My English Summer: Day 07

Got up early today at 7am, had a quick breakfast, washed up after ourselves. I found time to go take some pix of the lake in the morning.

Eventually we all managed to get into the bus and left for Skye. After crossing the Skye bridge, stopped at the other side (Kyleachin) to photograph the bridge and Saucy Mary's Tower. Spent the entire day on Skye. The beauty of this island cannot be described in words, and even the pictures don't do it justice. I fell in love with this part of the world on that day. Some of the places we stopped to see:

Cuilin Mountains: Said to be created when two giants fought each other

Portree: The main town of Skye, cute as anything. Buildings set around a square, parallel and intersecting streets, tiny and interesting shops. Bought some local crafts here for myself and friends. 

Glenshiel (Gaelic = Gleann sheile) or the Fairy Glen: This is supposed to be the point where our world and that of the fairies meet and the fairies come out to play. If you make a wish here and leave behind something shiny and appropriate, it just might get granted. Danny our guide had given us an hour's break here for lunch, so I climbed up to the top of the rock he had described as the fairies' fort. Spent the hour communing with nature, admiring the views, and making halting conversation with the elder of the Russian brothers. The place did in fact feel magical, and the rest of the world felt too far away to matter.

After passing Uig and some stunning seaviews we stopped at an unknown point that was all cliffs and cliffside paths and great views again. Most of us decided to join Danny on one of his "wee" walks. It began simply enough, but soon the trail got narrower and slippery due to the loose gravel, and I began to fear that I was going to do one of my "Neha fell down" routines..not an easy time at all! The view at the end did seem worth it though. Coming back down, the route seemed to have become longer, naturally. I was quite relieved to be back on flat ground again!!

Also saw the "Old Man of Storr" and stopped to hear the story about it, and visited the Kilt Rock with its waterfall. From here, one can get a view clear across the sea to the island of Raasay and Rona and even the Scottish mainland. Apparently we were very lucky as there are very few days when this place has such good visibility.

I was really tired by the time we drove back to Strome. But this was probably the most beautiful of my days in Scotland. Just thinking about it now makes me want to go back!