We are in love. Utterly and completely. Our eyes were shining, our hearts sang – the Isle of Skye is truly special. We used the US Labor Day weekend to take a four day mini vacation but we could have easily spent a week there. I hadn’t driven in a month so it was nice to be behind the wheel again.
To get out to Skye from Inverness (which is where we have been based these last few weeks), it’s about a two and a half hour drive. You drive along several lochs (including Loch Ness) and through many glens in the Highlands. It is a beautiful drive. When we got to the coast we were at our first stop. The one, the only…Eilean Donan Castle. The early scenes from Highlander (the old one) were filmed here, but for me, it is the location that was used for my all time favorite music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOO5qRjVFLw , This is Your Fight Song/Amazing Grace by The Piano Guys. I was just a tad bit giddy 🤩
By the time we finally got to Portree on Skye it was late afternoon so there wasn’t much opportunity to explore. We stayed in a guesthouse just outside the main area of town – an easily walkable distance – which was good because we were on a quest to sample as many Scotches as possible. The grand total of drams tasted during our five weeks in Scotland? 26.
We packed a lot into our weekend and we were very fortunate to have had mostly decent weather! Our hiking shoes definitely got a workout. The worst weather we encountered was when we went out to the Fairy Pools – which also happened to be the most disappointing point we visited. Scotland had had very little rain in the five weeks prior to our visit, which meant that the fairy pools and their waterfalls were pretty meager. I guess we will just have to go back! Of course there was a torrential deluge the day we visited, with strong winds. All in all a very unpleasant time was had there. Yep, definitely will need to go back.
The hike to Old Man of Storr was a highlight. We headed out first thing in the morning, which was smart because there were a lot of people headed up the path as we were walking back down. The views from up there were spectacular and the hike was definitely at the moderate end of the rating scale. Some places were most adventurous!
After our hike we were starving, but we hadn’t brought anything with us. We had seen signs for a couple of cafes a bit further up the road so off we went. Um, yeah, oops…with the low tourism/pandemic life none of them were open. Finally we came to a tiny grocery store where we were able to get sandwiches. Lesson learned.
Once we had some sustenance we continued up along the coast of Skye, dodging sheep in the road. We made several stops, some planned, some – oh look at that! Stop!
We continued up and over the northernmost point of Skye, constantly in awe of the glorious views, both of land and sea. A bit further along we came to the turn off for the Faery Glen. Not far up the road it was almost like we had entered an alternate plane. There were small hills all over, all covered in brilliant green moss and some flowers. interspersed among the hills were beautiful ponds. The area had the air of making you believe fairies really were present.
We hauled our tired selves back to Portree for a quiet dinner and an early night! The next morning we were off to the famous Fairy Pools!!! We have seen pictures of this place and couldn’t wait to see it for ourselves. Lack of rain, however, meant it was far less than spectacular. We were so sad!! We will just have to go back another time. Of course, while we were there it did start to rain…and then it started to REALLY rain. We were beyond drenched by the time we got back to the car. Ugh.
Right near the Fairy Pools is the Talisker whisky distillery – perfect place to get the Husband a dry t-shirt and to get the Brother a birthday gift! They do offer tours but you have to book them way in advance. The distillery is located in a really cute little village too.
Next stop was Dunvegan Castle, the clan seat of the MacLeods. The gardens are spectacular – we wished we could have spent more time there. The castle itself, from the front isn’t as castley looking as I might wish – which is kind of funny, because in the late 19th century it was remodeled to make it more medieval castley looking! The inside though…wow, the inside is so cool. And there has definitely been a castle on the site since at least the 13th century. Where the castle sits on the southwest side of Skye is nothing short of spectacular!
Our final stop on this weekend was Neist Point. The Brother had told us that we should go out – and we should take a picnic. Um, he wasn’t there in September! We made the drive – which is a bit of an adventure in and of itself – and we made most of the hike to the lighthouse. That was enough! No part of this excursion was for sissies! Heights don’t bother me much, however, this path made me a bit nervous.
I started writing this right after we went to Skye…with grand plans for other Scotland posts. Then we went home. And nothing got done! So, here I am, a couple of months later, finally finishing this post. I’ll do another quick one, mostly just photos, in the next few days because it’s time to move on! I have new adventures💖