The Isle of Skye

After saying goodbye to my beautiful Rebecca in Inverness, I caught a bus to the Isle of Skye, one of the most renowned areas of Scotland. I can see why. On the way, I drove through areas with hills high enough for the tops to be hidden in clouds. Waterfalls decorated the sides of many of the mountains, and wound down towards the road. In Lochalsh, the mainland area near to Skye, I saw Eilean Donan castle, which is one of the best preserved and most beautiful castles in Scotland. It sits amidst a loch, with only a stone bridge connecting it to the mainland. Atop the bridge of Skye, you could see forever in both directions. It was stunning, looking down to the Loch and all the little islands dotted around it.

When I arrived in Kyleakin, the bus driver didn't want to stop, so I had to walk for a bit to get to my hostel, Saucy Mary's. Saucy Mary was a Viking noble who fixed a big long chain from each side of the Loch to levy the sailors passing through. For an extra fee, she used to flash her ample breasts for the poor sex-deprived sailors, hence the "saucy" adjective.

Sunsets on the Isle of Skye are superb, not least because you have so much longer to appreciate them than you do in Australia. The clouds in the sky are died pink and orange for around four hours in Skye, so it's easy to snap a good pic of the sunset. Nearby, there's also the ruins of an old castle, Castle Maol. It's also possible to get to it, with a bit of determination and walking through marshland. It's a lovely spot, as few others attempt the journey, so I was able to appreciate the view from the top of the castle all by myself. The water in the loch  below is so clear that you can see all the strange-shaped seaweed growing in it. On my last day in Skye, I planned to get a Skye Rover, which is a ticket which enables you to take any bus all the way around Skye. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a Sunday, which meant that there were about 3 buses the whole day. Everything ended up working out, however, as I managed to hitch a ride with some Americans who were headed to Old Man Stor, a stone formation atop a hill, a medium length hike from the carpark. The rock was barely visible through the cloud, and as we reached it, the clouds started to thicken. It wasn't long before rain set in, and a river followed us on the path back down to the carpark. We were all sogging wet when we reached the carpark, and the same people who gave me a lift there gave me a lift back to Portree, where I waited around for the bus for a fair few hours. There was less to do in Portree than there should be, and after an hour I was left to sit around reading a book or watching movies on the laptop.

-photos are coming shortly