Day 1 – Hairy Coos and Whiskey tasting on the Isle of Skye
Off the west coast of Scotland, connected to the mainland by the Skye Bridge, is the wild and woolly, Isle of Skye. We spent a few days on the Isle of Skye on our last trip to Scotland.
We had a hire car so it was easy to get around, although the narrow country roads can get quite busy in summer and can get a little hairy in places where the road narrows to one lane or when tourists are driving on the wrong side of the road! Not me BTW! We based ourselves at an Airbnb in the North of the Isle, close to most of the sights that we wanted to see. On the drive north, we spotted our first highland cows. We quickly pulled over to the side of the road and I jumped out with my camera. For a big animal, they can build up a bit of speed when they want to. For example, running away from crazy lady chasing them along the fence line.
My friend and I are not big whisky drinkers, but when in Rome….. so, on our first night we walked down to the local pub for dinner and they had quite the selection of Scotch. The staff there were wonderful and showed us how to add one drop of water to the whisky to ‘open it up’. We ended up tasting a small selection and by the end of the night we were a little more educated on the different varieties of Scotch and a little giggly and warmed up for the chilly walk home.
Day 2 – Big sightseeing day and a hike!
The next day was our big sight-seeing day. Our first stop was the Fairy Glen. We were lucky with the weather and with the traffic. I had heard that parking is a bit of a premium during summer, but we must have beat the buses …. another advantage of driving yourself. The Fairy Glen is a magical landscape, named purely for the fact that it looks like a place the faeries would inhabit. I would believe it!
Next stop was the outdoor Skye Museum of Island Life. This was recommended to us by our Airbnb host and the location is stunning, atop a hill with views for miles. It consists of a group of furnished thatched cottages, depicting early island life.
Right next door to the museum is the Kilmuir Cemetary, where the Jacobite heroine, Flora MacDonald is buried. Fans of Outlander, like me, will know Flora helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape to Skye after the Battle of Culloden, dressing him as an Irish spinning maid. If interested in Outlander, click here to have a read about a fantastic Outlander day tour we went on.
Our hike
We wanted to go for a bit of a hike (it’s not all about the booze!) and had heard that apart from Glencoe, the Isle of Skye was the place to do it! So, with the weather on our side, and another recommendation from our Airbnb host, we parked the car and embarked on a little adventure.
As far as we could understand from our host in his very broad Scots accent, this track would include the remains of an ancient Viking village, a castle, a lighthouse and stunning views of the peninsular. Perfect!
It rains a lot on Skye! Even though it wasn’t raining on the day, it had obviously been raining recently. We soon discovered how to navigate the mud and bog and to our delight, spotted the remains of the Viking Village…… and we later found out that we had seen the remains of the castle too, although we didn’t know it at the time. Onward we marched, determined to see the lighthouse. We reached the peninsular and yes, the views were stunning…. but no lighthouse to be seen. There was just a little hut, which was shelter from the wind …. and for my very full bladder, hopefully the home to a toilet!
Alas, no toilet was to be found. No time to hang around looking for a lighthouse that clearly did not exist, must get back to civilization and to a bathroom. I learned a lesson that day. Don’t go hiking with your best friend, who makes you laugh just by looking at you…. and don’t leap over a muddy bog when your bladder is full, you might slip, land in the mud and pee your pants just a little bit.
The situation was getting desperate, and so, I am embarrassed to say, that day I relieved my bladder amongst the heather and bracken, observed by curious sheep and the sound of my friend’s roaring laughter ringing in my ears.
Dunvegan Castle
A quick whirlwind stop at Dunvegan castle, ancestral home of Clan MacLeod, right before closing time, saw the end of an epic day. This castle is well worth a visit. Not only are the grounds beautiful but on display in the castle are some wonderful historic items such as the fairy flag, a sacred clan banner said to have miraculous powers, and a vest worn by Bonnie Prince Charlie, who stayed at the castle.
We returned to the Airbnb, me covered in mud and smelling faintly of pee, to a warm shower and flushing toilet. PS turns out, the little shack WAS the lighthouse!
The top sights on the Isle of Skye
Our last day on the Isle of Skye saw us driving to the big-ticket tourist sights – The Quiraing, Kilt Rock, and The Old Man O’ Storr. It’s easy to get around to all three locations in one morning when self-driving.
Portree is the main town on the Isle of Skye and quite picturesque with colourful buildings lining the water’s edge. There are lots of cute little shops in town to pick up a souvenir or two, which we did!
After a late lunch, we headed back to the mainland just as the skies opened and the rain returned.
