We spent our first day of steady rain while in Scotland driving to our next destination, which included driving by Loch Ness. So sadly no opportunity to take good pictures. I have always wanted to visit Loch Ness and spot a sea creature…thanks to one of my favorite teachers of all time, Stuart Tyner, who had a fascination with this legend! I thought of my dear friend Stuart this day while we drove through this region.

The only notable picture on the day’s drive was this unique farm dotted with little ”huts” as far as the eye could see! I had to pull over to find out what these were…it’s a pig farm!

Our next stay is a VRBO located in the Kyle of Lochalsh, a 2 bedroom cottage with a washer (no dryer, but plenty of clothesline) which was timely! I cooked and we ate in for two of our meals while here, and spent two glorious days exploring this beautiful Isle.

On day 1, we traveled the north-east part of this island and the famous Trotternish Loop. The Isle of Skye is the largest island in the Inner Hebrides. The island is dominated by the Cuillin Range, spectacular mountains that reach over 3,000 feet. Skye has a rich history of clan wars (the biggest clans here were MacLeod and Macdonald), as well as is known for hiding out Bonnie Prince Charlie during the Jacobite rising. The island’s population has declined with less than 10,000 people residing here now. However, amongst this group they have a high rate of Gaelic speakers compared to Scotland in general (roughly 40%, compared to 1-2% of the general population of Scotland).

The Trotternish Loop is known for some of the most beautiful landscapes that can can be found on the entire island, and it certainly did not disappoint. We were blessed with another beautiful and clear day…it actually got hot enough for many people to be in short sleeves and shorts! There are a lot of hiking paths and much more challenging trails throughout the island so many folks are here to engage in some rigorous activity! We did quite a bit of walking but stayed for the (most part) on easy walking paths. Here are a few of our stops…

Sligachan: We made a quick stop in Sligachan (a small settlement) with a beautiful stone bridge and famous statue of two men who set out to discover, climb and map the Cuillins. These mountains are considered some of the toughest climbs in Britain and involve narrow ridges and pinnacles. It was a delightful viewing spot!

The Old Man of Storr: We drove by these famous basalt rock formations, created by a massive ancient landslide. One large pinnacle of rock stands so high that it can be seen for miles around and is referred to as the ‘Old Man’. There is a 3-mile circular hike that will take you right up to the pinnacles (steep with lots of steps), but we only took snaps along the road. There is only so much time to see all of this loop in one day, so if you want to do some intense hiking you’d probably need to stay a few more days.

Lealt Falls: This waterfall lies in a gorge where the River Lealt runs from the Trotternish Ridge to the sea. There are a lot of hikes from this spot…but be careful! We witnessed a rescue helicopter land to pick up a hiker who had fallen on one of the trails (he had been picked up by an ambulance and brought to a ridge on the side of the gorge). May have had a bad fracture, but otherwise didn’t look injured enough to warrant such a dramatic rescue!

Kilt Rock: Next stop was this ancient cliff that resembles a pleated kilt with its vertical basalt columns

The next stop was a spectacular drive up to the Quiraing, another rock formation caused by currently active landslides (too slow to detect, thank goodness!). The drive up to this summit was enough of an adventure, on a single lane road with lots of vehicles going up and down, not to mention cycles and plenty of sheep crossing the road! A lot of pulling off to the side when you met a car going in the other direction, on some pretty narrow and steep roads! Took a lot of concentration on Gary’s part.

The views from the top were spectacular!

Next we made a quick stop at Duntulm Castle, the remnants of a fortress with incredible sea views.

At Rick Steeves recommendation, we pulled into the Skye Museum of Island Life to take a look at some original “Crofter” thatch cottages and artifacts. A Croft is similar to a small farm, and the term Crofter refers to the person(s) living on the Croft (usually a renter as part of a larger estate) who worked the land. It was a hard life without a lot of luxury.

Our last stop, on a very long day, was the Fairy Glen, a lush spot with a magical vibe leading to its name. The terrain is dotted with lots of small round hills…almost made me think of a hobbit glen!

Whew! What a long day. On the way back to our cottage we had to stop into the Broadford Hotel for a Drambuie cocktail. This liqueur, a blend of whisky, rare Scottish heather honey and herbs and spices, was first served here. Legend holds that the recipe was originally developed by the Clan MacKinnon and shared with the owner of this hotel in the 19th C. Definitely went down easier than straight whisky!

On day 2, we ventured into the central and north-west portions of the island. With fewer stops and more ground to cover (and another day of beautiful weather), we felt so lucky for this second day to explore the Isle!

Our first stop was Dunvegan Castle, considered one of the greatest Hebridean castles (castles on the Hebrides islands). This castle has been home to the Chiefs of the Clan MacLeod for over 800 years, making it the oldest continuously occupied castle by the same family across Scotland. It was constructed in the 13th C. with many additions and alterations over the years. It sits on 41,000 acre (close in size to Balmoral!). It was first opened to the public in 1933 and is still occupied on occasion by the current Clan Chief.

Here’s a few shots from the interior…from the grand spaces:

…to the less grand spaces:

We also wandered through the beautiful gardens:

Next stop was Dun Beog Broch, an Iron Age stone tower. We pretty much had the place to ourselves and took a lovely hike up to the tower for some spectacular views. Biggest challenge, navigating all the sheep dung. We had quite a few sheep a little bothered we were on their turf.

Our final stop was the Fairy Pool Walks, a steep and rocky path through a series of pools along the path of a waterfall. We made it to the first couple of pools but did not venture to the top (a 5 mile hike each way!). Along the way you cross a few streams and lots of boggy landscape so I was glad to have my hiking shoes on!

We are so grateful for this opportunity to visit a place I have long heard of and always wanted to see, and with such spectacular weather as well! The Isle of Skye did not disappoint, and I only wish we’d had a few more days in order to take advantage of some of the incredible hiking opportunities available.