From Skye back to Edinburgh

After thoroughly enjoying our time exploring the Isle of Skye we gradually made our way back to Edinburgh. It was a fairly quiet but relaxing few days. A few points…

• Enjoyed driving through some very small, old, and quaint Scottish villages
• May have added to the rich history of sightings at Loch Ness
• Monique enjoyed using the beautifully clean and well equipped kitchen at the Caputh Hostel
• Saw Stirling Castle which proved to be a great insight into the extravagance and opulence of Medieval life. Also while at Stirling Castle, we randomly bumped into Monique’s sister-in-law’s cousins. What a small world!
• Took a very interesting tour through ‘Mary King’s Close’ – a series of underground laneways that were a thriving part of Edinburgh in the 1700s, but have since been built over

This concludes the Scotland leg of our journey. Again, we have been extremely lucky with weather with only one or two days of rain. Great times.

Next stop London.

Haggis, Neepes and Tatties

After a long day of driving around the Isle of Skye, we decided that we would go to the pub for dinner. This afforded Daniel the opportunity to put his money where his mouth is, and try some Haggis. This was a bit of a risk given that Monique had made it quite clear that if it was disgusting, Daniel wasn’t getting any of her chips!

For those who don’t know, Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish containing a sheep's heart, liver and lungs, and simmered in the animals stomach lining for three hours.

Overall, it is fair to say that the experience was worthwhile. The Skye Pub served it with Neeps (Turnips) and Tatties (Potatoes). The Haggis tasted a bit like mince, but with more spice. Daniel didn’t gag, and didn’t need any of Monique’s chips.

Three stars. 

Half a day as an ant

Following on from the Fairy Glen we proceeded to head north through the Isle of Skye. Again on the good advice of the hostel managers in Portnalong, we drove inland rather than continuing along the coast.

We wound our way through some fairly barren terrain before suddenly we went over a hill and it was like we had reached the end of the earth. It was almost as though we had stepped into a set from the Lord of the Rings with 360-degree views of the most magnificent mountains, sprawling lowlands and oceans as far as the eye could see.

There was a walking track through the mountain range, which was fantastic. We sat at the top and felt so small and insignificant compared with the awe-inspiring terrain that lay before us. It was a bizarre feeling – in the space of a few hours we had gone from feeling like giants to ants. 

Half a day as a giant

We got a wonderful tip from the hostel managers in Portnalong, Skye.

We were explaining to the manager that we were planning on driving up to the north of Skye and she suggested that we take a right down an unnamed road just over the hill before we get to the town of Uig. There, she said, we would find a Faerie Glen or ‘Miniature Scotland’.

Intrigued, off we went and sure enough just as she described, there was an unnamed road to the right just over the hill before we reached Uig.

We drove down the road and to our amazement, ‘Miniature Scotland’ revealed itself before our eyes. Everything was miniature – trees, mountains, hills, cliffs, lochs, mountain streams and waterfalls. Apparently geologists are mystified by the area and the truly unique land formations.

   

Monique has always been open to belief in whimsical creatures….Daniel not so much. But if there is anywhere on earth that fairies live, this is the place.

We had the most wonderful time exploring this fascinating area. We literally felt like giants as we wandered through the tiny hills and valleys, scaled mountains in just a few minutes, stooped under trees and stepped across flowing rivers. We experienced a rare moment of childhood as our imaginations ran wild. 

Near death experience

From Fort William we continued north to the Isle of Skye. We had a wonderful day driving the picturesque island when with great excitement we stumbled across a herd of highland cows meandering unchaperoned down the road.

As overly excited tourists, we promptly pulled over and jumped out of the car, firing off a thousand shots a minute trying to capture a postcard-perfect picture of these incredible animals. They casually trundled on past us down the road, so we jumped back in the car, did a u-turn and drove back in front them to keep shooting.

Again, we got out of the car to try and get the best possible vantage point. As they stampeded (casually strolled) towards us, Daniel made the smart (scared) decision to get back in the drivers seat while Monique, with her head entrenched in the camera, did not see that she had been surrounded on all sides by the oncoming, enormous, dreadlocked, horned wild beasts (friendly farm animals). Call us ignorant tourists, but we just weren’t sure if their horns could gore us to death if provoked.

So there Daniel sat in the comfort and safety of the car with his dear, unfortunate wife standing outside trembling in fear and terror, unable to get back in the car as there were rather menacing looking cows standing in the way, staring suspiciously at her.

Luckily, Monique wasn’t trampled to death, the cows got bored of us and waddled on to the next patch of grass.

It turns out that highlands cows don’t require the same level of fear and respect as African elephants!

The Highlands

From Edinburgh, we set off to see the Scottish outback, or as they prefer to call it, the Highlands. We again decided that it was more economical to trade the luxury of coach touring for a hire car, and with it greater flexibility.

Before long, the city was far behind us and we were very much in the Highlands. We drove past Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in Scotland and Glencoe, a beautiful valley. Running mountain streams and serene Lochs were everywhere.

We stayed the night at a hostel in Fort William and went to a pub where three young locals held a ‘Ceilidh’ – a 'Gaelic informal social gathering at which there is music, singing, dancing and storying telling'. They told us about Highland history, played the bagpipes, fiddle, tin whistle, piano accordion, and taught us some Highlands dance moves. Daniel is convinced that the dances were derived while sitting round one night with a few pints thinking of ways to make tourists embarrass themselves – but it was heaps of fun nonetheless!

The Highlands are gorgeous. Monique is currently reading Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson and the following quote beautifully sums up the scenery:

For miles around the hills rolled and billowed, like a shaken-out blanket settling on a bed. Country lanes wandered among plump hedgerows, farmsteads and creamy flecks of sheep. In the distance the sea, bright and vast and silvery blue, stretched away to a mountain of tumbling cumulus.

Trading the fiddle for bagpipes

We arrived in Edinburgh and discovered that it is decidedly more hilly that Ireland. We learnt this the hard way whilst trying to find our hostel, which just happened to be up the steepest hill on the far side of the city, all while carrying our bourgeoning packs.

We spent the afternoon slumped on the couch.

The next day we set out to see Edinburgh. A few points…

• We visited Edinburgh castle, a magnificent castle perched up on a hill overlooking the city. The yearly military tattoo was on while were there, so it was quite busy.
• Tartan is the new black.
• We have a new appreciation for the bagpipes. Their drone is inescapable in the city – there are buskers on every street corner.
• Monique found ‘the coolest shop in the world’ – a modern twist on tartan. Thank goodness for our rigid budgetary restrictions…Daniel doesn’t have to see Monique kitted out in tartan, but luckily for Monique, there is an online store :)