Isle of Skye

Location: 57°34'05"N and 6°10'20"W

Population: 9,232

Prominent Clans: MacLeod & MacDonald

Distance from St Andrews: 417 miles, 4 hours and 23 minutes

Landscape: Rolling green hills, rocky cliffs, and minimal trees

Weather in April: Sun, wind, rain, and snow

Our Trip:

On April 2, we piled into a very small French SUV with G's family, Mark, Julie, Braden and Nolan. We drove a roundabout way to Skye via Inverness and Loch Ness to see Urquhart Castle and Nessie. After about 6+ hours of driving, we arrived in Kyleakin, Isle of Skye.



We checked into "Saucy Mary's" youth hostel.



Who is Saucy Mary? She was a Norwegian princess who occupied Castle Moil, a fortress built in the 15th century. She tolled boats using the channel. Photos depict her in provocative clothing and long, curly blond hair.

The hostel is connected to a pub, and the food and music did not disappoint. We heard lots of "Men at Work" and "Lynyrd Skynyrd." The pub closed at about 1:30am each morning, interrupting our sleep with lots of French accents and yelling. Garrick even kindly asked them to be quiet, but to no avail. ;)

On our main travel day, we got an early start at 9am. First stop? Talisker.



 


The views kept getting better. I said, "Pull over, I want to take a picture," about ten times. On our way to Portree, highland cows and sheep dotted the landscape.


 
 

After burgers and lamb stew at "The Cafe" in Portree, Skye's largest town,  we continued our loop to Duntulm Castle. "Good for the soul" is the only way to describe standing on these ancient ruins, looking out at the sea.



Waves crashing. Sheep baaing. Wind blowing. A very Scottish soundtrack, heard centuries earlier by Clan MacDonald.  I've thought much of the peacefulness I felt at this ruined castle. The rain soon soaked our North Face jackets and we hiked back to the car.

Back at Saucy Mary's, Garrick and I continued our life-long Cribbage tournament and enjoyed pan-seared lamb and potatoes. The next morning we ate muffins and drank terrible lattes in the car, beginning the long drive back to St Andrews. Even though the distance does not look far, the roads are often one lane with slow speed limits, making for longer travel times.

Here are my three favorite photos from our holiday:






We will definitely make a point to travel to the Isle of Skye again. We saw lots of mountaineering, cycling, and camping, but summertime would probably be best for these activities!