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Eilean a' Cheo, the Island of Mist, as Skye is sometimes called, is among the most remarkable islands in the world. There is probably no other island in Britain about which so much has been written and spoken and which has captured the attention and the love of so many people from every corner of the world.
The Island of Skye, the largest of the Inner Hebrides, is about 50 miles long and from 7 to 25 miles broad with a coastline of no less than 350 miles, an area of roughly 350,000 acres.
In history we find Skye mentioned as far back as the 2nd century. It was included on a famous map of Scotland produced by Ptolemy, the Egyptian geographer, who strangely enough, placed the island somewhere up north between Caithness and Norway and spelled it "Skitis".
The name Skye itself may be derived from the norse word "Ski" or Skuy meaning cloud and "Ey" meaning island. Skye had been known world wide as "Eilean a' Cheo" - the Misty Isle - and here may lie the origin of the name. But the island is better known to Gaels as "An t-Eilean Sgitheanach" - the Winged Isle - which is derived from its shape as the northern promontories, Waternish and Trotternish, reremble two wings. As the name was already known to Ptolemäus, it is almost unprobable that it was really derived from the norse Ski Ey but rather probable that it was derived from the word Sgiathanach, another version of "wing". The wings would be very obvious not only when drawn on a charter but also when trying to sail around Skye, especially the north of the isle.
The dominating mountain range of Skye are the Cuillins, Coolins or Cuchulins. The name is derived from Chuchulain, the hero of Irish descend who is said to have lived in Scotland for many years and learned how to fight there.
