Day 11 - Isle of Skye

Day 11 – Isle of Skye

Accommodation –  Cruinn Bheinn B&B, Snizort

Weather – overcast and dry

Temperature – top of 19 degrees

As the weather was not looking good for tomorrow we took the chance of a walk to the Old Man of Storr an iconic geographical symbol of the Isle of Skye.  The weather was looking threatening however we decided to set off. 

The walk starts at the edge of Loch Leathan and is described as steep forest paths with rocky mountain slopes.  The ascent is 300 metres in 1.8kms.  The guidebook describes the first part of the walk as woodland however the whole area has been decimated and we could hear chain saws.  Apparently the woodland was exotic coniferous trees and they are replacing the whole area with native trees.  It felt like we were walking through a sawmill!

The path was v.e.r.y. steep…possibly because I am not fit.  However, no one passed me so I couldn’t have been too bad.  The unfortunate aspect of the walk was the low cloud and I wondered if it was worth all the effort as the reports from walkers coming down was that if we sat long enough we might see The Old Man of Storr.  Three steep slopes and two plateaus later I was standing 50 metres away from the large rock and I could barely make it out.  Funnily, the photos make it look much clearer than we could see in reality!

A real pea-souper!

 

See what I mean?  I'm surprised it came out this well! 

The view of the Old Man of Storr as we drove away.

 

We then started a driving tour of the northern areas of Skye.  The villages are very tiny and the houses are white with steep slate roofs.  At the Kilt Rock Waterfall two girls were dressed in kilts, one playing the bagpipes and the other a kettle drum.  The rocks are named as they appear like pleats on a kilt.  The cliffs fall directly into the sea and we luckily saw them in reasonably sunny conditions.

 

The Kilt Rock and Waterfall on the north eastern coastal road of Skye.

On the way to Uig - sparse and beautiful.

 

The Isle of Skye is very busy in summer so at lunch time we couldn’t find a park at Uig -  a harbour for ferries to the outer islands.  We eventually sat with our lunch in the car overlooking the pier from a distance.  After another scout around we found a park outside the Uig Pottery shop and browsed their wares.  Skye has so many talented craftsman producing jewellery, paintings, pottery and weaving.

I had an Empire biscuit after my lunch - now don't be rude!  It's two biscuits joined together with jam, white icing and a lolly on top.

After Uig the sky was brighter and road wider.  Generally, the roads are one lane with passing places.  At times I have my heart in my mouth when someone comes speeding along.

From Struan we traversed the island back to our accommodation.  The rolling hills are sparse and a contrast to the coastal route.

We passed small villages like Struan on the coastal path.

We decided to stay in our accommodation last night.  There comes a time when travelling that you feel is that all you do is eat!  So, it was a night in with a cuppa and watching the athletics and swimming at the Commonwealth Games.