After a great stay in Oban we headed for the Isle of Skye, where we would stay two nights in the town of Portree.
On our way we stopped a couple times - first to see Castle Stalker and then to do some hiking. We stopped at Glencoe in the national park area and did a hike called The Three Sisters. The landscape here was again breathtaking - thick fog enveloped the tops of the mountains so all we could see was the bright green and rocky bases. Another wonderful hike, we climbed next to pools and waterfalls in this thick fog and mist. We started the hike with a bagpiper greeting us at the trail head - quite a Scottish way to head out on a hike! We continued on and stopped at Eilean Donan Castle, which is the most photographed castle in Scotland. It looked spectacular in the fog and rain. So mysterious and almost eerie. Our drive included greenery, mountains, castles and many lochs (lakes). Not too shabby.
After getting to Portree we headed out for dinner. In this very busy seaside town we scored a table at a little seafood restaurant right on the water. In the effort of trying to save money, I ordered one of the specials - a fish called a Kipper. Boy was it special. This fish literally had the most bones I have ever seen! I could barely get any meat off the thing and Amanda and I giggled throughout the entire meal as I tried to scrape away tiny bits of fish and dodge eating tons and tons of bones. When I asked the waitress what a Kipper was, she said that it was often a fish they eat for breakfast, but failed to mention this lovely attribute. So, I'm not sure why the great people of Scotland eat this fish. I ended up eating a Snickers for dinner instead. Oh well.
The next day we drove around the Isle of Skye, taking our time and stopping at some of the little art shops and cafes spattered around the area. Similar to the Ring of Kerry in Ireland (but not as touristy), there were several places to stop and get great views of the sea and surrounding areas. A highlight for me this day was stopping at the Fairy Pools. What looked like plain, open mountains from a distance turned out to be something spectacular after a short walk up the wide open hill. There were waterfalls and pools for probably a couple miles cascading down the mountains, with the backdrop of huge mountains and bright green fields besides them. We again lucked out on the weather so spent some extra time here soaking in the beauty.
We also had heard about the hairy coos (long haired cows) native to Scotland but had yet to see one. We finally did! There was a small group of them in a fenced in area just off the main road (we figured just for tourists reasons). One of the little guys let us stare at him and take pictures for 10 minutes! Amanda even fed him some grass. Clearly, he was used to people taking glamour shots with him.
After a great visit to the Isle of Skye, we made our way to the small town of Pitlochry in the center-ish of the country. We swung by Loch Ness on the way to see Nessie but to no avail. The highlight here was our distillery tour of the Blair Athol Distillery. I never knew I liked whisky, but I sure did develop a taste for it here! We had a wonderful tour guide, David, who spent over two hours touring Amanda and I around the facility and answering all our silly questions. We learned so much from him! Both Amanda and I didn't realize that whisky is distilled in old sherry barrels - that is what gives the whisky its color and is flavor. We also learned that different barrels of different kinds of whisky are stored around Scotland so that in case something happens to one of the distilleries, they still have stock located somewhere. Fascinating! I am an encyclopedia of whisky facts now. Also, Pitlochry was another adorable town with lots of stone houses and beautiful scenery. Another place I would go back to!
The Isle of Skye and central Scotland were both beautiful parts of the country. We had such a good time driving around and exploring. Next stop: Edinburgh!
Highlights:
- Glencoe hike - it was magical and so Scottish with the fog, mist, and bagpiper start.
- Drive around the Isle of Skye - beautiful scenery and so fun to pop in to all the local artist shops.
- Seeing a hairy coo! He was so cute with his Bieber hair!
- Pitlochery and our distillery tour - if you go ask for tour guide David!
- Fairy Pools - unexpected - you can't see how magnificent they are until you get up close.
Lessons learned:
- Midgies are a thing here. They are these little annoying bugs that are everywhere. Luckily they are more prevalent later in the summer so we didn't get bitten or bothered too bad.
- Before ordering a fish in a foreign land make sure you know what you are getting yourself into.
- Everything here, similar to Ireland, is a whole other color of green. It is indescribable.
- They say 'wee bit' here a lot and it makes me giggle.
- They aren't called pubs here, they are called inns. I don't know why!
Start of The Three Sisters hike.
The Fairy Pools.
Isle of Skye cottage and view.