop with TJ Frog
> Gaelic history session with local expert Coinneach Maclean
> Private viewing of the Skye Story
> Visits to Skye Skyns, Skye Weavers, Shilasdair Yarns
> Visits to Armadale Castle, Dunvegan Castle and a whisky distillery
> Touring different parts of the island

and for your comfort:

> 9 overnight stays at tasteful, high quality accommodation in Portree
> Delicious meals freshly prepared by our in-house chef, using local produce where possible: 9 breakfasts (self-serve) / 4 lunches / 8 two-course evening meals
> All workshop materials
> Transportation during day tours
> Admissions to sites during tours (Armadale Castle, Dunvegan Castle, distillery)
> Handmade book
> Wild at Art canvas bag
> Personalised service and detailed pre-travel information by email
> Complimentary transport between accommodations for evening meals
> Support of host team

Check out the pics and feedback page to see photos and guest reviews from our previous Skye Textile Experiences in October 2022 and April 2024 – find out more.

Day-by-day itinerary*

Day One – Arrival

You make your own way to Portree. We will advise on the best travel connections for getting there. If there is enough demand we can arrange transfers from and to nearest train station (Kyle of Lochalsh) at an additional cost.

In the evening we gather for welcome drinks, followed by the welcome dinner prepared by our in-house chef. Afterwards, we gather in the cosy lounge for an introduction to the week and each other.

Day Two – Island at the Edge (croft tour), tannery talk & Skye Story

We spend the morning on the croft at Island at the Edge in Edinbane, where we get to meet the sheep, highland cows and donkeys. We learn about crofting history, wool processing and much more. The owner Yasmin tells us about the Fisherman’s Ganseys she knits and introduces us to the traditional craft of spinning.

We head to Skye Skyns for lunch, followed by a tour of the tannery, which is the sole remaining commercial woolskin tannery in Scotland and has a strong emphasis on sustainable practices. Our last stop of the day is at LAS Portree for a private showing of the Skye Story movie.

Day Three – Skye Weavers & Dunvegan Castle

In the morning we head to Glendale in the North West corner of Skye to visit Skye Weavers. Their small, but multi-talented team of dedicated weavers will give us a tour and talk about how they produce their famous fabrics using a bicycle pedal-powered loom.

Later we visit Dunvegan Castle & Gardens, where we have lunch at the cafe. Dunvegan Castle is one the greatest Hebridean castles and the only Highland fortress to have been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years.

Back in Portree, we will enjoy a Gaelic culture session with local expert Coinneach Maclean.

Day Four – Felting and Peg loom weaving in Broadford

We head to the Handspinner Having Fun in Broadford for a full day of workshops – and fun we will have! Felting in the morning and peg loom weaving in the afternoon – let Bev and her colleagues inspire you!

Day Five – Touring the South, distillery visit & Dorset Buttons workshop

Today’s tour takes us to the very south of the island, where we get a tour of Torabhaig Distillery and visit Armadale Castle Gardens and the Museum of the Isles.

Back in Portree, Tania from TJ Frog teaches us how to make her famous Dorset Buttons in a leisurely late afternoon/ early evening workshop session.

Days Six & Seven – Day of weaving / half day of plant fibre art & free time

On Days Six and Seven we split our group in half during the day. While one group gets to take a full-day weaving course with Jaine Mahon at Skye Silks in Dunvegan, the other group gets a half-day plant fibre art workshop at artist Caroline Dear’s studio, followed by a free afternoon to rest and relax or explore Portree in their own time.

Using table looms, each student at Skye Silks will have enough hand dyed wool/silk yarn weft to weave a sample in their chosen weave pattern.

From Caroline Dear we’ll be hearing about natural fibres used in traditional string and rope making, trying out some techniques ourselves, and visiting her studio to see how she uses these techniques in her contemporary artwork.

Day Eight – Touring Trotternish

We stop at Shilasdair, the Isle of Skye Natural Dye Company in Culnacnoc. The owners are passionate about working naturally and responsibly and are keen to share their passion with visitors.  We then head off to explore the Trotternish peninsula some more. Highlights include views of the Fairy Glen and a stop at Kilmuir Cemetery, burial place of Flora MacDonald, whose story is immortalised in the Skye Boat Song. Other places where where we might like to stop include the Old Man of Storr, the Kilt Rock and the ruined Duntulm Castle, viewpoints of the Outer Isles, and opportunities for short walks to the shore.

Day Nine – Free day & music night

Today is all yours! We’ll have plenty of suggestions for things to do during the day. The plan is to take a trip to Carbost together in the evening, for dinner and a folk music session (this is the only evening meal not included in the price).

Day Ten – Departure

The experience finishes after breakfast when we have to say goodbye :(.

*Please note: This is a prospective itinerary. It may be subject to modest modifications. Nearer the time, once local events programmes are available, we may build in items to further enrich the itinerary, such as a music night at a local pub.  

Your hosts

Textile maker Lucy MacLeod and Wild at Art director Ute Amann will be your hosts throughout the experience. Looking after your culinary wellbeing, our amazing in-house chef Kate Gray will spoil you with delicious meals.

We deeply care about your safety and wellbeing – and also very much about your enjoyment! Together with all the local partners involved in the trip we work to ensure everything goes smoothly and that you get as much as possible out of the experience.

Our accommodation

Two charming historic buildings in the island capital Portree will be our homes during the trip.

Historic Seafield House, nestled on the shores of Portree Bay is a substantial Georgian House dating from the 1830’s. It is located within its own grounds and walled garden, from where it offers beautiful views across the sea. You may even see an otter in the bay or an eagle flying over Ben Tianavaig!

The other house is the nearby Old Mill. Built over 200 years ago, the house is the main part of Portree’s former grain mill, retaining attractive original features. Above a burn, flanked by beech trees and close to the shore, it commands fine views across to the Isle of Raasay. Over three floors linked by a spiral staircase, the house has high quality, flexible accommodation. The middle floor is an attractive open plan living area with a multi-fuel stove and the original mill stone.

Some of the rooms are available for single occupancy and we recommend you book early if you’d like a room to yourself. These are characterful old properties where no two rooms are the same. Most of the rooms share a bathroom with one or two other rooms. Rooms with exclusive bathroom access will be allocated on first come first served basis.

Price & other details

Cost:  GBP 3590 (approx. 4550 USD) per person, based on two guests sharing (plus GBP 400 to have a double room to yourself). Prices are payable in Pounds Sterling (GBP).

Not included: International flights; transportation to and from Portree; meals other than those listed above (i.e. dinner on night 9 and lunches on days 2,3,5 & 9 are not included); alcoholic drinks other than welcome drinks; gratuities.

Guests are required to take out personal travel insurance.

Group Size: Minimum 7 guests and maximum 10 guests.

We will be happy to advise on travel options within Scotland and recommend the best travel connections from Glasgow and Edinburgh, or elsewhere in Scotland, for getting to Portree. If there is enough demand we can arrange transfers from and to nearest train station (Kyle of Lochalsh) at an additional cost.

How to book

To reserve your place, please provide some details using the online form (see link below).  We will then send you a welcome email and issue an invoice for the deposit payment. A non-refundable deposit of GBP 600 secures your place and the balance payment will be due 10 weeks before the trip starts. Feel free to contact us anytime if you have questions.

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