Where: Isle of Skye, the Hebrides, Scotland
When: April 22, 2012
With who: Dave, Nic and Divya
After saying goodbye to Nessie and leaving Loch Ness behind (click here for pictures), we headed west towards the Hebrides. The Hebrides are an archipelago of islands on the northwest coast of Scotland. Our destination was the largest island in the Inner Hebrides: the Isle of Skye.
The drive was just stunning. As we turned away from Loch Ness and into the mountains, we were surrounded by craggy mountains and snow covered peaks.
The views just kept getting more and more beautiful. We had to stop the car a few times to get out and take pictures. The air was SO clean and it was so quiet, we felt like the road had been reserved just for us.
After the castle, we continued on our drive towards Skye. Soon, we saw the island, and got our first glimpse of the connecting bridge that has recently been built.
The island was equally as stunning as the drive there. The Cuillin Hills surround the road on either side as you drive north through the island.
This mountain is called Glamaig ("greedy lady"). Every year, a competition is held to speed hike up to the top, run around a bagpiper playing at the peak, and hike back down. Fastest time ever? 44 minutes.
After lunch, we started off to tackle the northernmost part of the island, the Trotternish Peninsula. First site along the way was the Old Man of Storr. Apparently, it is a volcanic plug? I don't know what that means, but it sounds like something I want to drive past fairly quickly before it unplugs.
At this point, much to my dismay, my camera died and my iPhone had to substitute. We continued driving around the edge of the peninsula, each turn and bend with a view more stunning than the next.
When: April 22, 2012
With who: Dave, Nic and Divya
After saying goodbye to Nessie and leaving Loch Ness behind (click here for pictures), we headed west towards the Hebrides. The Hebrides are an archipelago of islands on the northwest coast of Scotland. Our destination was the largest island in the Inner Hebrides: the Isle of Skye.
The drive was just stunning. As we turned away from Loch Ness and into the mountains, we were surrounded by craggy mountains and snow covered peaks.
The views just kept getting more and more beautiful. We had to stop the car a few times to get out and take pictures. The air was SO clean and it was so quiet, we felt like the road had been reserved just for us.
Our Sound of Music moment.
Definitely one of the prettiest road trips I've ever taken.
I couldn't stop snapping pictures, as evidenced below.
Even though the landscape was craggy and brown, it was still stunning.
I was glad there were such great views out the window - it distracted me from watching Dave drive on the opposite side of the road.
Pretty soon, we reached our first destination on the drive: Eilean Donan Castle.
The castle was built in the 13th century, but was destroyed in the 18th century. It has since been reconstructed to its original state. It's been used in a number of movies, including Highlander, The World Is Not Enough, and Made of Honor.
After entering the gate, Dave took a moment to reflect and collect his thoughts.
The view from inside the castle was pretty amazing - not a bad place to build your stronghold.
Inside the castle, the rooms were decorated with family heirlooms of the Macrae clan, the current owners. The rooms were mostly done up in late 18th century style and family photos hung everywhere.
After the castle, we continued on our drive towards Skye. Soon, we saw the island, and got our first glimpse of the connecting bridge that has recently been built.
Going over the bridge, woohoo!
The island was equally as stunning as the drive there. The Cuillin Hills surround the road on either side as you drive north through the island.
This mountain is called Glamaig ("greedy lady"). Every year, a competition is held to speed hike up to the top, run around a bagpiper playing at the peak, and hike back down. Fastest time ever? 44 minutes.
We eventually reached Portree, the largest town on the island. The town itself is just a small fishing port, but it's the main jump off point to explore the rest of the island. The views are just amazing.
We stopped to have lunch: fish and chips seemed the most appropriate.
After lunch, we started off to tackle the northernmost part of the island, the Trotternish Peninsula. First site along the way was the Old Man of Storr. Apparently, it is a volcanic plug? I don't know what that means, but it sounds like something I want to drive past fairly quickly before it unplugs.
As we drove, we could see the mainland of Scotland hiding in the mist on the other side of the water.
At one point, we stopped to take pictures at what we thought was a famous site. It wasn't famous, but it was a happy mistake as the views from this place were incredible.
Photography abounds.
A view towards the center of the island.
Next site: Kilt Rock. And its heavy warning.
At this point, much to my dismay, my camera died and my iPhone had to substitute. We continued driving around the edge of the peninsula, each turn and bend with a view more stunning than the next.
We completed the loop around Trotternish in about an hour and a half, though we only skirted the edges of the peninsula. At points, the road was so narrow, only one car could pass and many times, we had to beware of sheep sleeping on the shoulder of the quiet road.
When we got to the western side of the island, the weather suddenly turned stormy with the snap of a finger. However, things cleared up as we crossed back over Skye bridge towards the mainland. The drive back was just as beautiful and relaxing. This was definitely one of the most beautiful road trips I have ever been on.
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