The Isle of Skye, commonly known as Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island’s peninsulas radiate from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of the most dramatic mountain scenery in the country.

The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and its history includes a time of Norse rule and a long period of domination by Clan MacLeod and Clan Donald. After the 18th century Jacobite risings the clan system were broken apart and the subsequent Highland Clearances replaced entire communities with sheep farms, some of which also involved forced emigrations to distant lands, particularly the USA and Canada.