🪨 Stonemason in Portree, Highland

About Stonemasons

A stonemason works with natural stone - repairing walls, lintels, steps and chimneys, repointing lime mortar joints and carrying out restoration work on older buildings.

In an area with so many stone-built properties, a skilled local stonemason is an essential trade to have access to.

Always check that they use lime mortar rather than cement on traditional stone buildings - using the wrong mortar can cause serious long-term damage to old masonry.

About Portree

Portree is the capital of the Isle of Skye and the largest settlement on the island, with a population of around 2,500, sitting on a sheltered bay on the eastern coast.

The town's colourful harbour frontage is one of the most photographed scenes in Scotland and Portree serves as the main hub for services, shopping and accommodation on Skye. The town has a secondary school, a hospital, supermarkets and a range of restaurants and galleries.

Skye's tourism has grown enormously in recent years and Portree feels the effects — the town is busy in summer, with visitors heading to the Old Man of Storr, the Quiraing and the Cuillin mountains, all accessible from here.

Portree is reached by road via the Skye Bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh, about 80 miles west of Inverness. A bus network connects the town to other parts of the island and ferry services link Skye to the Outer Hebrides and the Small Isles.

About Highland

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Highland is the largest council area in Scotland by land mass, covering more than 25,000 square kilometres from the Cairngorms in the east to the Atlantic coast in the west and from the Moray Firth northward to the tip of mainland Britain at Dunnet Head.

The region takes in an extraordinary range of landscapes — the Great Glen, Ben Nevis, Loch Ness, the Cairngorm plateau, the Flow Country peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland and hundreds of miles of rugged coastline dotted with fishing villages and sea lochs.

Inverness is the regional capital and the largest settlement, serving as the administrative, commercial and transport hub for the entire north of Scotland. Beyond Inverness, the population is thinly spread across market towns, crofting townships and remote communities connected by single-track roads and ferry services.

Despite its remoteness, Highland has a diverse economy built on tourism, whisky distilling, renewable energy, forestry, aquaculture and a growing digital sector enabled by improving broadband connectivity. The region's cultural identity is deeply rooted in Gaelic language and tradition, clan history and a strong sense of place that draws visitors and new residents alike.