Stunning sunset on Skye named among the best in the world

The Isle of Skye has been hailed as one of the most beautiful destinations in the world to view the sunset.

The Sligachan Bridge with The Cuillins in the background on the Isle of Skye

The island, in the inner Hebrides, is in 13th place in the global list, which saw the Greek island of Santorini take first place ahead of Bali in Indonesia and Hawaii in the US.

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, in the US, made up the top five.

The study, by international luggage storage app Bounce, looked at travel articles and blogs, Instagram posts and the level of artificial light pollution to reach a sunset score out of ten.

Skye was the only UK destination to make the world top 20, with a sunset score of 4.6 placing it just behind the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Spanish Mediterranean island of Ibiza on the list, but ahead of the island of Boracay in the Philippines; Taj Mahal in India; and Sydney, Australia.

Santorini, known for its towering cliffs and whitewashed houses on the shore of the Aegean Sea, topped the list after being recommended in more articles than any other destination. It was also hailed for its lack of light pollution, with a brightness of 0.627 mcd/m2.

The beaches on the west coast of Bali were highlighted as an ideal place for visitors to watch the sun drop behind the sea, while the study found many of the best sunsets in the US can be found in Hawaii, including Haleakalā National Park on the island of Maui.

The study placed Skye as the "13th best destination in the world to watch the sun go down". According to the findings, "the dramatic coastline, towering cliff faces and famous lighthouse make the perfect backdrop for a sunset at Neist Point, the most westerly tip of the Isle of Skye.

Cody Candee, CEO and Founder of Bounce, said: "There is no doubt that the Isle of Skye deserves its place in the world’s top 20 skies for sunrises and sunsets.

"The island has the third brightest sky out of all the locations analysed, making for incredibly beautiful skies at dusk and dawn, featuring an array of epic colours painting the sky.

“Located in wet and cloudy Scotland, the Isle of Skye’s dramatic weather also adds to the sun's effect, with striking cloud formations providing a unique edge to the sunrises and sunsets on this island."Skye, which has a population of just over 10,000, is famed for its dramatic scenery, immortalised countless times on screen in films ranging from seventies classic The Wickerman to Michelle Pfeiffer fantasy Stardust and Ridley Scott's sci-fi thriller Prometheus.

Mr Candee added: "For the best location to view the sunrise, head to Kilt Rock on the Eastern side of the Trotternish peninsula, north of the island. While for sunset, I recommend heading to Neist Point on the most westerly tip of the island near Glendale.

"Both these locations will allow you to enjoy the spectacular sunset over the sea, featuring an equally stunning backdrop of dramatic coastline."

THE TOP 20

1 Santorini, Greece

2 Bali, Indonesia

3 Hawaii, US

4 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

5 Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, US

6 Angkor Wat, Cambodia

7 Key West, Florida, US

8 Maldives, Maldives

9 Haleakalā, Maui, Hawaii, US

10 Uluru, Australia

11 Serengeti, Tanzania

12 Ibiza, Spain

13 Isle of Skye, UK

14 Boracay, Philippines

15 Taj Mahal, India

16 Sydney, Australia

17 Bagan, Myanmar

18 Bora Bora, French Polynesia

19 Martha's Vinyard, US

20 Venice, Italy