A visit to Skye

Ida Lee, Allison and I boarded the 16 passenger Timberbush bus at 9am at Edinburgh castle. Among our party was Rico, a German fellow from Nuremburg and three other Germans--a family from Hannover.  Also among our group were Chi, a lassie from China and Eric, from Shanghai, the Guptas, an Indian couple with their friend Pithi, Anna from Portugal, studying at Glasgow, two women from Navarre, and Achmed, an Omani Arab fellow living in Edinburgh.  We then headed West to Glasgow to pick up the last 5 of these passengers, and then crossed the Clyde heading northwest past Loch Lomond, where we stopped at Luss for a 30 minute break. 

Loch Lomond lies snugly in the Trossachs below Ben Lomond, one of the munros, or 1000ft peaks.  The fault line at which the Highlands begin lies in the southern part of the lake. The waters were fairly choppy; we took a few photos on the beach.  There was a small shop; Ida Lee found some chocolate coated ginger biscuits.  We sat for a moment in the Sun and enjoyed them before reboarding to explore the Highlands, which we could now see in their green and russet finery.  Read that fairies were known to gather at Droun Hill on the left beyond Luss.  I took a short movie from the bus window at one of the traffic tieups near Crianlarich.

Failte=welcome in Gaelic.

Near Tyndrum headed to Loch Awe toward Oban as an accident en route through Glen Coe had blocked traffic.  Sadly, we later heard that there was a fatality.  We entered the territory of the Campbells, passing ruined Kilchurn castle built in 1440 along the banks of the Loch near the River Orchy.  One could climb up the 4 story tower, we heard but we passed it by.  Spectacular views toward the Sun across the Loch as traffic continued to bedevil us. 

Lunch at the hydroelectric plant overlooking the Loch Awe at its branch point.  Scotland makes 20% of its energy this way.

Crossed Falls of Lora at Connel Bridge.  Photo of Grove House Victorian B&B.
The brackish inland water descends in rapids into the Firth of Lorn by the bridge to where it mixes with the sea at low tide.  After the crossing, north by Rubha Garbh aird Ledaig Point onA828 with a photo towards the Isle of Mull.  Ben Lora on the right.

Past Port Appin we stopped at Portnacroish to view Castle Stalker, last seen in the final scene of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  It was the stronghold of the Stewarts of Appin guarding Loch Creran approaches from the East and Loch Linnhe to the West and North.

Crossed the next Loch, Leven, at N. Ballachulish with views to the East of Glen Coe, scene of the massacre of Highlanders by the English. 

Up to Fort William at the head of the Loch, built as a bulwark against the Highlanders and named for King William.  The town lies hard against Scotland's highest peak, Ben Nevis, about .9 mile high, with its 700 foot cliff, highest in the British Isles, facing us.  We roared through town, on toward our rendezvous with Portree on Skye, at the Pink Hotel. 

After a while heading through the Great Glen we came to Loch Lochy, along the line to Loch Ness,further north.  These are all linked by the Caledonian Canal, a triumph of early nineteenth century engineering.  This is the country of the MacDonalds, one of the most powerful of the clans.  Finally we headed west again at Invergarry to Glen Garry and Loch Garry.  After a photo stop high above the loch we zagged up to Loch Cluegie (photo).

Stopped at Cloanie Inn for a short break.  We then went through a pass where a battle of the Jacobite rebellion was waged.  The high peaks above us seemed to have a wee covering of frost or snow.   Then on to our first sighting of the mountains of Skye and the bridge in the low sunlight around 6pm.

We arrived at Lochalsh about six minutes later.  After a photo session on the bridge, we crossed to Skye.

We arrived at our B&B after dropping off others beginning about 7pm.  At 7:30 we arrived at The Pink, a well-worn B&B at the waterfront.  We tried to get a table at the touted Sea Breezes, next door but as we had been warned, they were booked solid.  And they were out of oysters.  They suggested we try Rosedale, which we did (an hour wait) and waited in the bar.  There we were recommended to try Harbor View.

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Next morning we took off along the Trotternish peninsula after our Scottish breakfast.  After some photos of a 200' pinnacle known as The Old Man of Storr we moved along the sheepish coast to Kilt Rock.  Here a waterfall plunged over the basalt cliffs.  The cliffs were a remnant of the lava flows during volcanic activity here 60 million years ago.  That eruption had also given rise to the Black Cuillin Hills further behind us.  The lava had penetrated and elevated 167 million year old sandstone beds and revealed through subsequent erosion dinosaur footprints and skeletons. 

We stopped for a break at Flodigarry Country Hotel, a lovely small hotel amidst a primeval forest of conifers.  Unfamiliar birdsong floated from the garden as we sipped a refreshing coffee on the sunny terrace overlooking the northern end of Skye.  Across the way past a small island loomed the distant blue coastal mountains and open sea.

We climbed a one lane road over the mountainous green spine of the peninsula to the western side for lunch. Browning ferns and white sheep adorned the steep cliffs to the pass.  The summit pass at Quirang was moss heaven.  Many on the tour headed off to the heights but a stiff cold wind suggested lunch was a better option to us.

Most of the lunch options in Uig were Sunday-closed.  The Pier Restaurant was just opening so we went in for lunch.  Anna, a student in public health from Portugal, joined us.  We watched the large ferry from Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, dock and disgorge passengers.  A hamburger for me, a salmon salad for Ida Lee and a tuna baked potato for Allison and Anna and we were well-fortified.  Then we motored off down the west coast to Dunvegan Castle, the well-fortified stronghold of the MacLeods.

It was quite a nice castle home, begun about 1200 but modernized substantially in the 800 years the MacLeods have lived in it.  There were a great many paintings of clan chiefs and others on the walls.  The furnishings were impressive--Ida Lee cherished a deeply carved sideboard which had already served 150 years when Boswell and Dr Johnson dined here can 1760.  The views over the Loch this perfectly cloudless day were truly divine.  Adjoining the castle were gardens with blooms from heather to hydrangea and exotica such as a magnificent Araucaria tree amidst the fuchsias and sedums.

Afterwards we circled south by Ullinish and Carbost by the Red Cuillin and Black Cuillin mountains, jaggedly poking upward toward the rising waxing first quarter moon. 

We had a wee tipple of Auchentoshan Three Wood which Ida Lee had picked up in town to marshal our resources for dinner.

We had forseen the dinner rush and reserved a table at the Harbor View Restaurant for 8:30.  As we were early, we nipped around the corner to the bar of the Bosville Hotel for a beer and a wee dram of Edradour, a delicious smooth whisky from Scotland's smallest distillery.  For dinner, we had the seafood feast.  Cured Salmon, steamed and raw, came from across the Minch in the Outer Hebrides,  which also produced the langoustines we enjoyed.  Mussels in white wine sauce came from nearer the mainland in Sleat while the oysters were from Harbot (?).  I didn't recall the place of origin for the scallops.   With them we had a French pinot noir-too light for Ida Lee.   

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Another beaming sunrise over Portree harbor summoned us to an early breakfast and a suitcase bump bump down from the third floor to meet Angela and the tour bus for our final hurtle over Skye's twisty roads.

Thence over to Talisker distillery for an early morning tour.  The barley is prepared near Inverness at a sister distillery, including the peaty toasting then transported to Skye for the addition of the water and cooking.  After the addition of yeast from a  vendor near the border the chemical magic begins.      Two stills begin the separation of the spirit--the design of the still is thought critical to the final flavor.  Three so-called low wine stills then do the second distillation.  The spirit is separated into three parts, first the head, with the highest alcohol content, then the body, at about 67 proof I think, then finally the last bit at lowest proof before the distillation has run its course.  The body can then be casked while the head and tail are blended and added back. 

In the casking room were the American oak barrels, their insides lightly toasted for just a few minutes over a fire.  The spirits casked, the barrels would remain here or in satellite casking houses elsewhere for ten, 20 or 30 years.  There were also special editions, such as the 'latitude' at 57% or the 'storm' casked in amaroso sherry barrels.  There might also be special bottlings of longer aged whisky such as a recent 35 year version just released at a tremendous price.  We bought a fifth of storm for 37 sterling after a taste; Ida Lee enjoyed the sweeter taste.