Today started out clear and breezy, perfect for walking. Our hosts, Don and Gale (he is a photographer; she an artist) kindly lent us yet another hiking guide and provided Lydia with some waterproof boots to wear today.
Gail and Don, with some of their artwork which is displayed throughout their home.
Our destination was the Quiraing, a 6 mile walk in the northern part of the Trotternish peninsula with a 1400 foot climb and spectacular views throughout. We made a quick stop at the bakery for another stuffed roll for lunch and were off.
Everything looked so much better today that we made a couple of photo stops on the drive up.
Old Man of Storr. We'd hoped to hike here yesterday, but weather precluded that.
View looking south
The trailhead was up a steep one-lane road with the usual turnouts to allow cars to pass each other. After a few final tight switchbacks, and a lot of jockeying to fit our little car onto a create-a-space on the side of the road, we were ready to go.
And now there will be a lot of pictures. And since they are each worth a thousand words, I won't write too much.
The main trail led straight ahead, but on Don and Gail's recommendation, we looked for a less-used trail that split off to the left and gradually climbed up (but not the cliffs in the photo above).
It got progressively steeper. I had trekking poles, but both of us were scrambling with hands and feet by the time we made the top. The views got better and better until the first storm swept through.
At the halfway point after our second storm (bonus round: this time we had driving sleet and winds that could knock you off balance as you stepped), we climbed over a stile and started down a steep rut of a path. It quickly dropped out of site in a shoulder-deep gully and we were concerned about how difficult it would be to get down, but after two quick turns, it got considerably easier.
The guy in the center of the screen behind Lydia shows the scope of the scenery.
Blankets of hillside heather
A rare (unverified) photo of me
Another stile
We can see the road in the distance. Only 1.5 miles to go.
And a couple more waterfalls to ford.
Looking back.
Looking back.
We made it, ready for a wash up and a very late lunch.
After stopping at the B&B to drop off the boots and trail book, we were on our way to a bunkhouse on a farm near Kyle of Lockalsh.
Bridge connecting the Isle of Skye to the mainland
Although it was a mile or two past our turnoff to the farm, we drove on to Eileen Donan castle in Dornie. The castle was closed for the day, but we were able to cross the bridge and walk around the outside (which, we discovered, you can't do without a ticket if the castle is open).
The island on Loch Duich upon which it sits has been inhabited since at least 618, when Saint Donan lived there. The Mackenzies built a castle there in 1214. It was destroyed during the Jacobite uprising and lay in ruins for several centuries. In the early 20th century, the MacRaes rebuilt the castle according to the original plans. Learning it was a reconstruction, we decided to skip the tour tomorrow and just enjoy our free look today.
Looking east from the castle base
And west.
We are staying tonight on a farm tucked up in the hills about 8 miles off the main road, near Kyle of Lockalsh and the above-mentioned castle. It's a funky little bunkhouse building which we're sharing with a young Australian couple. According to the current owner, William, the building originally housed a family. It was then gutted and used as a cow pen. Now it's been converted into a very rustic and cozy two bedroom Airbnb unit. William no longer has cattle; he raises sheep. We were sorry to learn he has no highland cattle, but perhaps we'll come across some in the next couple of days.
It's quiet here. No Wi-Fi. No phone. No television. Quite nice. I haven't been able to post the blog for the last 3 days, but at least the writing is done.
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