Our voyage to Skye was very easy. We were not fleeing from revengeful soldiers, nor did we need to disguise ourselves as washerwomen nor hide in a boat. We zipped over the strait on an elegant concrete bridge instead.
Skye is divided in to roughly five areas/peninsula. The bridge enters the Broadford area and we passed through that towards the Minginish area. We headed to an important rendezvous … a whiskey tasting at Talisker Distillery. A stop at the Sligachan Bridge (no eternal beauty achieved), then detoured to the Fairy Pools for a brisk walk to raise the step count, necessary after the road trip from the east. The tour and tasting were enjoyable ... but most of the whiskeys were well out of our price range. A spin through Portree, the capital of Skye, was lovely (and we circled back there several times). The town nestles around a lovely bay and colourful buildings hug the shoreline.
Once again Wanda booked fabulous accommodation – with views over Loch Eyre and Snizort River and Loch. It channelled wooden chalet, was well appointed, cosy and a had a very strong bent towards all things deer (duvets/pillows/lamp stands/pictures/lights/coasters and tablecloths), obviously a highland thing. Oh, and use some matching tartan too.
Nature decided that we needed a rest, so threw everything at us! We had wind (like, super strong!) and every sort of rain – vertical rain (the normal kind), horizontal rain, heavy rain, light rain and even rain blowing upwards, all accompanied by a howling gale. So, best place to go? A pub! Uig Hotel educated us with a tasting paddle of Skye beers and then delighted us with delicious mussels and a dish of haggis, neeps and tatties. All the while, the weather put on its show. Next best place after a pub? A cosy room, warm blankets and wine/gin/whiskey (or all three!) to stay safe.
What a difference a day makes! Up early (we lost an hour to daylight saving) and sightseeing it was. We don’t mention the Wx3 words (weather, wet, wind) in case the fates intervene, and they helped is with glorious mainly sunny times. We explored the Totternish Peninsula, with its incredible history, natural landscapes, freshwater and ocean lochs, stunning views and cliff-hugging castles. Enjoy the pictures, as they show the beauty.
After a brief lunch stop back at the cabin, we hit the Durnish Peninsula and its rugged charms. Being March, much is still closed to tourists. But have drone, can see! Wanda is becoming expert at flight plans, photo composition and video paths, using the drone. Alistair is great at taking it out of its bag and watching for swopping birds and powerlines. Dunvegan Castle, the Dun Beag Broch, sunset swoops are magically captured by the drone. [To placate the Skye aware, we did not visit the artistic Waternish Peninsula as it is not the open season and studios are closed.)
A drive through the Sleat Peninsula finished off our Skye visit … with stops to admire the scenery before we caught the ferry (yes, quietly singing THAT song) from Armadale, across the sea to Maillig (the lyrics don’t quite work!).
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