SKYE

 REACH FOR THE SKYE

Skye-vers :-  Mike and John

Speed Bonnie boat like a bird on the wing

"Onward" the sailors cry

Carry the lad that's born to be king

Over the sea to Skye

( Bonnie Prince Charlie)

More than 70 years ago I  sang  this song as a school boy in the annual Preston "School's Music Festival".  I have, ever since, had a yen to visit Skye this magical Island...... and although I have been before it was always wild, windy and wet. Definitely "DREEK" as the Scots would say, Not at all enjoyable .... not this time though ! Five gloriously sunny and warm days.

Early morning mist in the air was soon evaporated by the sun

Following an invitation from our hosts, Monica  and Gordon McDougall, Mike and I drove the 400 + miles to stay on the Island for a few days.

Gordon, who is now 86, is an enthusiastic DIY man and the immaculate  house and garden pay tribute to this. A very significant attribute is that he has completed ALL the scottich Munroes. Mountains over 3000ft.

This rear view of their home is deceptive, It is a magnificent "House" not a Bungalow. It has four large bedrooms. Three large lounges  Large kitchen and all the other rooms and facilities of  large and comfortable home.

The view from my bedroom window

Just a part of the well stocked (Flowers fruit and veg) 

and well maintained garden.

We cut the 400 mile journey to Skye in half by staying a night at the "Premier Inn" in Dumbarton. As we were not impressed by the "in house" restaurant we opted for a short walk in the town centre were we bought fish and chips and sat by the "River Leven". (Photos in phone, hope to put them here when I work out how.)

The next morning we followed the road alongside Loch Lomond which took us onto The wild and desolate Rannoch Moor thought by some to be Shakespeare's setting for the Three Witches scene in "Macbeth". Here's a fragment. 

Bubble Bubble Toil and Trouble

Fire burn and cauldron bubble.......

Followed by a long list of super vile ingredients...then

By the pricking of my thumbs

Something wicked this way comes

and finishes with a dire prediction

Thou shalt be king hereafter (Macbeth)

Then came Glencoe, scene of the famous massacre when members of the Cambell clan  murdered many of the McDonalds their historic arch rivals. Thought to be political i.e. part of the Jacobite Rebellion.  but other thoughts abound.

Taking photos in Glencoe was all but impossible as the road was narrow and difficult and even the tiniest layby was packed with tourists. The three photos below convey only little of the massive grandour of the almost vertical mountains we passed including "THE THREE SISTERS". who had a lot of equally grand siblings.

We , almost by chance, bypassed Fort William which was very busy but stopped on the outskirts for a brew and small snack. The a long twisty road.  Over the bridge and onto Skye to be handsomely greeted by Monica and Gordon,

Each morning there was a superb sunrise which quickly melted the whispy clouds away. There was also a bowl of porridge expertly made by Gordon.

On the first day of our stay (The journey ate up 3 days of our 5 day sojourn. Remember 400+ miles each way.) we decided to explore part of the Island. Only a part as it is a BIG island. As Scotland has no more famous export than whisky and as there are seven distilleries on the Island, a distillery visit was an obvious choice.

On Skye there are hills, BIG HILLS so after winding our way past Lochs and through Glens we parked at the "TALISKER" distillery.

We booked for the tour and here we are waiting four our guide (excellent) to lead us off. The group consisted of 2 English men (us) 2 French, 2 Brazilians, 2 Dutch and 3/4 Japanese. and a German.

The guide talked us through the whole , lengthy. process of producing whisky. Not all of it crystal clear (The talk not the Whisky)

JW with a look of total mystification.

At this point M Holleran was looking for trouble !  The guide said take as many photos as you wish but NOT in here as the air can be explosive with the "Alcohol ?" from final distilling process. As I was IN the photos, who took them ? The guide waved at him to put the camera away. Naughty !

The final part of the trip was to sit around a table with three tots of whisky to taste in front of each of us. As we did so the guide took us through the qualities of each. An expensive but illuminating guided tour. We omitted to buy any whisky as the prices started at £40+ and rocketed upwards ( I think it reached the Stratosphere 

From here we drove further north to Skye's  capital,  PORTREE. Not an exciting place. About the same size as Garstang or Longridge but without all the recent new builds making towns in England so much bigger. And so back to McDougall's. We had been warned that any journey in the Highlands was  

L  O  N  G . This was true as habitations were few and far between with steep climbs and claustraphobic glens in between.

After visiting yet another cafe we left to take the high road (literally) back to Broadford where our hosts lived. After a lovely meal prepared by Monica and the usual Malt whisky Gordon generously shared from his collection of malts . Well with me anyway.  We retired to bed. 

The following day (Thursday) we drove back onto the Mainland intending to visit the widely famous Eileen Donan Castle. (See above), As we arrived Mid Morning the car park was already virtually full and staff were at hand to guide you to suitable vacant spots. The castle had been a ruin for many years and it was only in the last two centuries when much of it had been repaired.  One look at the hordes crossing the approach bridge and we decided that we were happy just to see the outside of the castle. 

Where to now ?

That evening we had booked for a charity cruise from the village of Plockton including a buffet and alcoholic drinks. All in aid of the Macmillan Trust.

We left the main road and followed a winding, hilly side road to take a "Gander".

Here we are parked in Plockton. The sea loch was not as distant as it looks. It was in fact immediately in front of us hidden by the banking.

It was a quiet and pretty village so we had a short walk visited the cafe for a coffee and a snack and returned to the McDougalls.

Soon after our return we were off again to sail the seas from Plocktons harbour,

The boat was waiting for us at the end of quayside. SULA BHEAG. Gordon told us that in Gaelic the "B" is pronounced "V"

We were soon "All Aboard" except Mike,who , not being a sailor,  opted to stay ashore.  The owner and skipper of the boat does the trip for free to raise money for a charity. This year's being " Macmillan Trust" (nurses).

The Trip, around the small islands, lasted about 2 hours and included an excellent buffet , copious wine and beer, The Macmillan workers ( local people) kept coming round the boat to refill our glasses (in my case three times)

There's my wine glass which was soon emptied and refilled.

During the trip (apart from buffet time) we were entertained to a mixture of gaelic and popular songs. Invariably Scottish.

Monica chatting to one of her friends from the area

😟

There's a seal there. Can you sea it ? The daytime boat men advertise. "No Seals - No Pay"  I suspect our captain pays this seal to turn up when he goes out ????

Back to M & G 's.... A final chatter.... and Malt Whisky 😉  Bed and an early start to our long journey home.

We shared the driving as we made our long way home arriving about ten hours later.

A Great trip

Och Aye !!

John and Mike