it's been six months since our summer trip to ireland/scotland/wales with our friends, the weinsteins who i find myself missing along with the beauty we have seen together. i will break down our 2016 summer travels in one liner-ish notes, the parts that stand out more than others...
isle of skye
the wild beauty of the isle of skye was magical; my jaw dropped in amazement, constantly. we had to stop so many many times. sometimes, because there were sheep on the road :) apparently, there just may be more sheep than humans on this isle.
our first stop was the fairy pools at the base of the cuillin mountains; a short hike takes you to a series of crystal-clear pools connected by small waterfalls. we had hoped to swim here, planned months ago but we didn't quite anticipate the cool weather. despite this, it was still inviting. a few tourists ventured into the waters; donning wetsuits. so, when stefan, chloe, and jade braved the fridgid waters for a wild swim in their swimsuits, it was natural we'd get tourists gawking in disbelief... jason explained we were canadian :)
meeting hairy coos!!!!!
a stop at the talisker whisky distillery was a must. stefan sniffed the fine whisky and had a wee taste.
happening upon dun beag broch and the sheep; the cutest sight ever was seeing a baby sheep nurse while enthusiastically wiggling its tail! priceless :)
hanging out at dunvegan castle, home to the current chief of the macleod clan who happens to be film producer. he was home when we visited but tucked away in the apartment upstairs. allowing tourists to visit helps to pay for the castle upkeep which has been in the macleod family for 800 years. on the grounds was a mobile coffee truck which, according to stefan, brewed really good coffee.
then we came to an other-worldly landscape along the trotternish peninsula; the fairy glen is the most adorable and enchanting place i have ever seen. it wasn't enough to drive by, we had to explore the hills - lush, ruffled, cone hills called fairy towers with sheep nearby. kai loved it here and is adamant that we must go back to explore further and i couldn't agree more. remembering this place still gives me goosebumps. there is something magical about nature and this is one place on skye to get that experience.
stopping for a bathroom break next to old stone huts... which happened to be the a museum about ancient highland life in uig. it just closed but the lovely local allowed us to use the bathroom... scottish friendliness is unbelievable :)
i'd hoped to roam around old man storr, a trotternish mountain with rock formations that have been worn away by wind; not only is it one of wonders of the isle of skye but i think kai would have loved the steep rocky and scrambly sections i had read about. the view would have been inspiring, i'm sure. old man storr refers to one of the rock pinnacles which stands 160 feet tall - it's believed that that this block slid down the cliff about 6,500 years ago and landed on its end! we just caught sight of him before the fog descended.
the harbour town of portree with its pretty houses in pastel colours had me swooning; despite the really annoying and persistent midget flies, the fish and chips dinner was delish.
the isle didn't fail to charm me; there is just something about it. i hope this is a place i can return to because our time here was simply too short.
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| wish i had a video of this! |
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| old man storr |
tomorrow: travelogue: scotland, part 4 of 4, inverness and crieff
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