The Long and Winding Road

Northern Skye.......the main roads around the island were far better than we thought they would be.  

 

Occasionally there were road hazards.....but cute ones!

 

And occasionally there were road hazards and our road became a single track with few pull outs. But at least here you could see oncoming cars as there were no stone walls nor hedgerows like in South West England!

 

There are also no landscaped gardens around here as it's all about survival. I love the simple beauty here.  

And you can't forget that loaf of bread at the grocery store!

 

But the views were spectacular everywhere we turned.  If you look closely at the above photo you can see hikers along the trail. 

 

Kilt Rock behind a waterfall into the sea.  The rock formation is named because it looks like the folds in a kilt. 

 

And it is very windy out here so they need to fasten down their roofs!  We drove out to this point to see Flora MacDonalds grave and a Living Museum nearby but the museum was closed on Sundays.  

Phrase of the Day - "I flashed them first". 

When you drive on a single track road you flash your lights at oncoming cars to let them know you are in a pullout and they can safely move forward and pass you. Except I kept letting Mr. B know that the oncoming car was flashing him so that we could go but he would respond with "I flashed them first" or "I already flashed them - twice" so then it was a contest on a very narrow road as to who would move forward first.  You don't want to get stuck in a bog around here as it might take all day to get rescued!  Oh yeah & no cell service!

Chip Buttie

More about that title later......

 

We were welcomed to the Highlands by a piper playing Amazing Grace as we drove through a pass near Glencoe.  I was teary eyed the rest of the day because it was so overwhelmingly beautiful, reminded me of my dad & grandfather who was a piper for the Black Watch. The countryside is rugged and dramatic and incredible!

 

Mr. B is always looking for trout wherever we go - this is at the base of The Cuillin Mountains. 

 

Sheep are grazing everywhere you look and just look at that mountain range behind them!

 

This big boy is one of the Highland cattle we found lazing by the side of the road. 

 

We found several 16th century knights graves on a small island near Skeabost.  This was an amazing find as I was told that this cemetery couldn't be found anymore but after a few wrong turns, we were able to hike right to the spot.  There is the ruins of an chapel, many other ancient graves and according to stories 28 clan chiefs of the clan Nicholson are buried there. 

 

When we arrived at our hotel in Portree, we enjoyed this stunning view from the hotel garden.  We sat out here listening to bagpipes in the distance until the rains arrived.  

Word of the Day - Chip Buttie = Buttie means sandwich & chip is French fries

People were ordering these near Loch Lomond and they are basically buttered white bread with French fries for filling.  Better order that with a side of ketchup & be ready with the defibrillator!

**I wrote this post several days ago but because of the poor internet connection I was unable to post. I am trying to reduce the size of my photos to see if that helps. Being "unplugged" is both a blessing and frustrating. Everyone is in the moment here. No one whips out their cell phone at the dinner table. People are engaged.  But when you are trying to let your friends & family know that you were not in London during the terrible attack Saturday, it can be frustrating.