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| SKYE'S OLDEST BAKERY |
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| DUNVEGAN CASTLE |
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| THE MUSEUM OF ISLAND LIFE |
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| TRYING TO CHAT UP THE LOCALS |
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| SHEEP SHELTERING FROM THE RAIN |
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| THE QUIRAING |
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| PORTREE CAFE |
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| PORTREE HARBOUR |
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| HYPNOTIC LOCH TARFF |
In spite of the rain, we still appreciated the delightful morning view over Loch
Dunvegan from our excellent roadside camping spot. Packing up quickly, we drove
to Dunvegan village to replenish our food supplies. As we entered, we spotted a
sign for ‘Skye's Oldest Bakery’ and stopped to buy some bread. On entering the
shop, we saw that they served cooked breakfasts too. The temptation of eggs, bacon,
sausage, fried bread, a bread roll and a pot of tea was too much to resist.
It was Saturday 6th and, according to the weather forecast, the weather
was going to be poor all day. We therefore decided to drive around the coast of
Skye, stopping at places of interest. Dunvegan Castle was first on our list. We
had a look around the visitor centre, but thought that £12 each to go inside
the Castle was rather expensive. One of the staff mentioned that we would reach
an excellent viewpoint, from where we would see the Castle clearly, if we drove
just a short distance along the road, so we did just that.
Continuing our route clockwise around the coast, our next stop was at Uig. Apart from the
ferry port, there wasn’t very much here, but we did have a quick look around
the pottery. Continuing onwards, we reached the ‘Skye Museum of Island Life’ in
Kilmuir. This fascinating exhibition comprises six thatched stone houses, each
one representing some aspect of life on Skye before transport and
telecommunications changed things for ever. The Crofter’s house and the Smithy’s
workshop were particularly interesting.
Soon we reached the northern-most point of Skye before the road took us south again.
We had hoped to get our hiking boots on to visit a place called the Quiraing, an
unusual rock formation caused by landslip, but the fog and sporadic rain made
walking rather unappealing. We did, however, reach a viewpoint from where we
could appreciate this exceptional place.
A little further south, towards Portree, we passed The Old Man of Storr, a rock pinnacle
not far from the road which we had also hoped to get closer to, but it was
shrouded in fog. In any case, it was getting late so we parked in a lay-by and
tried to settle down for the night. Outside, the rain continued and the wind was
powerful enough to rock the car. Sometime after 10.00pm, another car parked a
short distance from us. Two men dressed in waterproofs got out, lit a barbeque
and started to cook. We are not sure how they managed it with the barbeque
flames almost horizontal. We left them to it and got to sleep.
Our hardy chefs were gone by the morning, but the wind and the rain hadn’t. We took
another look at The Old Man of Storr, but all we could see was its grey form silhouetted
against a slightly less grey sky. There was little option but to carry on down
to Skye’s main town, Portree. Parking was free on Sunday, the shops were open and
there were lots of visitors milling around.
We found the pleasant Café Arriba where we ordered spicy chick-pea soup and a cup
of coffee, and chatted at some length to a couple of locals, one of whom groaned
about how the town didn’t have the infrastructure to accommodate the number of
tourists it receives. The poor weather was expected to continue for another 24
hours, so after a brief visit to the town’s harbour, we decided that it was
time to leave Skye and head south towards Fort William. As we approached the Skye
Bridge, it occurred to us that all the B&B’s and Guest Houses we had passed
whilst driving around the island had displayed ‘No Vacancies’ signs. Either Skye
is very popular at this time of year or the owners have taken a holiday
elsewhere to get away from the dreaded midges.
Rubi wanted to see Loch Ness, so our journey to Fort William took us via Invermoriston
and Fort Augustus. The rain was so heavy by the time we reached the latter that
we decided there was little point in trying to look around the place. Instead,
we chose to find somewhere nearby for the night and try again in the morning. Just
a few miles up a minor road to the south of Loch Ness, we found a suitable spot
right on the edge of Loch Tarff. As we cooked supper, the ripples coming towards
us across the water seemed strangely hypnotic.
