Skye is somewhere we have wanted to visit for some time - drawn by its remoteness, landscapes and recommendations from friends, so it was here that we decided to spend the majority of our Scottish adventure.
We jumped on a ferry from Mallig on the main land - a nice little fishing village and the main jumping off point for many of the Hebridean islands - towards to southern end of the island.
Skye is made up of four main parts and so given we had a few days, we thought we would visit one area at a time. We had arrived on the island quite late, so we drove though the southern part quite quickly as we had to find our accommodation, which was a lovely little studio in Broadford.
Day 1 - The South
Even though we didn't really stop, apart from a couple of craft shops - there is a thriving craft scene on the island - the south part of Skye has some super little castles, which you can see from the boat as you cross the Loch from Malig, and some of the oldest rocks in the world... apparently around 3,000 million years ago! Sadly we didn't have enough time to really investigate this area, but from what we had heard there were better parts of Skye to investigate.
We had a bit of time before dinner (a curry from the local Co-Op - thought we would have a movie night), to drive down to the little fishing hamlet of Elgol, to see the stunning view of the Black Cuillin mountain range across the sea. Sadly it was a bit misty, but having looked at pictures on the net, the view is very spectacular. Many come to the Isle just to see and climb the Black Cuillins - Danny Macaskill even mountain biked over the ridge! But we would have to save that climb for another trip.
Day 2 - Central
We woke up and.... the weather had gone very Scottish... damp and wet. But this didn't put us off. The Fairy Pools were known as some of the best natural swimming holes in the world, so this was a must. With the Black Cullins soaring all around us, we tracked a stream up to some lovely little pools. Some people were being brave went for a swim, but we kept the jackets on. Spectacular scenery and I am sure a beautiful swim in nicer weather.
After a lovely drive along the coast and through the mountains, we ended up at Dunvegan Castle and Gardens. The castle is in a beautiful location with amazing gardens surrounding it. Built on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Loch Dunvegan once entirely encircled by the sea, Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod for 800 years (so says the website). The castle is famous for the Fairy Flag. Legend has it that this sacred Banner has miraculous powers and when unfurled in battle, the clan MacLeod will defeat their enemies.
Julia had read there was a pink beach nearby so we decided to go for a walk along the coast to try and find it. After being eaten by midges, we found the beach. Not quite what we had expected, but I am sure it looks lovely in the sun. The only beach inhabitants were some cows, which was rather amusing.
For dinner we drove back towards our studio hoping to find a pub on the way. We ended up at Sligachan Hotel which has over 400 whiskies! After a dinner of Haggies, neeps and tatties, we headed back to get some rest after a packed day.
Day 3 - North East - Trotternish peninsula
We were really looking forward to this day, as we were to see some of the most spectacular scenery on the island. We popped into the Portree and drove to the old man of storr - a large pinnacle outcrop. Sadly, as had been for a lot of the trip, it was in cloud, so we decided to continue on and hopefully the weather would clear up to walk up to it.
Julia had heard about a fairy glen (they like their fairies in Skye!) so we set off to try and find it. After a few wrong turns, we came across this super little glen, made even more special as the sun came out. It was a bizarre and delightful miniature landscape of grassy, cone-shaped hills, with lakes and streams flowing through it. It was such a surprise and a highlight of the trip.
With the sun out, we thought this was our chance to head over to the old Man of Stoor and The Quirang and we were not dissapointed. This area of the island was incredible.
The Quirang is made up of cliffs that have slumped and caused the cliff to erode like dominoes. Sadly we didn't have enough time for a long walk as we wanted to walk to the old man of Stoor, but we were able to take in the surroundings and take some spectacular pictures - one for our next visit.
The old man of storr is probably the most famous view on Skye, that with the Black Cullins. The walk up was nice a gentle, with the storr rising above us. It doesn't look that large from the bottom, but when you get up close it is enormous. Walking a little further on allowed us to get the famous view of the Stoor with the Black Cullins in the far distance and the Isle of Raasay. It really was beautiful, and my favorite view on Skye!
We had been recommended a restaurant called Red Skye back in Broadford, so after stopping by the Black Cullins to
take a few pictures as they were now out of the cloud, we headed to the restaurant. It was a super little place. Lovely food, great service and given its location, rather reasonable. A really nice way to spend our last evening on Skye.
Skye was a super place to visit - we both really enjoyed the long weekend - next up Loch Ness and home.. in one day... only 650 miles and 11 hours!
We jumped on a ferry from Mallig on the main land - a nice little fishing village and the main jumping off point for many of the Hebridean islands - towards to southern end of the island.
Ferry crossing
Skye is made up of four main parts and so given we had a few days, we thought we would visit one area at a time. We had arrived on the island quite late, so we drove though the southern part quite quickly as we had to find our accommodation, which was a lovely little studio in Broadford.
Day 1 - The South
Even though we didn't really stop, apart from a couple of craft shops - there is a thriving craft scene on the island - the south part of Skye has some super little castles, which you can see from the boat as you cross the Loch from Malig, and some of the oldest rocks in the world... apparently around 3,000 million years ago! Sadly we didn't have enough time to really investigate this area, but from what we had heard there were better parts of Skye to investigate.
Animals in road!
We had a bit of time before dinner (a curry from the local Co-Op - thought we would have a movie night), to drive down to the little fishing hamlet of Elgol, to see the stunning view of the Black Cuillin mountain range across the sea. Sadly it was a bit misty, but having looked at pictures on the net, the view is very spectacular. Many come to the Isle just to see and climb the Black Cuillins - Danny Macaskill even mountain biked over the ridge! But we would have to save that climb for another trip.
Day 2 - Central
We woke up and.... the weather had gone very Scottish... damp and wet. But this didn't put us off. The Fairy Pools were known as some of the best natural swimming holes in the world, so this was a must. With the Black Cullins soaring all around us, we tracked a stream up to some lovely little pools. Some people were being brave went for a swim, but we kept the jackets on. Spectacular scenery and I am sure a beautiful swim in nicer weather.
The Fairy Pools
After a lovely drive along the coast and through the mountains, we ended up at Dunvegan Castle and Gardens. The castle is in a beautiful location with amazing gardens surrounding it. Built on a rocky outcrop on the shores of Loch Dunvegan once entirely encircled by the sea, Dunvegan is the oldest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland and has been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod for 800 years (so says the website). The castle is famous for the Fairy Flag. Legend has it that this sacred Banner has miraculous powers and when unfurled in battle, the clan MacLeod will defeat their enemies.
Dunvegan Castle
Julia had read there was a pink beach nearby so we decided to go for a walk along the coast to try and find it. After being eaten by midges, we found the beach. Not quite what we had expected, but I am sure it looks lovely in the sun. The only beach inhabitants were some cows, which was rather amusing.
Cows on a beach!
For dinner we drove back towards our studio hoping to find a pub on the way. We ended up at Sligachan Hotel which has over 400 whiskies! After a dinner of Haggies, neeps and tatties, we headed back to get some rest after a packed day.
Black Cullins peaking out
Day 3 - North East - Trotternish peninsula
We were really looking forward to this day, as we were to see some of the most spectacular scenery on the island. We popped into the Portree and drove to the old man of storr - a large pinnacle outcrop. Sadly, as had been for a lot of the trip, it was in cloud, so we decided to continue on and hopefully the weather would clear up to walk up to it.
Julia had heard about a fairy glen (they like their fairies in Skye!) so we set off to try and find it. After a few wrong turns, we came across this super little glen, made even more special as the sun came out. It was a bizarre and delightful miniature landscape of grassy, cone-shaped hills, with lakes and streams flowing through it. It was such a surprise and a highlight of the trip.
Fairy Glen
With the sun out, we thought this was our chance to head over to the old Man of Stoor and The Quirang and we were not dissapointed. This area of the island was incredible.
The Quirang is made up of cliffs that have slumped and caused the cliff to erode like dominoes. Sadly we didn't have enough time for a long walk as we wanted to walk to the old man of Stoor, but we were able to take in the surroundings and take some spectacular pictures - one for our next visit.
The old man of storr is probably the most famous view on Skye, that with the Black Cullins. The walk up was nice a gentle, with the storr rising above us. It doesn't look that large from the bottom, but when you get up close it is enormous. Walking a little further on allowed us to get the famous view of the Stoor with the Black Cullins in the far distance and the Isle of Raasay. It really was beautiful, and my favorite view on Skye!
The Old Man of Stoor
We had been recommended a restaurant called Red Skye back in Broadford, so after stopping by the Black Cullins to
The Black Cullins in view!
Skye was a super place to visit - we both really enjoyed the long weekend - next up Loch Ness and home.. in one day... only 650 miles and 11 hours!
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