Kyle Rhea

Kyle Rhea is a strait of water in the Highland area of Scotland. It runs from the Sound of Sleat and the Inner Seas off the West Coast of Scotland in the southwest to Loch Alsh in the north, separating the Isle of Skye from Inverness-shire on the Scottish mainland. It gave its name to Kylerhea, a village on its western shore.

Loch Hourn branches off to the east of Loch Alsh, north of Kyle Rhea. The spring tide at Kyle Rhea can reach up to 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph), complicating passage by small vessels.

Just north of Kylerhea, a ferry service has linked the village with Glenelg on the mainland for centuries. The first car ferry was introduced in 1935, with a turntable located on the boat. Despite the existence of the now toll-free Skye Bridge, this ferry service, undertaken by the MV Glenachulish, still runs during the summer months, due to its popularity as the more scenic and traditional route between Skye and the mainland. This service is now community-owned but used to be run by Murdo Mackenzie for almost twenty years.

Before the ferry, Kyle Rhea was an important crossing for cattle drovers, where as many as 4000 beasts swam across each year, en-route to markets as far away as London. They were lashed together for the 550 yards (500 m) crossing.

Kyle Rhea is mentioned in Sir Thomas Dick Lauder's novel Highland Legends. The book, and subsequent film, the Ring of Bright Water by Gavin Maxwell was set in Sandaig near Glenelg, at the southern end of Kyle Rhea.