Such a peaceful, sleepy little place, though In a few weeks it will be transformed as schools break up and the main holiday period starts. Our bed and breakfast , overlooking the water ,was perfectly located for brief evening strolls and even a pre-dinner drink in the wee garden by the beach.
After a huge, traditional hcooked breakfast, we set off, heading across the bridge we had seen late yesterday. We found ourselves 'on Skye in the sky' as Alan said. Extremely low thick cloud completely enshrouded Skye and it was at that stage very hard to imagine that such perfect weather lay ahead. Alan took a punt (actually he should try the Lotto based on that) and put off a visit to the Fairy Bridge with its expansive views over the Black Cuillen till later in the day, and instead simply described the mountains ,which were totally hidden, to us. (Good description, we were later to discover. )
What better way to spend the next half hour,despite it being early morning, than to taste some very smokey whisky at Talisker distillery. I am not a whisky lover but found the lingering taste of the 45 percent whisky very good. It certainly put everyone in good spirits, pardon the pun! The area itself was also very pretty and as one can see, we had left the fog and low cloud behind and it never returned😀
We had read and heard a lot about the Fairy Pools . Some great stories as we drove through the fog!
Wow, what a gorgeous valley it was with its tiny waterfalls and crystal clear waters. Once again, i felt a tad homesick for NZ. It was a spectacular region, totally uninhabited as far as the eye could see.
It was a fabulous walk up to the pools , which if you looked closely contained millions of beautiful stones, made particularly striking by the purity and clarity of the mountain water.
It has a great name in Gaelic too.
With the fairy theme in mind , we headed to the next spectacular point on the packed itinerary, the Fairy Glen - more stories 😂
It was hot and at first the idea of heading off up a hill again did not appeal, but when I thought it might be the only chance to do it, off I went! Actually, it was not so hard and I quickly reached the top and went to the mound next to the rocky outcrop which was supposedly the Fairy Castle.
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The views from the top were absolutely fantastic, over a valley of dozens of glacial cone-shaped mounds( known as drummonds). It would have been fantastic to have explored more, but we had even more spectacular places in store!
So many amazing places in one day, and this next stop certainly appeared to beat them all! The Quirang with its Incredibly dramatic hills and cliffs was formed by a series of landslides. This , on its own, is really phenomenal, but today added to the spectacular landscape were the views as far as the Highlands. Once more NZ was in danger of being knocked off the number one most beautiful country in the world!
It was sunny and warm, absolutely fantastic, and we all felt very privileged when we were told that Alan only sees this spot in such weather about half a dozen times a year!
Once again we could all have happily stayed for hours but some had to get back for dinner and it had certainly been a long, but certainly rewarding day of driving for Alan. Many of the roads are very narrow, one lane roads with passing bays, and sheep roam freely everywhere adding an extra hazard. How happy I am not to have to drive , and to leave it to a highly competent person with local knowledge.
The road down from Trotternish was also spectacular
With marvelous views from my front seat!
From a foggy start to the day to these unbelievably clear views over the Sound of Raasay.
Our final stop was the Fairy Bridge with dramatic backdrop of the Black Cuillin. It must be brilliant hiking country, but for today we simply enjoyed the scenery, the lovely bog cotton and orchids in this peaty soil, and the gentle, soft breeze . How much we all appreciated this unforgettable day with all the top attractions.
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