I decided to take the northern route (A835) out of Inverness to avoid the traffic around Loch Ness when we left for our next Airbnb, arriving in Kyle of Lochalsh just after lunch. We crossed the bridge onto Skye, staying on the A87 to Staffin. But along the way we made a few stops to stretch our legs, the first at Rogie Falls, a series of waterfalls on the Black Water river which we found after a delightful ten minute walk through a varied and very peaceful woodland. A little later I pulled into a spot honoring Donald Murchison, a Colonel in the Highland Army of 1715. The simple grey granite obelisk lies on a little rocky headland overlooking Loch Alsh, peaceful and nice views of the water. We met a nice elderly Scottish couple enjoying their lunch at our next stop on Loch Carron who wished us safe travels and, as we couldn't check in till 7PM in our Airbnb, we drove to one of the spots on Skye I had highlighted to visit, The Old Man of Storr. This rocky hill overlooking the Sound of Raasay was in an absolutely surreal setting and although we didn't go all the way to the top, the views were breathtaking. Unfortunately all the pine woodland had been cut down in the past few years and the lower part of the climb resembled a battlefield, the remains of the old trees scattered about like white and bleached corpses. Sad. There were the usual gaggle of tourists but as the walk up was over an hour and a half we soon all spread out and we had the trail to ourselves after a bit. The walk down was often just as scary but rewarding.
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| suspension bridge, Rogie Falls |
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| Loch Alsh |
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| Loch Carron |
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| Old Man of Storr, Isle of Skye |
We next went to see Kilt Rock and Mealt Falls, just up the road from the Storr, as we followed the coast and ancient cliffs of the Trotternish Peninsula. I stopped here to visit 90 meter Kilt Rock which they say looks similar to a pleated kilt, made up of basalt columns resting on a sandstone base at the water edge. From our viewpoint I didn't see the resemblance but there was a strong wind blowing and a haunting tone appeared to come from below, sounding a bit like an organ. Just off to the left was the waterfall plummeting from the top of the cliffs to the rock-laden coast below. Then it was a short drive to Steffin where we ordered a great take out dinner at the Hungry Gull (Scottish poutine with haggis!) and a couple of locally brewed Skye beers. Last stop of many was An Corran Beach, an out of the way black basalt sand beach where dinosaur footprints could be found if you were lucky. It didn't take me long to find one - skepticism not withstanding I am sure it is. Checkout the picture and use your imagination. Our Airbnb was a much welcomed sight when we pulled into the driveway. It had been an exceptionally long day and we now had to rest up for our next adventure - the Outer Hebrides. GWS
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| Mealt waterfall |
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| An Corran Beach, Staffin |
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| early evening Steffin, the end of another long day |
