This is one of the most beautiful areas that we went to! We headed out in the morning to try and beat the crowds. It was worth it, as we mostly had the pathway to ourselves, and we managed to complete most (at least half) of our walk before the skies let loose. The water is a beautiful green colour, and crystal clear. The fairy pools are set against the Black Cuillins, one of the mountain ranges here on the Isle of Skye. Much like other areas of Scotland and Ireland, the green grasses are vibrant. I can imagine what it might look like on a clear day. However, the grey clouds gave us a more mystical feel, like the faeries were closer to us.

 

 

Portree

After getting soaked from the waist down (my camera was my main priority to protect!), we went to the main town of Skye, Portree. Portree (meaning King’s Port) is quite young (for Scotland) at only 200 years old. Originally a fishing village, it is probably best known for it’s harbour, and the whale that got stuck in it! Once upon a time, this sleepy town was abuzz with activity as a dead whale was rotting in the harbour (or so we were told). The houses used to be white, but to rid the harbour of the dead whale, they blew up the whale. Unfortunately, they didn’t really think about where all the pieces of said whale would go. The people who had come out to watch the “festivities” were covered in blood and guts, as were the houses. According to the story, the owners tried fervently to remove the blood, but even after washing the walls, and painting them, the guts were still visible through the white paint. And as such, we are blessed with the pretty colours that now dot the harbour today! Unfortunately for us, it was a very wet day, and so after lunch, and a quick stop to a (very) small craft fair where I bought a Harris Tweed neck warmer, many of our group hid out in covered buildings.

Old Man of Storr, Kilt Rock and Lealt Falls

Further north along the isle, in the Trotternish peninsula, we stopped to admire the Old Man of Storr. Legend has it that this rocky outcrop along the Trotternish ridge is of an old man and his wife, who’s love had touched the faeries so much that when the old woman fell, they turned her and her husband to stone, to keep them together. Other legends (related to giants) is that it is in fact the thumb of a giant buried in the ridge. We were given the option to go for a hike here, and if I had not been sopping wet and cold, I might have done so. Many of our bus did get off here and spent the next 1.5-2 hours climbing the steep ridge towards the old man. It did afford them some amazing views, however, the thought of being wet and exposed to the wind with no chance of shelter had me staying put on the bus! For those of us who weren’t inclined to hike, we took a more leisurely ride along the peninsula to Kilt Rock, where the coastline was frozen in the shape of one of the giant’s kilts. We heard the Scottish version of the Giant’s causeway legend of Finn McCool. In this version, Fingal and Fiona tricked an Irish giant (Finn) who had come to fight Fingal. Finn was much larger than Fingal, but Finn didn’t actually know this. When he first arrived to Scotland on the Giant’s Causeway, he knocked on the door and demanded for Fingal to come and fight him. Fiona replied that her husband was not home. When Fingal returned, the pair came up with the brilliant idea to trick Finn and scare him away. Shaving off all of his hair, Fingal was wrapped in a blanket, and put in a cradle, as if he were an infant. When Finn returned again to fight Fingal, Fiona let him in, saying that her husband was out, but he could wait for him if he wanted. Finn noticed the large size of the baby, and ran from the house, smashing the Giant’s causeway as he returned to Ireland yelling “If that is the size of the child, I don’t dare want to meet his father!” Fingal and Fiona were not bothered again, and the connection between Ireland and Scotland was severed. What remains now is the basalt columns that make up kilt rock, and the causeway.

Our next stop was at Lealt falls, where we were stopped by a kissing gate. At the kissing gate, only one person can pass through at a time, and as a toll (and to appease the faeries), the person entering would have to give a kiss to the other before they could cross. This avoided the wrath of the Fairy King, who loved to play tricks on people. As we each passed through the Kissing gate, we gave the person waiting on the other side a hug (instead of a kiss). Lealt falls is set back a bit, as the river comes towards the sea. The views of the coastline and across to the mainland were fantastic, and I enjoyed this easy walk along the cliffs.

Eilean Donan Castle

We collected the rest of our members from the Old Man of Storr and then back-tracked to Portree and Kyleakin. As sad as it is to say goodbye, we had to leave the legends of the Isle of Skye and return to mainland Scotland to find Nessie. We stopped at one of Scotland’s most photographed castles, Eilean Donan. Meaning the Island of Donan, this castle was most likely named for Bishop Donan, and was built as a defense system against invading Vikings in the 800-1200s. Later, it held Jacobite supporters and was attacked by the English army. What we see today is actually a reconstruction of the original structure (from plans that were found), rebuilt in the early 1900s. It is thought that during the medieval time the castle might have been even larger than it is today. Even if it is one of the most photographed, I still took my opportunity to snap up a shot of the structure!

Loch Ness

I found Nessie!

We arrived to Fort Augustus just before sunset, and after checking in and filling our bellies with haggis (quite tasty, not at all disgusting like I thought it would be!), some of us headed down from our hostel to have a quick look for Nessie. It was quite windy and cold, but that didn’t stop us from walking along the lift locks and the shore. Just like at many oceans and rivers, I felt compelled to put my hands in the freshwater Loch, which plunges to a staggering 230 metres in some places! As such, it is a very cold lake, but, I’ve stood in glacier lakes before, and the cold black waters were not going to stop me! As a side note, Loch Ness is the second largest (after Loch Lomond) in surface area, but the largest in all of Britain for volume. It is also the longest lake, and it’s dark colour comes from the peat in the surrounding areas! A perfect place for Nessie to hide. Although we saw many ripples, Nessie was too shy to show herself 😦

Back at Morag’s hostel, we played games late into the night!