Warning: this post has a lot of pictures but pretty half-hearted text because I never wrote anything downwardly because nosotros were ever listening to Harry Potter audiobooks.
We woke upward on the forenoon of May the Fourth (may the 4th survive alongside you!) surrounded past times a thick cloud of fog on all sides. We drove through the foggy whiteout downwardly a route of hairpin bends as well as twisted , windy stretches until nosotros reached Kyle of Lochalsh. Popping into a café that advertised hot breakfast as well as Wifi , nosotros could assess our plans for the Isle of Skye.
We woke upward on the forenoon of May the Fourth (may the 4th survive alongside you!) surrounded past times a thick cloud of fog on all sides. We drove through the foggy whiteout downwardly a route of hairpin bends as well as twisted , windy stretches until nosotros reached Kyle of Lochalsh. Popping into a café that advertised hot breakfast as well as Wifi , nosotros could assess our plans for the Isle of Skye.
The foggy drive inwards the morning
Looking over to Skye
The Sun was shining thence nosotros railroad train off across the span to the Isle , passing many photographers making purpose of the golden sunlight that hitting the water. The Hebrides inwards the distance were hazy as well as bluish , but the mountains of Skye were vibrant as well as a piffling foreboding. Our kickoff halt had been the Fairy Pools as well as the Cuillins , but it seemed every Scot as well as his Canis familiaris had decided to accept adventage of the sunshine as well as caput to the magical waterfalls. We decided to caput hither some other day.
We drove N through Portree , stopping to accept photographs of the magnificent mountains , cast inwards dissimilar shadows every fourth dimension they came into stance because the clouds moved thence quickly. We caput upward to Storr to pay a see to the Old Man. Legend has it that the spindly stacks standing beside the Storr are a human being as well as married adult woman , turned to stone for non heeding the advice of a terrible giant. The married adult woman has fallen inwards the years since , but the Old Man stands strong.
Fog settling nether the bluish sky
Approaching the Old Man
The conditions permitted deviating from the path , as well as nosotros walked upward smaller mountains to points that offered spectacular views of the unusual formations. The moving clouds meant that painting opportunities were few , for the structures were oftentimes cast inwards shadow , but nosotros stayed around , watching them alter inwards the light. A immature twosome of Belgian girls joined us on our spotter as well as nosotros took a few pictures of them. On the agency downwardly nosotros saw many dogs , happily sploshing around inwards the soft mud piece their humans followed behind , sharing embarrassed grins alongside passersby.
The Old Man of Storr
Almost the exact same painting alongside Nicholas inwards it
From Storr , nosotros made a halt past times Kilt Rock as well as a little waterfall called Mealt Falls.
“It ain’t no Niagra Falls ,” a middle-aged American adult woman said to her partner.
Kilt Rock was aptly named , as well as looked similar a serial of pillars all melded together. Nicholas became to a greater extent than interested inwards the sounds beingness produced from the air current on the bars of the struggle , as well as began recording them on his phone. I started chatting to some other – slightly dimwitted – American tourist , who was struggling to encompass that nosotros could encounter mainland Scotland over the ocean. He had come upward over to Scotland for a piece , as well as was spending 1 twenty-four hours on Skye. I couldn’t encompass that you lot could only pass 1 twenty-four hours on Skye.
A Scottish dinosaur
Mealt Falls
“We’re heading to Ben Nevis as well as that expanse tomorrow , receive got you lot been in that location yet?” he asked.
I said no , but that nosotros were heading in that location side past times side week.
“Do you lot know if there’s anything to make there? We read that nosotros should acquire in that location but didn’t read why!” He laughed at this , but I idea it made him good sillier.
I told him most how nosotros were going to hike upward Ben Nevis as well as most Glen Coe , as well as most how Glen Coe is where Skyfall was filmed as well as Harry Potter besides , as well as how you lot tin make some beautiful walks around there.
“Yeah ,” he said , “we mightiness desire to make a walk around in that location or hike upward Ben Nevis. Maybe make an lx minutes or 2 walking or something , but I don’t know.”
“There are in all probability some beautiful ground-level walks at Glen Coe ,” I suggested. I didn’t bother telling him that the tourist runway upward to Ben Nevis was around ix hours or so.
Nicholas had adequate recordings of the ethereal noise on the poles , thence nosotros decided to brand the most of the fading lite as well as encounter the Quiraing earlier sundown. On the agency , nosotros stopped past times a piffling hamlet called Staffin to purpose the loo as well as purchase a few grocery bits , as well as flora that they had shelves of second-hand books for a donation. Good ones , besides , non but piles of trashy Mills & Boon novellas as well as books written past times Danielle Steel. We bought a few , left some coins as well as hurried on to the Quiraing.
This human being was caught herding his sheep on the master copy road
This sheep was desperately bleating at us every bit nosotros drove past times , thence nosotros stopped to state hello
Nicholas scouting out a military camp spot
A romantic cruise boat heading into the sunset
It was almost seven as well as the Sun was nevertheless high inwards the heaven , but nosotros decided against walking the Quairaing , which faces eastward as well as would presently survive cast inwards shadow. We wandered around as well as flora a perfect military camp spot , decided to come upward dorsum to it inwards an lx minutes later on having a expect around Uig , flora that it started raining , thence parked our machine past times the Quiraing as well as slept there. You’ll presently encounter a tendency emerging.
Sunrise at the Quiraing
We woke the side past times side forenoon , as well as the mist was sitting depression on the Quiraing. We had attempted to wake for sunset to acquire a proficient stance of the construction – every bit had other photographers who filled the carpark early on inwards the forenoon as well as in all probability saw us sleeping – but the whole thing was shrouded inwards the fog. We decided to acquire upward as well as make a piffling circuit around the Quiraing despite the buffeting winds as well as impending rain. After passing the Quiraing , you lot boundary a struggle as well as function inwards this beautiful , magical looking dell. Nick Williams , who has written all the books of walks we’ve purchased , notes that this is the perfect identify to detect piffling nooks as well as hiding places. Instead of playing hide as well as seek , nosotros flora a big boulder wrapped inwards pinkish string.
We should definitely survive sponsored past times Vauxhall
The route leading upward to the Quiraing
Heading to The Prison
“Modern fine art ,” Nick muttered , moving to unravel it. He had to hold off though , because 2 gentlemen came walking inwards the other direction.
“Did you lot make that?” 1 of them asked.
We shook our heads.
“Art inwards the landscape ,” the other said , as well as nosotros weren’t for sure whether they approved or not. Once they were out of sight , Nicholas pulled of the string as well as on nosotros went.
The boulder wrapped inwards string
We arrived dorsum at the machine but every bit the pelting started coming downwardly inwards buckets. Sitting inwards the machine , nosotros continued listening to Harry Potter until lunchtime rolled around , when nosotros decided to detect somewhere to eat. We drove around , trying to detect a café but flora an Iron Age souterrain instead. We mustered upward all our courage to boundary out of the machine as well as receive got a expect , but it was actually flooded , thence nosotros breathed a sigh of relief , told each other (and ourselves) that nosotros had tried to survive cultured , but turned on the heated seats as well as listened to Stephen Fry tell us most wizards.
The Souterrain
Sounds promising
We decided to caput to a café we’d seen advertised nigh the grocery shop as well as community centre , where nosotros bought the books. I won’t tell you lot most that , because it was an incredibly disappointing as well as overpriced lunch.
The pelting allow upward for a piece , thence nosotros decided to see the coral beaches. Naturally , past times the fourth dimension nosotros arrived , it was raining over again as well as it was a mile long walk to the coral business office , but nosotros layered on our moisture conditions gear as well as started trudging along the beach.
Nicholas was speedily soaked through his goretex , his boots as well as his waterproof pants , but I managed to remain relatively dry. The beach looked to survive covered inwards pure white sand at kickoff glance , but it was a sparse coating of tiny bits of white coral that covered the beach. This was overnice as well as all , but wasn’t the best business office most the coral beach. Shortly later on we’d clamored downwardly a little man-made dune , nosotros started seeing the tell-tale dark , shiny beach balls bobbing out of the water. Seals!
I waved to them as well as got their curious seal attending , as well as they followed us similar eager puppies along the beach. A identify unit of measurement of High German tourists was taking pictures of themselves pretending to run along the beach piece manifestly wishing they were inwards their warm car. I wandered over to them as well as asked if they wanted a painting of all iii of them as well as they declined. I asked if they’d seen the seals as well as they hadn’t (somehow , in that location were most 20 of them) , thence I pointed to a spot most 200m from shore , where half-dozen seals had of late surfaced.
Monster?!
The Coral Beach
With anticipation , none of them reared their heads for a minute , as well as then 1 sprung upward – non where my finger was pointed – but most 3m inwards front end of us. They gasped , as well as nosotros ventured on , our faithful seal friends next us.
Eventually dorsum at the machine , nosotros allowed our things to dry out off as well as our mutual depression temperature pare to thaw alongside some to a greater extent than Harry Potter. We as well as then decided to drive out to Neist Point , to a lighthouse on the coast. Ignoring all “no overnight parking” signs , nosotros slept in that location , watching the fog creep over the sea every bit the Sun went downwardly as well as listening to the mutual depression temperature , moisture bleats of tiny lambs.
The stance from the machine at Neist Point
The next forenoon nosotros did the walk to the lighthouse , navigating past times hundreds of ewes as well as their lambs. The lighthouse was incredibly dilapidated as well as rather deplorable looking , alongside mustard paneling as well as broken windows. At 1 indicate , the lighthouse keepers’ quarters had been rented out every bit a B&B , but those windows were all smashed as well as it all looked a flake haunted. We didn’t linger.
We drove dorsum past times Dunvegan , where I had wanted to make a boat trip around the castle looking for seals. We gave it a miss because we’d seen the seals yesterday as well as doubted whatsoever would survive basking inwards such dreadful weather. We considered going inwards to encounter the Fairy Flag , which we’d learnt most inwards my Folk Tales majority , but it was super overpriced , thence nosotros admired from a distance as well as kept driving.
Neist Point
The Lighthouse
Dunvegan Castle
After our disappointing tiffin the twenty-four hours earlier , nosotros decided to see a café we’d seen advertised on a brochure. “VEGETARIAN FOOD – WIFI” were how they advertised themselves , thence nosotros figured they’d survive topnotch. We had macaroni cheese topped alongside veggie haggis , which felt real Scottish. Their wifi was pretty proficient besides , thence nosotros could cheque upward on all our affairs as well as emails , which was relaxing as well as warm as well as allowed us some fourth dimension to leave of absence of the weather.
We drove around for a piece as well as enjoyed the mist as well as the moisture weather. Even when the conditions inwards Scotland is rubbish , it’s nevertheless beautiful. It actually lends itself to the conditions , thence driving around the misty mountains as well as hills was stunning. It did hateful that nosotros couldn’t make all the walks we’d wanted to , but the heated seats had a for sure appeal inwards the mutual depression temperature as well as nosotros were getting to the proficient bits inwards our book.
We popped past times a well-advertised ‘beach’ inwards Staffin , which was quite rocky as well as had tearing , crashing waves beating downwardly beside the car. They purpose the term beach quite loosely here. The cliffs beside us were quite beautiful , as well as Nicholas idea they looked similar giant engraved inscriptions inwards the stone face.
Staffin Beach
Staffin Beach
The 'inscribed' rocks
Deciding non to make the v lx minutes walk nosotros had planned past times the Fairy Glen , nosotros drove upward in that location as well as had a meander when the pelting subsided. Tiny lambs were jumping around as well as in that location were man-made stone Fairy Rings filled alongside flora objects as well as bones as well as money. Nicholas got real excited when he saw it as well as proclaimed , “Free money!” but I wouldn’t allow him accept it. After much convincing , I told him he could accept 1 Mexican money as well as 1 Russian money if he gave 2 improve objects , thence he gave them a comb , some peat , a fishhook as well as some other little bits as well as pieces. Much to a greater extent than useful than unusual dollars.
Approaching the Fairy Glen
Nicholas claims that this isn't adequate hiking attire
As nosotros were leaving the glen , the Sun reappeared , thence it was cast inwards this beautiful orangish light
That nighttime nosotros drove to a piffling spotter on the route that overlook an former lighthouse. The nighttime speedily got foggy but the brilliant lite from the lighthouse kept flashing toward us through the gloom.
The Lighhouse
We also saw this little isle inwards the middle of a loch , only populated past times sheep
The next forenoon was our terminal on Skye , as well as nosotros were nearing the halt of our audiobook. Hoping inwards vain to shell the crowds to the Fairy Pools , which are a serial of waterfalls alongside beautiful blue-green pools at the base. The pools were actually beautiful as well as nosotros wandered around , Nicholas hopping around on rocks to acquire improve pictures than all the other photographers alongside their clunky tripods.
The Cuillins inwards the distance
The Fairy Pools (that's me inwards my pyjamas inwards the top right-hand corner)
I dear the heaven reflected inwards the puddles inwards this painting , taken past times Nicholas
We considered going for a dip , but the growing release of tourists pose us off. The fact that it was glacial run off also made us reconsider.
From hither , nosotros stopped off at Hector’s Bothy , the café nosotros had breakfast at earlier nosotros arrived on Skye , as well as drove to Faisnacloich , where our side past times side AirBnB was. We had to drive via Fort William thence Nicholas could acquire some other Goretex because his had started leaking thence quickly. So that’s where nosotros are forthwith – inwards Faisnacloich. We technically shouldn’t fifty-fifty survive hither now. It wasn’t inwards our invention to nevertheless survive hither , but nosotros are. I approximate I’ll acquire to that inwards the side past times side post.
Driving past times Eilean Donan Castle on the agency to Faisnacloich
All I know most Eilean Donan Castle is what's inwards this book.
