Day Three

Exploring Skye

Wednesday October 22nd

Old Man of Storr & Neist Point

We slept and had a restful morning. Hearty breakfasts, eggs, sourdough and mushrooms, lots of tea and breathtaking views. We left for our first stop, the Kilt Rock viewing area, where Mealt Falls plunges 90m off of a hexagonal rock cliff directly into the churning ocean and jagged rocks below. Kilt rock garners its name from the basalt rocks that form hexagonal columns, they harbour a resemblance to the pleats of a kilt. We were lucky enough to have a double rainbow appear just off the falls while we were visiting, bringing even more magical beauty to the view.

We were just up the road from our next stop, the hike up to Old Man of Storr, the weather was holding and the parking lot and roadside was jammed. Overflow parking had a bit of room, so we geared up and were on our way up, roughly 45 minutes up, 5 minutes at the top and 20 minutes back down. It’s a bit of a haul, steady incline but definitely worth it for the view, and a nice chance to get our blood pumping after sitting days. 

From there we headed west to Neist Point, another iconic landmark. First stopping in Glendale to see the cutest little general store on the planet and a treat & tea from Cafe Lephin.

The weather was clear and crisp on the coast, the kind of wind that fills your lungs for you, and made for a beautiful blustery walk down to the lighthouse. It’s now an automated system, but was manned for almost 80 years between 1909 and 1990. We enjoyed the windswept vistas and headed back to Portree for a hearty bowl of Cullen Skink at the Lower Deck, a rich fish chowder made with smoked haddock, potatoes onions and cream, served with warm homemade bread. Back to the Flodigarry for our last night on the island, heading to Fort William in the morning! 

Day Four

Skye to Fort William

Thursday October 23rd

Castles & Castles

We started our day heading north to Duntulm Castle Ruins, built in the 14th century, abandoned since 1732 and now just a faint remnant of what once stood. In its heyday the castle had a four storey tower, a curtain wall protecting a house as well, the only entrance was a narrow entrance in the sea cliff. The castle was abandoned in 1732 when the then owner built a new residence just 5 miles south, pillaging the castles stone as building material. According to local legend the castle was abandoned after the child of the Sir Alexander MacDonald fell from a window into the rocky sea below, as punishment for the nursemaid on duty she was off into the sea on a small boat, never to be seen again.

We continued on, hoping to see the Museum of Island Life, unbeknownst to us it was closed for the off season, but there was a cemetery and memorial for Flora MacDonald to check out. We continued on the Trottenish Loop to the Fairy Glenn, about half an hour further. The Fairy Glen is a landscape unlike any other, small steep hills, plateaus and (unfortunately) stone circles made by tourists about a decade ago. The locals are apparently a bit peeved by the entire situation, trying to undo the “sham stone circles”. The hills were formed by glacial landslides over 100,000 years ago, erosion and the elements continue to shape the sandstone into mystical terrain. Our visit was short and pleasant, until we got back to the car and saw we (and everyone parked on the side of the road) got parking tickets. The small parking lot was full on our arrival and we followed suit (first mistake) and parked in line with the other tourist vehicles. There was no signage saying we couldn’t, and we tried to stay to the side, which apparently was improper. Scotland’s not Canada I guess. 

We stopped for a hot bowl of soup and a pot of tea at Gasta in Broadford before fueling up and crossing the bridge back to the mainland. In hindsight I was really into soup and bread in Scotland. We were taking turns driving, and it was my day behind the wheel. The roads were quite narrow on Skye, with many single lane roads out in the country with pull out spots for when there was oncoming traffic. The limits were surprisingly high, sometimes 60mph on main rural roads, which we basically never did because of the nature of the roads, sheep, blind corners, and of course, inexperience. 

We were hoping to get the Fairy Pools on Skye as well but the road was closed for an accident, possibly related to inclement weather, and in hindsight would’ve stretched our day too long. We crossed the bridge around 3:30 and made it to our next castle in the Scottish Highlands at 4:30, Invergarry. 

Invergarry Castle was mostly in ruins after being partially blown up in the aftermath of the Battle of Culloden, as part of the suppression, and it is said that Bonnie Prince Charlie had rested there after his defeat in 1746. The well built walls have held for almost 200 years now, even after the demolition of the southeast wall and northwest extension. The once massive six storey L-plan tower house was built with stones passed hand by hand by a train of clansmen, sourced from Ben Tee mountain, as was clan tradition. 

About an hour later we arrived in Fort William, just before 6. The hotel was no Flodigarry, with springy floors and jarring overhead lighting, but it would do. The dining options were a tad limited and we ended up getting some rather delicious muscles, fries and a salad from a food truck at a local golf course. It was perfect and we hit the hay with our books.