On our third full day in Scotland, T.W.A.T.S. visited the Isle of Skye, and it would soon become one of my favourite places in the world. It definitely deserved its own blog post. We spent almost an entire day here and we did so much but also so little. This blog will merely touch upon our experiences. One day was NOT ENOUGH…
We awoke on another frosty morning on Loch Linnhe. At 8:30, we set off on the two hour road-trip to Skye. The weather around Fort William was as it had been for the entire holiday: clear and sunny. But as we left the Great Glen at Invergarry near Loch Garry (what a name), the clouds started to roll in.
Shout out to this tourist having a photo by a road. Speaking of roads, the roads up here are amazing, and surprisingly well maintained considering their remoteness. Thin grey ribbons that weave around loch and ben and looked so much fun to drive. Brendan wouldn’t let me get behind the wheel of his dad car though.
At a place called Shiel Bridge, Brendan very nearly actually murdered some goats, who were placidly strolling along the road. I’m not sure if they were wild or if some dopey farmer has misplaced them.
If you’re driving to Skye via the A87 and Skye Bridge then it’s highly likely you will pass Eilean Donan Castle. It’s a castle on a rock in a loch. Obviously, you’ll want to stop for a gander at this picturesque spot!
If only the blue skies of Fort William had followed us up here. Alas, I suppose grey skies are more believable for a blog about Scotland. I wanted to cross the bridge into the castle but admission was £10. Unfortunately, this castle is not part of the National Trust, and as Brendan and I are skinflints, we decided to give this a miss. Another day, perhaps?!
At 10:50 we crossed the Skye Bridge into the largest of the Inner Hebrides and it was like crossing into another country. After 20 minutes of driving snaking around sea lochs and mountains, we pulled up at the side of the road…
…and clambered down to the shore of Loch Ainort for a picnic breakfast.
Hats off to Brendan Clayton – he makes a good bacon butty. Great, now I fancy a bacon butty.
After a delicious breakfast and a nice rest, we carried on with the adventure. We left the A87 (that runs up the eastern side of Skye) at Sligachan, so that we could cross over to western side of the island. At Sligachan there was a very, very pretty little bridge with a beautiful mountainous backdrop that I was very sad to miss. Google “Sligachan Old Bridge” and you’ll see what I mean.
Our destination on the western side of Skye was Dunvegan Castle. The topography on this side of the island is a little bit less dramatic and thus a bit greener. It looked more like a holiday destination – I liked it.
We arrived at the castle at 1pm. Admission here was £14 but cos we’d driven so far we thought we may as well pay it and go inside – particularly as you couldn’t really see the castle from the road. Crafty.
Alas, the sky was still grey. A brown castle set against a grey sky isn’t particularly stunning. But this brown castle is the seat of the Chief of Clan MacLeod, one of the main clans up here in the Hebrides.
It was nice to have a nosey around inside. It’s very much your classic castle interior – lots of paintings, lots of rooms kept in their classic states. I wonder what a castle would look like today? Gothic exterior with a gentleman’s office interior? It’s a shame we don’t build them anymore. Anyway here’s me sat staring at a wall in black and white.
Moody.
By the time we had walked around Dunvegan Castle, the sun had broken through.
Dunvegan Castle sits on a rock beside a sea loch. Loch Dunvegan has a seal colony. You’d be f***ing mad if you thought I was gonna ignore that little fact. Seal boat trips cost £9.50 and after moaning to Brendan, he agreed to take a trip with me.
The loch water was crystal clear. Usually lochs are murky because rain washes soil with high peat content into the water, but it hadn’t rained for days – a very unusual anomaly in Scotland. In our boat we had a nice view of the castle, whilst the driver told us some facts about Dunvegan and the seals.
DID I MENTION SEALS?
The blubbery rocks looked bored as we ogled them. I suppose they get it all the time – like a pretty girl on Insta, they ignored us.
We had a nice time and guess what – nobody fell in. Winner! After 25 minutes we made it back to land. It was time to leave Dunvegan and head back across Skye to the largest town and capital: Portree.
Portree is a pretty place. It’s a little thriving community that feels a million miles away from anywhere else. It reminded me of Reykjavik, and like Iceland, Skye and the Highlands have a culture with Nordic roots.
This hostel was just one of a number of colourful buildings that reminded me of Reykjavik. Or Balamory – one of the two. There were lots of hostels in Portree and consequently it had that kind of traveller vibe. Compared to our other ventures, there were a lot of younger people here. I liked it. A lot.
After a quick mocha from The Granary cafe, we headed around 6 miles north of Portree to our final destination on Skye: The Old Man of Storr, a massive pinnacle of rock featuring in the remnants of an ancient landslip.
The girl back at Dunvegan Castle who sold us our seal boat tickets had described the walk up to The Old Man of Storr as “40 minutes of hell”. Despite this glowing recommendation, I wasn’t entirely enthused. It was nearly half 5, and my muscles were surprisingly sore considering I’d only climbed Britain’s highest bloody mountain just over a day ago. But Brendan insisted.
I wouldn’t say it was “40 minutes of hell”. More like “40 minutes of misery”. We had also timed it just wrong, as the sun was dipping below the main bulk of Storr above, plunging the pinnacles around the Old Man into shadow.
Just before we reached the Old Man, Brendan decided he wanted to walk on further up The Storr. I was having none of it. As he went to find a good viewpoint of The Old Man, I decided to actually go and meet The Old Man.
Unfortunately, this photo doesn’t really show you how big The Old Man of Storr is compared to, say, The Young Man of Winsford. But believe me, it is very big.
Meanwhile, Brendan had found a good viewpoint and was taking selfies.
Somewhere at the base of that large pinnacle, you’d probably find me in dot form.
The area you can see between The Old Man and the cliffs of Storr is known as The Sanctuary.
It was a good place to chill and eat a flapjack. The Sanctuary is like a canyon; it wasn’t a windy day, but in here the air here was quiet and utterly calm. Any slight noise echoed loudly off of the walls. I could hear people talking despite the fact they were a long way away. It was kind of spooky.
Eventually, Brendan made his way towards The Old Man.
After an hour or so apart, T.W.A.T.S. reunited. And of course, we had some perilous photo shoots. Don’t tell my mum just how far I could have fallen.
The Old Man of Storr looks out upon the Sound of Raasay, and on a lovely day like this, the views are brilliant.
On the way up to The Old Man there seemed to be loads of people, but the time was now 7:30pm and we were definitely the only people still up here. I spared a thought for those lonely souls who I’d seen earlier hiking to the top of Storr itself.
The temperature was getting lower and it was time we did too. We made our way back down to the car as the sky turned pink.
This is the “blue hour” according to Brendan, because the light turns everything blue. Good to know.
We returned to Portree for some tea and this was by far the most difficult challenge of the day. Here’s a top tip: BOOK A TABLE. We walked all around the harbour and into the town centre looking for a place to eat – everywhere was packed. And everywhere was expensive – Brendan and I baulked at many a wall menu because tbh we’re not that rich. Eventually we settled on a placed called the Cuchullin Restaurant. We would not be disappointed.
We were sat down at a table next to a group of Asian tourists and I was immediately envious. They had ordered between them a massive seafood platter with salmon, mussels and langoustines and it looked divine. I thought it would be pretty rude to ask for a taste, especially considering it cost £49. Brendan and I played it cheap and ordered fish and chips. So British.
The malt of the month. I don’t know if I’d ever tried whisky, never mind Scotch. Not that I can recall, anyway. So where better to break my whisky duck than in deepest, darkest Scotland?
Oh, and I bought a pint of Skye Black, obvs. Tbh it wasn’t that nice.
BTW! Did you know that whisky is the Anglicisation of the classic Gaelic word “uisge” meaning “water”? Also, Irish whiskey has an “e” whereas Scotch does not. However, that does not mean Irish whiskey makes you more ecstatic.
I sipped my Talisker Skye malt whisky and learned that I am not really a whisky fan. Tbh I don’t really like many spirits. But when in Scotland!
Our food arrived and oh my days.
The fish was delish. The homemade chips (underneath the fish) were effing amazing. Again, I have to ask why Scotland has a bad rep for Scottish cuisine???
Our bellies full, it was time to head back to Fort William. Only a two and a half hour drive awaited – ample time for a quick snooze if your name is David and not Brendan.
We were very sad to be leaving Skye. There is so much to see and do – we wished we’d come up here for the week. Our day out on the island had been action-packed and frantic as we dropped by numerous locations, and yet we missed out on so much. We never saw the Fairy Pools, or Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, and it would have been fun to visit a distillery.
The best places leave you wanting more, and the Isle of Skye is absolutely one of the best places to visit in Scotland. It’s just annoying I’m going travelling next year – probably means I won’t be able to visit again for YEARS. #FirstWorldProblems
P.S. Here’s a very important fact you need to know. The drink drive limit is much lower in Scotland than the rest of the UK at 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. This means just one drink could put you over the limit. Big thanks to the staff at Cuchullin Restaurant for reminding us of this. Of course, we already definitely knew that.
P.S.S. Here’s me doing a bathroom selfie with a hand drier and for the life of me, I don’t remember why.
x.
#VidOnTour 