Since breakfast would start at 7, my husband K and I decided to get up at 6:15 to get some stretching in before heading downstairs. I was most disappointed to find they had no porridge, which I've really come to like. I decided to try most of a Scottish breakfast, skipping the haggis, thank you very much. It was a pretty good meal.
At 8, we headed off to drive to the Trotternish Peninsula. We followed the A87 north and then northwest. Well, that was the general direction. That road heads southwest to get around the Sound of Raasay Sound, where it makes a long bay in the island. We could see the other side rather well and the tide appeared to be out. There was a nice waterfall over there.
Near Uig, we could see the dock at Idrigill for the ferry that went from this island in the Inner Hebrides out to the Outer Hebrides. We would not be going to any of the islands out there, which is unfortunate, since one of those is the Isle of Harris, from whence comes Harris Tweed. That said, you can buy Harris Tweed in other places. However, it would have been cool to go there, because all the weaving is done in homes. The goods are finished elsewhere.
At Uig, we switched to the A855 to drive up the western side of the peninsula. Very quickly, we came upon quite the hairpin turn-look it up on a map. It is really something. From there, we could see to the end of the bay that Idrigill lies on.
One has to keep a sharp eye out, when driving in these parts. Luckily, Alistair has one and was careful to avoid this sheep, who evidently thought the grass was greener out at the road.
It was 9:15, when we reached the Skye Museum of Island Life, which is not far from the top of the peninsula. Rick Steves had had nothing but good things to say about the museum, which gives you an idea of what life on the island was like 150 years ago by bringing together buildings from the island or built for the purpose.
The entrance/exit is in a building that looks like the other huts. It is low to the ground and made of stone with a thatched roof held down by regularly placed ropes with rocks hanging from them. It really is quite clever.
We were free to roam about on our own to look at this open-air museum not far from the cliff above the Atlantic. It was a bit chilly and raw, as far as I was concerned. As usual, K and I went off on our own directions. My first stop was at the smithy. Inside, were very informative signs, as well as tools and a doll done up as the smithy.
Knowing that there was simply not enough time to read every sign, I took pictures to read later. It really speeds up the process.
Even though I don't weave, I am a fan of fabric and thread arts. I've seen enough weaving demos to know that these creations took work. It was probably just as well that they were not for sale; they probably would have been too expensive.
Other buildings housed the local shop, the old barn, the old byre with its cow, and the old ceilidh house which housed a museum. There, I learned that "Skye" is believed to come from the Norse and means cloud island. It is the largest of the Inner Hebrides-50 miles long and ranging from 7 to 25 miles wide. The coastline is 400 miles long. The center of the island has the Cuillin Hills. The Black Cuillins are mainly composed of basalt and gabbro. There are 12 Munros, which are mountains over 3000 feet tall. and the summits are bare rock. The Red Cuillins are made of granite and are lower than the Black. North of the Cuillins, the island was mostly formed by volcanic activity. So, see? Educational.
Another thing in that building was a mannequin dressed as Flora MacDonald, local heroine. It was she who rescued Bonnie Prince Charlie from the Outer Hebrides after the disaster at Culloden by dressing him as her Irish maid and sailing him off. Outside, in the distance, you could see the very tall Celtic cross in the graveyard marking her grave. It is a new cross, as the previous was chipped away by tourists. It was too far to hike to in the time we had, but zoom lenses are a miracle.
Another thing you could see from the grounds was Isle of Harris, when the clouds allowed it. They did clear enough, so that at one point, I ran into K and we did a selfie with Harris in the background.
I did love the view!
My love of miniatures has made me look at full size houses, shops and such with a different eye. I pay attention to architecture, layout of the rooms, etc. I also get very excited,whenever I get to explore a different kind of house. The Old Croft House did not fail to please. So much living crammed inside! There was a peat fire that was really smokey and its smoke spread throughout the small house. I do not think my asthma would have done well with that on a prolonged basis. The living room and dining area were all one. There were musical instruments hanging on the walls and a hutch full of dishes and containers. A spinning wheel stood next to a food prep table. One room was a bedroom with a bed basically in a box with curtains. The top probably kept out vermin and the curtains kept out the cold. Another bedroom had a couple of these beds in a row. The floor was stone and I didn't notice rugs. There were a couple of sewing machines, books, photos, etc. It was a really good way to get a feel for houses of the poorer folks and quite a change from the castles we've seen.
I stopped in the shop on my way out. My older daughter had asked for clotted cream fudge and I was surprised that this was the place, where I finally found it. I also picked up the guide book and some postcards.
Then, it was off down the lane to the restrooms, which were oddly outside the museum grounds. It gave me a chance to check out the cattle and to get a photo of the official flower of Scotland, the thistle.
We were due back on the bus at 10:15, but we were able to leave five minutes early. The road ahead of us was rather curvy, as we headed over the top of the peninsula and down its eastern side.
At 10:37, unfortunately, it began to rain. Unfortunately, because we got out of the bus just five minutes later to visit Kilt Rock. It is a 200-foot-tall cliff at the sea's edge, which really does look like the pleats on a tartan. They are volcanic rock in vertical columns known as columnar joining. This layer of lava rock sits above a layer of horizontal sedimentary rock, which is a really cool concept. (I find volcanoes fascinating.) There is a dramatic waterfall, as well. On the other side of the viewing area, the cliffs look pretty neat, too. Basically, it is a great photo op even with clouds and light rain. It stopped raining in time for a good selfie with K. The sign offered info in Gaelic and 1/3 of the island is fluent in it.
We were on the road again at 10:56 and in less than five minutes, we could see the Old Man of Storr. This is a 160-foot-tall slab of basalt on a mountain called Storr. The landscape of the peninsula was created by massive landslides and this rock slid down the cliff about 6500 years ago. It has eroded to this pinnacle. It shows up in a bunch of films, including one K and I saw recently called
Snow White and the Huntsman. Of course, neither of us remember seeing this rock. We were able to stop to take a photo, before heading onward at 11:09.
Our next stop, Portree, was less than 20 minutes down the road. Our guide gave several dining suggestions before we got off the bus. K and I decided to head for one that was nearby called The Café, which Rick Steves had reviewed positively, plus it was raining a bit. The place was really crowded, when we arrived, but it looked like a table would open soon. Two couples from North Carolina- Tom and Melanie and Robbie and Pam- who were also on our tour arrived and it was decided that we could all fit around the table that was opening in the corner. It was a tight fit, but we did it. When a nearby table opened, the other two guys switched to it to open the space.
It took a while to be able to order, but, eventually, K and I ordered a ciabatta chicken, smoked bacon, mango chutney and cream cheese, plus a ciabatta ham, mozzarella, pesto and sun-blushed tomatoes, both of which were Ł 8.50. He ordered an Americano coffee and I ordered my Diet Coke, which was Ł 2.10. We split the sandwiches, which is a great way to try more food, and we liked both of them. We might have ordered some of the ice cream Rick Steves recommended, but the waitress seemed too busy for that. As it was, it turned out that you had to go to the register yourself to pay. The bill came to Ł21.10 and K added a tip of Ł2.
When we left at 12:35, it had stopped raining. We decided to shop and roam a bit. I found a miniature Scottish house for just 50 pence. At a craft shop, I enjoyed looking at all the cross stitch patterns, even though they were rather pricey. I did find a plastic thimble for my older daughter J, who likes cross stitching as much as I do.
We made sure we went up a higher street to get a photo of the harbor. Coming into town, we realized that Portree, with its colorful buildings on the water, was the photo that was used on the ad and homepage for our tour. That had to be photographed. I also saw a small passageway between buildings that looked pretty cool.
Waiting for the bus, we found ourselves standing by yet another World War I memorial. Scotland lost just so many men in that war. From Portree, 28 men headed off to war and only 8 came back, with 10 killed in a single night's fighting. This memorial also incorporated the town's mercat cross. Say it just right and you'll hear "market", and indeed the cross indicated the town's right to host a market back in the day. The square is named Somerled, which is Old Norse for "Summer Wanderer", which was the ruler in the 12th century, who started the MacDonald clan and united the islands of western Scotland. It was James MacDonald in the 18th century who pushed to develop the town.
We boarded the bus at 1:11 and left for Broadford at 1:14. It rained every now and then along the way.
We reached the hotel at 1:56 and had to be back on the bus at 2:15 for the next optional excursion. While I hurried to our room to dump stuff and use the restroom, K said he'd be there shortly. In our room, I looked out to see that the tide was in and all the boats were floating.
When K got to the room, he presented me with pink roses from the shop we'd seen yesterday. He'd gotten lucky and they were open so that he could get me this lovely early birthday gift. They even smelled like roses, which store-bought roses at home don't much to my dismay. What a thoughtful husband!
Most, if not all, of the tour group chose to go on the excursion to Eilean Donan Castle (EYE-lan DOHN-an). Eilean means island. It is probably the most photographed castle in Scotland and you'd be hard-pressed to find a calendar that doesn't have it. It is situated at the confluence of three sea lochs and it was the home castle of the MacKenzie clan. The original castle was destroyed in battle in 1719. It was rebuilt between 1912 and 1932 by the MacRea family as their home. The MacReas had been bodyguards to the MacKenzies in the 14th century. I have a tangential relationship to the castle, as I had a great-uncle whose last name was MacKenzie.
We traveled over the Skye Bridge to the mainland town of Dornie. When we arrived at 2:42, it was overcast, cold and windy, and looked like it could rain at any time. We had some time to take photos of the castle, as well as of ourselves in front of it. When Roseanne joined the group near the visitor center with the tickets, she informed us that large purses, like mine, were not allowed. I had to get my credit card holder out and hustle back to the bus, where Alistair was luckily sitting, and stuff my umbrella in a pocket. I managed to catch up with the group before they crossed the bridge to the island on which the castle sat.
When we reached the other side, we were greeted by a guide, who told us a bit about the castle's history. This was a good time to take some photos. I was able to take some through the door of the inner courtyard, too.
Inside, we were not allowed to take any photos. We were passed off to another guide, who got us through the barracks, and then on to another upstairs in the great hall. There were a lot of other tourists roaming about and some even stopped to listen to our guide- and ask questions! We were sent upstairs to go through the bedrooms and kitchen ourselves. There were signs that told you information. I really wished I could take photos.
I headed downstairs after about a half hour and into the small museum next to the castle. It had some interesting things and then it was out to photograph the surroundings. Luckily, it did not rain.
Having done all I could, I found K and told him I was heading to the shop and restroom. He would join me shortly. The shop had lots of cool things- and lots of people. When it thinned, I managed to get a clerk to open the case with the heather gem Pandora-style beads. Brian had pointed them out to me and I was glad he did. One of those would be perfect for my Pandora bracelet of travel beads. I had to really hustle to get all the things I wanted and get to the restroom, before heading to the bus.
We were back on the bus at 4:30. Roseanne had arranged for us to go to a pub in Dornie called The Clachan. She wasn't thrilled to find a young bagpiper outside, when we arrived, but K was. He took the opportunity to talk to him, musician to musician. (Folks back home really enjoyed the Facebook photo of them in conversation.) Inside, Roseanne paid for a drink for each of us. K got a rather smoky Talisker Whiskey, that he enjoyed. I got a tasty Thatcher cider. Before we got on the bus again, I snapped a photo of colorful nearby buildings.
We were back on the road at 5;35. It really looked threatening in the distance.
We took time at 5:50 for a photo op along the water. It was cold and windy, but we took photos of Castle Moil, also known as Saucy Mary's Tower, on the Isle of Skye. It was cool to frame the tower in the seal sculpture that was there. We were surprised to see a bunch of jelly fish in the water. The clouds over the mainland were awesome!
Back on the road, I was able to get a photo of the lighthouse on Eilean Ban under the Skye Bridge. Cool shot!
We got back to the hotel at 6:10, which gave us some time to get ready for dinner. Tonight, we dined with Sue and John from Manitoba, who were quite nice.
K and I both had lentil soup for our appetizer. My chicken casserole and his haddock looked rather similar. For dessert, he chose apple pie with cream and I chose chocolate cake. Both were good.
When we got back to the room, we had to pack again, as we are leaving here tomorrow.
My tracker says that I walked 8,407 steps for a total of 2.8 miles. Insanely, it says, that I climbed 18 floors. Had I done that, I wouldn't be able to move tonight!
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