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| Windy Benny! |
Hello! I'm here today to tell you about Isle of Skye! Here's a map to start:
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| No, We didn't stay at the White Heather Hotel, this was just the most descriptive map I could find. |
So we started out in the middle-ish area of the island in Portree where we spent 3 nights at the
Portree Hostel It was not the
best staying at a hostel but the price was right and we sprang for 2 beds in a 4 bed room. Ooo!
Fancy! Over all it was a perfectly recent place. It being the off season the place was fairly empty till the weekend. We had our room to our selves the first night then got a couple interesting room mates. They appeared to be in their late 60's or 70s! I mean, I know that hostels have dropped the "Youth" part from their name, and to each his own, but when
I'm 70, if I can't afford at
least a bed and breakfast or have a camper (
or even a private room in a hostel!)...then I'm just not going on a trip! How happy would they have been had they gotten a couple of
rude drunken 19 year olds instead of us?? (Plus the lady kept
opening wide the damn window so when we would come in after they were sleeping the wind and rain would be blowing in and the room would be freezing! We would shut the window, then she would open it again in the morning while
we were sleeping and
leave it open when they had left the room for good! All the while politely acting like
we were the silly ones for wanting a warm dry room!
Weird!) Anyway....our first evening we just walked around the harbor, got some beverages and enjoyed it sitting on a bench looking out at the bay (in the dark drizzle, but whateves).
The next day was going to be a bus tour in attempt to stay dry-ish, but when the clouds suddenly cleared we immediate changed our plans! We found a hike right outside of town and it was lovely! I, however, felt it would be reckless to remove my rain suit... and ended up boiling in the sun!
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| Hot Lady! |
Next, we took a bus around the Trotternish Peninsula and saw the Duntulm Castle ruins, did some beach combing, and saw the Old Man of Stor. The third day was rainy. Now, I only bother to even mention the rain (which normally is an assumed occurrence) because it was baaad! Even the locals were talking about it! Bridges getting washed out and what-not. But when one is on Skye (or anywhere in Britain) one cannot change their plans simply because of rain! So we headed for the area around Dunvegan Castle and by the time we got there, the rain had stopped! We walked around the area as the castle itself was closed for the season. After a tiring, damp day we didn't feel like cooking at the hostel. But we also didn't feel like paying £.9-12 for "Fried fillet of cod with potato wedges" at the fancy pubs and after 5 minutes of looking around, found this little chippy where you get the whole shebang for £6. (But no outdoor seating this time of year!).
Day three we went down to Sligachan in the Cuillin Hills. It was a beautiful, dramatic landscape. It's described pretty thoroughly in words, pictures and videos in the album so I won't go on here.We did two long-ish hikes each day we were in this area. Another great thing: due to the fact that it was Sunday and Monday in October, we had the whole bunk house to ourselves! They're was even a fire place in the bunk house with coal provided! As we entertained visions of reading or playing cards by the fire, Ben attempted to start one till his hands and arms were black! So, we don't know how to light a coal fire....whatever, they're too stinky anyway! We gave up and walked over to the
pub at the
Sligachan Hotel.
On our last day, we had intended to see "Scotland's most photographed castle"
Eilean Donan, before getting on the train, only to find out it had closed the day before!! Boo! It's okay, I have full intentions of seeing Isle of Skye in the summer some day so I'll see it then. Instead I ended up discovering a treasure trove of metal, glass, and pottery shards discarded by an old hotel at low tide on Kyle of Lochalsh!
While waiting on our train for departure, the
train featured in the Harry Potter movies pulled into the station on the other track! I tried to get out and take a picture but the doors on our train wouldn't open...cause we were about to pull off...the look on Ben's face when he realized I almost got left while trying to take a picture of the Hogwarts Train was
not amused!
Anyway, Here's the rest of the pictures!
It was a fantastic time and I can't wait to do it again in the future with our own transportation and less hostels!
Byebye!
