Our
arrival on Skye was theatrical. Clouds and mist backlit by a glorious evening
sky and rolling over the majestic Cullin mountains. The stage was set for a great
week. From our homely thatched croft, reminiscent
of a Beamish museum building and Scott’s Antarctic hut, we spent the week
exploring the north-eastern tip of Skye, the Trotternish.
Nearing the longest
day, we found ourselves late to bed most evenings, not realising just how late
it was. So
what to see and do? We stayed around the north east tip of Skye, for
which there was far too much to do.
The
crofting township of Bornisketaig nestles in a grid-like
set of roads between headlands and a pebbly beach and slipway. Driving north, take
a detour to Flora MacDonald’s memorial. Little did we realise at the time but
the Jacobite uprising, of which she played a key role towards the end, started
as a result of a disagreement involving the Earl of Mar at Braemar - the Mar
estate was where we spent our second week.
The
views across The Minch to Harris and Lewis are spectacular. Curving onto the
east coast, the landscape is reminiscent of New Zealand’s south Island – it’s
no wonder Victorian emigrants to NZ felt so at home on the other side of the
world. Immediately above us eagles were soaring although it wasn’t easy to be
certain whether they were Golden or White-tailed Sea eagles, a challenge we and
a number of bird enthusiasts we consulted struggled with several times.
At
Staffin we stepped back in time. First stop was the under cliff and the stone-age
community of An Corran where our forebears took shelter and fished for
survival. Turning our backs on the cliffs, we stepped back 175 million years to
see the dinosaur footprints in the beach, uncovered by a storm a few years
back. Formed when this part of the world was closer to the equator, we subsequently
discovered we were extremely fortunate to see the footprints in the summer, and
only just as they were being covered by the incoming tide. We returned a few
days later at low tide, only to discover them covered with sand.
Food,
drink and art combine at the Ellishadder art café which is a must-do only five
minutes drive from Staffin museum. We visited for tea and cake but were also
very impressed by the welcome, homely atmosphere, art, and ambience. So much so
that we returned another day for a lunch of sundried tomato and roasted pepper,
and Blue Monday cheese, caramelised pear, and leek tartlets.
Further
on down the coast, there’s Kilt Rock, the Old Man of Storr with its spectacular
views across to Raasay and the west coast mainland. We returned via Uig and the
road up via the Quainrang and more eagles.
Around
Uig there’s the Fairy Glen, a magical and unusual place which is great for a
picnic. Rha waterfalls, a Woodland Trust location, hidden away at the back of
the village, is another gem reminiscent of NZ. Uig Pottery is also well worth a
visit. Heading north, the long barrow at Kilvaxter is a must do but be prepared
to don a hard hat and crawl – take a torch with you.
And
how best to round off an evening? With a wee dram. While we didn’t visit the Talisker
distillery, we bought ourselves a bottle. What a delight. The initial smell is
reminiscent of The Ropery in Chatham Dockyard, but don’t let that put you off. A
sweet wonderful after taste makes this a wonderful experience, contrary to our
initial expectations of a western isles malt.
With
so much to see, we weren’t able to do as much walking on Skye as we’d have
hoped for – and that was just the north eastern tip. I think we’ll have to
return…
From
Skye we headed to Comrie for two nights and then onward to Mar Lodge at Braemar.
