We went to the Isle of Islay for the smokey, peaty scotch whisky and we are going to the Isle Of Skye for its rugged landscapes, picturesque fishing villages and Medieval castles. Skye is reachable by ferry and bridge. We are taking a ferry from Mallaig to the Sleat peninsula on Skye and then taking the bridge to Inverness.
We had one hour to wander Mallaig before our boarding time for our car onto the ferry. This is a monument in memory of those lost at sea.A local laddie in Mallaig wearing the clan Macleod tartan. While Jim may have gone to the Isle of Skye for the landscape, fishing villages and castles. Sandy went there to find Jamie Frasier.♥️A rainbow greeted us as we approached the Isle of Skye.The Isle of Skye is famous for its breathtaking natural landscape and the dramatic Cullin Mountains. It is also known for its rich history of clans and the Jacobite uprising. It is one of Scotland’s premier tourist destinations.This is our home on the Isle of Skye. It was a two bedroom very comfortable home with incredible amenities and a very responsive host.Kitchen table and hearth.All lovely Portmeirion dinnerware. Great kitchen with abundant appliances.In the kitchen, the theme was polkadots, tea kettle, canisters and even the toaster. The French press coffee maker is Portmeirion.Comfortable living room lots of bookshelves loaded with books mainly about gardening.Guest room but sadly no guests this time.Our bedroom with the view below out that window.We stayed in the town of Portree which is the capital of the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. This is the view of the harbor out of our bedroom window. This is the same day we saw Queen Mary 2 in Oban, another cruise ship here.Beautiful harbor with colorful row houses.
Jamie I know you are somewhere in these hills.We were excited to find a hike on the Isle as we have brought our hiking poles in hopes of experiencing the beauty of the Highlands.The Old man Of Storr hike on the Trotternish Penisula is a 15 minute drive from Portree. It is a 2.4 mile round trip hike taking about one and a half to two hours, and is considered a moderate to difficult walk with incredible views.Just when you think you are there the path curves around.Not there yet.The wide, gravelly path climbs steeply uphill until you need to navigate stone steps.This is when we said no thank you and we turned around disappointed that we hiked for so long so and could not finish. The photo does not do justice to the rugged uneven and greatly worn surface of these stones that lead to the end of the trail. One misstep and a fall you may break a bone. Prudence is our motto and we do not risk doing something with the potential to cause a physical trauma that ends our life of exploring the world. We were happy that we did most of the hike.Heather hanging on in the hills until October. This is what it looks like when in full bloom. The peak is late August and into early September. This picture is from Instagram.Views of our descent from the Old Man Of Storr. This viewing point is where most of the amateur hikers turn back but not us.😊Jim wanted to drive this whole peninsula in spite of the one lane track. This is the lookout point of Lealt Falls which plunges 90 meters down to a narrow tree lined gorge into the Sound of Raasay.Scotland’s coastlines hold fossilized treasures waiting to be uncovered. The Isle of Skye is referred to Jurassic Island. It is a prime spot for fossil hunters . At Staffin Bay you can see dinosaur footprints over 170 million years old when the tide is low.Our picturesque ride continues. The brown areas are heather past its peak.
Hop in the car with us for this 8 second video as we drive on what is referred to as a single track road which means cars are coming from both directions on a road that is only wide enough for one car. If you see an oncoming vehicle then one of you has to pull in to the nearest “pull in” or passing place to let the other car go by. You can see one of these areas on the right side of the road at the start of the video. We have driven on many of these tracks and it is unnerving to say the least especially when you come to a curve in the road and you can’t see around it for an oncoming car😲. Jim was sooo brave to drive this.🙏There are many free roaming sheep and cows in the country roads we have driven on, as if it’s not enough to be watching for oncoming cars.See this funny video below of a couple of cows in our road.
Yup the animals rule the roads. No road rage exists here just patience and the enjoyment of humans and animals living in harmony. Speaking of scottish animals the Harry Coo is a Scottish cow distinguished by its shaggy coat. Sandy is quite enamored by them and bought some grain to feed them. It was a really fun experience for Sandy feeding a Hairy Coo
Look at that tongue. Her gloves were slathered with cow saliva.🤮Notice the sign tells you to sanitize your hands at the entrance and exit.Nope not feeding these guys, they are getting ready to be shipped to the slaughterhouse.
Funny video of a couple of free roaming goats trying to get into a coffee shop.We came across this very old cemetery which Sandy did a short walk through as she likes reading the inscriptions and is amazed at how old the dates are.She took a photo of this woman’s grave not realizing that she would be going to Dunvegan castle the next day where she learned more about the importance Flora Mac Donald played in the history of Scotland. Our second hike on Skye was the Fairy Pools which is a short easy 1.5 mile walk on a well maintained gravel path to a series of crystal clear rock pools and waterfalls.Off we go.👣Spectacular landscapes.Very easy foot path. We are grateful to be able to get in some mileage as we travel because this trip has been a lot of driving in the car.
This video shows the waterfalls and the long trail we took to get there. This was our turnaround spot.Can’t stop marveling at the heather.After our hike we went to Dunvegan Castle, home of the MacLeod Clan.This castle is one of the greatest Hebridean castles and the only Highland fortress to have been continuously occupied by the same family for 800 years.This photo is of Flora MacDonald who is best known for helping Charles Edward Stuart aka Bonnie Prince Charlie to evade government troops after the battle of Culloden in April 1746. As a result she was arrested and spent time in the Tower of London. She is buried in the cemetery that Sandy visited yesterday. She is wrapped in a sheet that belonged to the Bonnie Prince which he gave her along with a lock of his hair as a token of his gratitude for saving his life. She lived at Dunvegan Castle for a time with her daughter and left the lock of his hair there which is displayed in a cabinet.Lock of hair from Bonnie Prince Charles.This elegant dining room is still used today for the annual MacLeod Clan gathering.All the furnishings are original. Love the bed warmers.The current MacLeod clan’s 30th chief, Hugh MacLeod lives here with his girlfriend on the upper floor.The personal photos on the table are of various members of the family. They were fun to look at. Many were of weddings.View from a window of Dunvegan Castle.View from our home’s bedroom window as we awoke on our last morning in Skye.
So that is a wrap for the Isle of Skye with a lot of landscapes, one picturesque fishing village, two hikes and one castle. The one big drawback for us was the fact that the really good restaurants needed to be pre-booked at least a week ahead of time. Who knew that mid-September would be so busy. We are already booking ahead for the rest of our next month even though October is meant to be off season. Alas, the other big drawback was Sandy did not find Jamie so looks like she will need to go through the stone in Inverness which is our next stop.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this blog! We cycled the Cairngorm National Park on our tandem with 3 other couples in 2017…. Flew in to Edinborough, were picked up at the airport by a very old and dear friend of my dad’s ( spent years on the ocean in the luxury yacht charter business…) and her 2nd husband in Perth, Scotland 🙂 Then we went on by train to Inverness where we met up with the other Teams to cycle the National Park!!!! STUNNING landscapes, wonderful and welcoming folks, A (auto) and B (bike) trails/roads easily differentiated…. A truly AMAZING 10 day bike trip! ( We were partially supported by Mac’s Tours, who ferried our luggage from Inn to Inn each day!). Our dear friends Beryl & Thomas continued on to the Isle of Skye after our trip….. Our dear, old friends David & Terri opted to stop and hike Mt Nevis BEFORE our Cairngorm ride! I would really love to go back to the East side of Scotland! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Chan
We have LOVEd reading your Scotland blog. We are so sad that we can’t join you in this wonderful part of our beautiful country . we have such fun memories of our visits to Islay and Skye. Your photos look like repeats of our visits – especially the Laphroig distillery.
We visited Islay in 2018 with Anthony , Judith and Brian and David (you’ll recall from our Isles of Scilly trip in 2023)
Looks like you are having some halfway decent weather (for west Scotland !)
you mention Raasay – this island east of Skye – I did a big hike there in 2022, with stunning views across to Skye . It is a wonderful mysterious ‘other-worldly ‘ area for sure. I have yet to get right up to Dunvegan castle.
Skye is sadly rather a victim of its own success in some ways (in high season) – especially since the bridge opene and made it so easy to get to . But beautiful nonetheless .
Years ago owe did the Old Man of Storr hike in May and we endured a snow storm ! yes – in May . The vagaries of the Scottish climate !
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