Uig is Norse for a sheltered bay and is often warm and dry when there is rain further south.

The 363 people who live in Uig making their livings from fishing, crofting (usually part-time), tourism and the ferry.

Around the bay are several crofting townships including Cuil, Rha and Idrigill. The rivers Rha and Conan flow into the bay through wooded gorges.

The woodland is managed by the Woodland Trust and is one of the few areas of ancient woodland left in Skye.