Skye is the island most people picture first when they think of the Hebrides – the Cuillin, the Old Man of Storr, Neist Point reaching out into the Atlantic, and a steady stream of visitors over the bridge from Kyle. It is also, quietly, home to a good number of makers working with what the island puts in front of them.
Gifts from the Isle of Skye tend to carry a bit of that landscape with them – bog myrtle foraged under the Cuillin, yarn dyed in the greys of the Storr, wildflowers pressed into a pendant. Seven picks below, all made in Skye, all in stock as we write this, and all sent out by the maker themselves. Prices run from £4.50 to £45.
A small note – island post takes a little longer than the mainland, so order with a bit of head room if you have a date in mind.
Bog Myrtle and Calendula Soap – £4.50
Apothecarys Garden, Isle of Skye
Bog myrtle foraged from Skye below the Cuillin Ridge, blended with calendula in a gentle glycerine soap for a delicate fragrance. The pairing is meant to calm skin blemishes and rosacea. It is handmade, free of parabens and SLS, vegan, and wrapped in biodegradable or recyclable material. A good small thing to slip into a parcel, or a tidy way to try an island maker for well under a fiver.
Multi Coloured Wooden Highland Cow Pin Badge – £10
The Crafting Croft, Isle of Skye
A hand-painted highland cow badge cut from solid cherry wood, mounted on a secure pin with a butterfly clutch back and presented in an eco-friendly gift box. It measures 20mm by 18mm, so it sits happily on a coat, a bag or a lapel. Because the wood varies naturally, every badge has its own tone and grain, which the maker rather likes pointing out. The pick for the highland cow enthusiast in your life, and most people know one.
Neist Point Lighthouse Stormy Sky – £15
Sgarbh Lodge, Isle of Skye
Neist Point Lighthouse sits at the far north-west of Skye, and this A5 lino print catches it under weather. The lighthouse itself is hand-printed, and the stormy sky behind it is made from pressed seaweed, which gives the clouds a texture you would not get any other way. Supplied with a white mount, ready to frame. A framable bit of Skye for someone who has stood out there in the wind, or would like to.
‘Storr’ Hand Dyed Yarn DK – £19
Hebridean Fibre Company, Isle of Skye
A 100g skein of hand-dyed DK yarn in a colourway named for the Old Man of Storr – shades of black, greys and browns drawn straight from the rock. It is a soft 75/25 superwash merino and nylon blend, running to about 225m, so it wears well and washes sensibly. The right gift for the knitter who would rather be handed the makings of something than the thing itself.
Sound of Raasay from Ben Tianavaig – £25
Imageplace, Isle of Skye
A photographic print taken near the summit of Ben Tianavaig, looking south along the Sound of Raasay towards the Red Cuillin. It is the kind of view you earn with a climb, captured for the wall of someone who cannot get up there as often as they would like. Printed on fine art paper and sent rolled in a tube, available in A4 and A3. A quiet, proper landscape for a hallway or a desk.
Purple Cuillin Wildflower Pendant – £27
Lus Na Cuillin, Isle of Skye
This pendant is hand dyed and imprinted with local wildflowers gathered in Glenbrittle, at the foot of the Cuillin – this one carries Meadowsweet leaf, Yarrow and Wild Angelica. It hangs on a 16 inch sterling silver chain with a sterling silver jump ring. Because it is made from real flowers pressed into the piece, each one comes out unique. A keepsake that holds an actual summer afternoon under the mountains.
Unique Sterling Silver and Amber Ring – £45
by Mairi Skye, Isle of Skye
A one-off sterling silver chain ring set with a dark amber stone. Amber has long been worn as a talisman for courage and self confidence, which is a nice thing to pass on with a ring. It comes in around a size M. The piece to finish on if you are after a proper keepsake rather than a stocking-filler – made by hand in Skye, and yours alone.
Seven makers, one island
Every piece here is made by someone living and working in the Isle of Skye, and every order is packed and posted by the maker themselves. Buy any of these and the money lands in an island workshop, which is a good thing to wrap up alongside the gift.
If you would like a wider browse, there is plenty more in the Isle of Skye collection. The earlier Gifts from the Isle of Lewis post is a good next stop if you are buying for someone who loves the Outer Hebrides, and our Meet the maker: Tiree Tea piece is worth a read if you would rather give something to put in the pot.
