12 spectacular days in
sometimes sunny Scotland
sometimes sunny Scotland
Isle of Skye
Day Six: Moray to Isle of Skye.
After breakfast, we headed out to Pluscarden Abbey, a recommendation
from this board. It is a bit out of the way, but a very idyllic setting and long,
interesting history. Unfortunately, we arrived and entered just as the monks
were starting a service and we felt very much in the way. So we cleared out
and pressed on to Cawdor Castle, which we didn't realize is occupied for
parts of the year. We toured the castle and walked through the lush, pretty
gardens. Allie was very disappointed that the maze was closed.
At this point, the clouds were starting to thicken, so we set out for our long
drive to the tip of the Trotternish Peninsula on Skye. We decided on the
more northern, scenic route previously recommended by Sheila. After a
pleasant little lunch at Cheko's Café/Bar in Dingwall, we drove on via the
A835, A832 and A890 -- through Glen Carron and by Loch Carron, which
are quite beautiful even in the drizzle. We stopped for pictures at Eilean
Donan castle, but did not go in -- partly because the parking lot was filled
with tour buses.
We crossed the Skye bridge, then watched the scenery begin to change
dramatically as we drove across Skye, particularly with the building rain.
Before leaving for the trip, we'd read just a bit about the Fairy Glen, a small,
hilly area with unreal terrain, and a family at our hotel in Edinburgh also
mentioned this. It is a mile up a small road just to the south of our hotel,
the Uig Hotel. We decided to check that out and were fascinated by the
small clusters of hills tucked back in this glen. After climbing around in a
light rain, under the watchful eye of a few resident sheep, we headed on
back for dinner at our hotel.
Day Seven: Exploring Skye.
We were not disappointed with our decision to visit Skye and to
concentrate our time on the Trotternish Peninsula. The landscape is out of
this world and unlike anything we've seen on our travels.
We were up at the crack of dawn (literally, and as this was June in
Scotland, that means 4:30am) due to some hideous bird noises outside
our room. It was still raining, so we started out toward Dunvegan Castle on
the other side of the island. The gardens are lush and wild, in contrast to
the carefully manicured gardens we'd seen elsewhere and, frankly, the
other parts of Skye. As we wrapped up our visit (which did not include the
inside of the castle), the first hints of blue sky were appearing, and it got
better from there.
We drove on to Portree, which is a charming, colorful little town on the
harbor, and did a little exploring and shopping. We had a nice lunch at
Café Arriba. And this is where our real Skye adventure started.
On our drive from Portree to Staffin, we decided to pull over at a parking
area near the Old Man of Storr rock formation, thinking the little trail leading
out of the car park was headed to a viewing point nearby. Wrong! An
exceptional hour later, we were standing at the base of the Old Man of
Storr, who knows how many feet up from the road. It is a breathtaking path
that leads through a dense forest, then up through rocky landscape to the
huge rock pillars on the side of the mountain. The views of lochs and
mountains across the water unfold as you climb. It's a bit on the steep
side, but even Allie made it up with no problem. Highly recommended if the
weather is good and you are at all into hiking. The pictures don't really do
this justice.
After a quick descent and no major falls (Marisa usually is really bad at
going downhill), we drove on to the Kilt Rock overlook (nice!), through
Staffin, and on to another ruined castle at Duntulum. After some of the
others we'd seen, this one was a bit disappointing, but the setting on a cliff
at the tip of the peninsula is breathtaking. On our way to Portree for dinner,
took the drive across the stunning Quiraing from Uig to Staffin. Dinner was
pizza at Cappucino's in Portree. Later, we relaxed in the hotel bar,
sampling whisky and watching soccer, or, excuse us, football (Portugal
beat Holland in the semis).
Next > The Western Highlands
our travels
home
contact us
Day Six: Moray to Isle of Skye.
After breakfast, we headed out to Pluscarden Abbey, a recommendation
from this board. It is a bit out of the way, but a very idyllic setting and long,
interesting history. Unfortunately, we arrived and entered just as the monks
were starting a service and we felt very much in the way. So we cleared out
and pressed on to Cawdor Castle, which we didn't realize is occupied for
parts of the year. We toured the castle and walked through the lush, pretty
gardens. Allie was very disappointed that the maze was closed.
At this point, the clouds were starting to thicken, so we set out for our long
drive to the tip of the Trotternish Peninsula on Skye. We decided on the
more northern, scenic route previously recommended by Sheila. After a
pleasant little lunch at Cheko's Café/Bar in Dingwall, we drove on via the
A835, A832 and A890 -- through Glen Carron and by Loch Carron, which
are quite beautiful even in the drizzle. We stopped for pictures at Eilean
Donan castle, but did not go in -- partly because the parking lot was filled
with tour buses.
We crossed the Skye bridge, then watched the scenery begin to change
dramatically as we drove across Skye, particularly with the building rain.
Before leaving for the trip, we'd read just a bit about the Fairy Glen, a small,
hilly area with unreal terrain, and a family at our hotel in Edinburgh also
mentioned this. It is a mile up a small road just to the south of our hotel,
the Uig Hotel. We decided to check that out and were fascinated by the
small clusters of hills tucked back in this glen. After climbing around in a
light rain, under the watchful eye of a few resident sheep, we headed on
back for dinner at our hotel.
Day Seven: Exploring Skye.
We were not disappointed with our decision to visit Skye and to
concentrate our time on the Trotternish Peninsula. The landscape is out of
this world and unlike anything we've seen on our travels.
We were up at the crack of dawn (literally, and as this was June in
Scotland, that means 4:30am) due to some hideous bird noises outside
our room. It was still raining, so we started out toward Dunvegan Castle on
the other side of the island. The gardens are lush and wild, in contrast to
the carefully manicured gardens we'd seen elsewhere and, frankly, the
other parts of Skye. As we wrapped up our visit (which did not include the
inside of the castle), the first hints of blue sky were appearing, and it got
better from there.
We drove on to Portree, which is a charming, colorful little town on the
harbor, and did a little exploring and shopping. We had a nice lunch at
Café Arriba. And this is where our real Skye adventure started.
On our drive from Portree to Staffin, we decided to pull over at a parking
area near the Old Man of Storr rock formation, thinking the little trail leading
out of the car park was headed to a viewing point nearby. Wrong! An
exceptional hour later, we were standing at the base of the Old Man of
Storr, who knows how many feet up from the road. It is a breathtaking path
that leads through a dense forest, then up through rocky landscape to the
huge rock pillars on the side of the mountain. The views of lochs and
mountains across the water unfold as you climb. It's a bit on the steep
side, but even Allie made it up with no problem. Highly recommended if the
weather is good and you are at all into hiking. The pictures don't really do
this justice.
After a quick descent and no major falls (Marisa usually is really bad at
going downhill), we drove on to the Kilt Rock overlook (nice!), through
Staffin, and on to another ruined castle at Duntulum. After some of the
others we'd seen, this one was a bit disappointing, but the setting on a cliff
at the tip of the peninsula is breathtaking. On our way to Portree for dinner,
took the drive across the stunning Quiraing from Uig to Staffin. Dinner was
pizza at Cappucino's in Portree. Later, we relaxed in the hotel bar,
sampling whisky and watching soccer, or, excuse us, football (Portugal
beat Holland in the semis).
Next > The Western Highlands
our travels
home
contact us
View from the Old Man of Storr
Dunvegan Castle
Portree
Climbing to the Old Man of Storr
King of the Quiraing
