Scotland: Isle of Skye

We told friends we were going to Scotland and a number of them insisted we visit the Isle of Skye. From Inverness we took a bus to Portree. The weather was not good at all so we cut back our program, dropping Quiraing. In the end, we managed to check out the Old Man of Storr, Fairy Glen, and Scorrybreac. I was not particularly impressed - what's with all that fuss?!

We rode the £2 per person fare bus 917 from Inverness to Portree on the Island of Skye. At one point we cruised along almost the entire length of Loch Ness. No monster spotted.






Our first view of the Isle of Skye was of Kyleakin Village as seen from the Skye Bridge.


The weather forecast posted at hotel reception did not look good; lots of rain.


A day trip to Fairy Glen is 1 hour on the bus towards the port of Uig, then a 20 minute walk down Sheader Rd to a surprisingly large parking lot, then reverse to come home. The highlights of Fairy Glen are the limestone formation Castle Ewen and the tourist-made Stone Circles.










We dutifully climbed to the top of Castle Ewen, walked around a bit, then ate our lunch in the rain on a small hill facing Castle Ewen.






Another day we rode the bus to the trailhead of the Old Man of Storr walk. Gemini AI says: "The Old Man of Storr is a famous 55-meter-high basalt rock pinnacle located on the Trotternish Ridge on the Isle of Skye in Scotland". Again the trailhead parking lot was bigger than expected, and packed with vehicles. As soon as we got off the bus, we put on ALL our rain gear, jackets and pants, to protect ourselves from the elements.




The trail was in good shape, and after 45 minutes or so we were level with the Old Man of Storr formations, and pretty good views down to the Sound of Raasay.












The rock Old Man of Storr formation is huge. See if you can spot the silhouette of a person at the bottom of the notch between the two rocks.


Then it's another 15 minutes uphill to the Old Man of Storr viewpoint. There were some internet influencers posing in the cold, stiff, wind. We headed back down after taking a few photos. No lunch spot break here.
















Panoramic video.


As we set out early to tackle the Old Man of Storr, we were home in Portree before lunchtime and decided to walk the Scorrybreac Circuit and find a scenic, dry, spot for our picnic. The walk starts in Portree Harbour (first below).


Lunch at the Skye Sailing Club.


And a short walk with some amazing scenery, plus a cruise ship with tenders, back to our hotel

Scotland: Inverness, Welcome to the Highlands

From Edinburgh we took the train north to Inverness, the nothernmost point of this trip at latitude 57.4778° N. Now it's pretty obvious we are no longer in England; almost no agriculture, some grazing sheep, hardly any villages. Billed as the gateway to the highlands and administrative capital, Inverness, is really a village itself, though it theoretically became a city in 2000. There didn't look to be too many things going on other than tourism (though there must be various stimulation programs), the newly refurbished castle, and a £2 cap on bus rides for most travel within the Highlands.

We walked to Carnarc Point where the River Ness empties into the North Sea, then through the Merkinch Local Nature Reserve to the Caledonian Canal which connects Inverness on the northeast coast to the west coast near Fort William. In a way the canal itself was stimulation for the aftermath of Enclosure; that is, Highland Clearance. The canal could never handle large commercial ships. Then the railways overtook all shipping. Today the canal is used for recreation only. We walked along the canal to Inverness Botanical Gardens, where we caught the end of the last stage of the Great Glen Way, a long distance trail from Fort William to Inverness.

The train from Edinburgh to Inverness was very scenic. Check out the Corinthian columns at Edinburgh Station (1st below). And the Edinburgh Airport (2nd)




Soon we were cruising across the Firth of Forth on the Famous Red Cantilever Forth Railway Bridge with great views to the two other bridges: the Forth Road Bridge, and the Queensferry Crossing.






In Inverness, we stayed next to the railway station, and next to the historic Royal Highland Hotel.


View of the River Ness from Inverness Castle, and then the view of the Castle from the River Ness.




We walked to Old High Church and its blooming Laburnums on our way to Carnarc Point.




View across the River Ness to the Inverness skyline.


The Carnarc Point Monument


At Carnarc Point with the Kessock Bridge behind, and the North Sea farther behind.




The scene along Merkinch Local Nature Reserve to the north end of the Caledonian Canal.


The Caledonian Canal now handles mostly recreational boats like the Pleasure Barge "Ros Crana" (2nd below). And the retired North Sea fishing boat "Scotia W", now a BnB (3rd).






There is a set of 4 locks at this end of the Caledonian Canal. As usual, Sun-Ling had to pull me away from this impressive feat of engineering.. Video 4th below








The Inverness Botanic Gardens.






We returned to Inverness in the rain on the Victorian era Ness Island Walkway, part of the longer Great Glen Way. How about that Wooden Sculpture of the Loch Ness Monster "Nessie"?