First village over the
Skye Bridge on the
Isle of Skye. The Celtic name, Caol Akin comes from the
Viking King (variously Aakin, Harkon etc.) who stationed his troops there on their way to defeat at the hands of the Romans.
Today Kyleakin has a
population of about 200, which means you don't want to be the
American tourist I saw in the
Kyle of Lockalsh tourist center asking "Is this accommodation near to the
bus station?".
"Well, it's near to the
bus stop, and that's as good as you're gonna get." was the friendly reply.
The dramatic ruins of a
castle, supposedly built by Akin's wife (
Saucy Mary), overlook the docks where the ferry ran (before the bridge was built opened in 1999). There are three pubs in town,
Saucy Marys,
The Haakin, and
The Kyleakin Hotel. For a quiet pint of
tennants, I recommend the last. For picking up drunken
backpackers, I recommend the first.