On the Isle of Skye

Skye is arguably the most famous scottish island and one of the best known places in Scotland - tourists come there in numbers due to easy acces through the Skye Bridge.The bridge connects Skye with mainland , wich makes travel to the island much quicker than getting there by ferry boat in Mallaig , which was the only option before the construction of the bridge. Having never been on Skye, I desided to make a tour to the island at last . Over the bridge in Kyle of Lochalsh as most people do - although some people still prefer the ferry connection for some reasons .

After the first night on the Island , I rushed toward Red Cuillin Hills , pasing a ruined old church outside Broadford .

 In Torrin , the Red Cuillins come into view gloriously .

I decided to claimb Blaven , the highest summit in Red Cuillins range . On the ascend , Isle of Rum was well visible across water .

And Black Cuillins in the distance , when I reached the main ridge of Blaven(927m) . Worth climbing on to see that vista .












On the way to Elgol the same day , I came across a small herd of Highland Cattle . One individual was keen to get closer .

                                The beach in Elgol

By the end of the day I got to Elgol , a very small settlement on the shore of Loch Scavaig . From there I went on the boat excursion to Loch Coruisk next morning .

 
One of attractions of the trip to Loch Coruisk are seals basking on small rocky islets; the staff stop the boat for a while to have a closer look at the animals .

Loch Coruisk lies at the foot of Black Cuillins and is accessible by no road ; the only way to get there is either by hiking through mountains or by boat from Elgol .

On the way back to Elgol pier, misty Black Cuillins looked mistical

Having left beautiful Elgol , I rushed to the capital town of Skye , Portree. What stroked me entering the town was a number of visitors . The central area was overcrowded - tourists roaming around in numbers. I felt like in the center of large city, queues in shops and takeaways, no parking space and thin chances to find accomodation .Hustle and bustle - not like my imaginery picture of a sleepy small town before my arrival here .

I stopped for a while by the Royal Hotel , which is described in quidebooks as a famous building in Portree, but nobody seemed to be interested in exept for me.This building was the place where Bonnie Prince  Charlie, young pretender to the Scottish throne, spent a night when on the run back to France after the disastrous 1746 Jacobite Uprising .

Portree is situated at a fabulous spot , stretched around a small bay , with surrondings tempting to have a stroll.  However, I had  no time for a walk ,  and after taking a couple of  photos I left the town  without regret.  I wanted to find the place for the night somewher else , so I moved northward driving on A87 , Skye's "Highway" .

 I spent the next night at Uig , where is a ferry terminal connecting Skye with Tarbet on Harris . That was my next stage of the trip , getting to Outer Hebrides for a while. In result , I stayed there a little longer than a while and  came back from Harris to Uig after a couple of days. The morning was bright and I continued my journey through Skye - driving from Uig up to the North and around Trotternish Peninsula .

   Farmhouse in Borneskitaig
                     
I stopped near Kilmuir after leaving Uig , to see the Cave of Gold , which is a see cave and its entrance is carved in basalt columns . The similar one but much bigger and more famous is on Staffa, Fingal's Cave. The cave from Staffa had been an inspiration for Mendelson , who after visiting it wrote "Hebrydean Symphony". So I was eager to see the "Skye's answer to Fingal's Cave " . After half an hour walk along cliffs I found the place - the cave wasn't as big as I had imagined , but still impressive . The see waves  flowing through the entrance in and out sounded like music , echoing back from the depths of the cave. I didn't regret coming there .
 















The bottom of basalt columns which form the frame for the cave's opening was golden , so I guess this coloration gave the name , Cave of Gold .

                                                         The Cave of Gold

                    As the day was bright , the Outer Hebrides were well visible from the cliffs, on the horizon .

 I drove from Kilmuir on towards north tip of Trotternish , where at some point I first saw the famous Quiraing , the fantastic ridge often depicted on postcards from Scotland . I pulled over to take the picture of this landmark ( photo above ) , but it wasn't easy as cars were passing by instantly - movement of cars was incredible .

I followed the road running southwards now , and now rocky formations of Ouiraing were left behind .
The weather conditions had deteriorated , so I dropped the plan of closer exploration by walking there and headed down to Staffin , where is another must-see attraction , Kilt Waterfall .

By the time I got to Staffin  it started raining. Nevertheless, it didn't deter people from stopping to see the waterfall . The car park by the cliffs was full and the view point crowded despite constant rain . Everybody wanted to have a "selfie" with the waterfall falling to the see - I was probably the only exeption .









Kilt Waterfall near Staffin .

The weather was getting worse and worse , so I was quickly driving back towards mainland. I couldn't stay longer anyway due to limited time. After stopping in Portree to get something to eat , I made it finally to Kyleakin and after crossing the Bridge my Skye's adventure was over . I left the Island behind covered with mist .

The trip on the map of Skye