Highland High

April 9, 2009

 Wednesday began our 3-day tour of the Highlands and the Isle of Skye.  I’m almost speechless!  OK, not speechless but definitely awestruck.  We traveled from Edinburgh to Portree on the Isle of Skye yesterday, we toured the Isle today, and will return to Edinburgh tomorrow.  The scenery is breathtaking.  Shortly after leaving Edinburgh we were “in terrain”.  By that, I mean that the land was hilly and becoming mountainous.  In my mind I compared it to several places I’ve been.  It was like those places and yet totally unlike them.  For example, the land was formed by volcanic action followed by erosion.  The result is mountains that are somewhat soft in appearance.  They remond me of the Smokies but there are hardly any trees.  Te landscape also reminded me of New Mexico and the huge vistas with few trees but it isn’t dry.  I saw areas that looked like the Columbia River gorge…but not exactly.  I think I kept trying to relate it to something familiar and it was just different. 

I saw my first “heilan coo” (that’s "highland cow" with a Scottish accent).  His name is Haimish and he was much bigger than I expected.

We saw rivers and waterfalls, lush greenery, and sunlight!  It was a beautiful sunny day for most of the day.  The weather has been wonderfully cooperative for this trip.

 Thursday we toured the Isle of Skye.  In the morning, we toured the northeastern part of the Isle and in the afternoon, the northwest.  We went to Kilt rock in the rain.  The rain didn’t bother me; it just added to the feeling of wildness I felt looking at that rugged coastline.  There was a waterfall between where we stood and Kilt Rock.  The water was dropping from the cliff edge in a froth of white.  Beautiful!  We also went to another spot where we looked over the edge of the cliff to look down on the remains of a factory that was clinging to the base of the cliff.  The factory was built in the 1800’s and processed diatomaceous earth.  I don’t think it lasted long but I admire those who engineered the building of the factory and rail line in such a precarious place.  We visited Duntulum Castle—or what is left of it.  There are just a couple of walls left but it is a great location for a castle and the views from it were fantastic.

 Now for the highlight of our trip to Skye.  We went to the northwestern-most point of the island.  It is called Neist Point and we climbed up to a point where we could see the Neist Light.  The view was amazing; I stood looking out to sea and knowing that there isn’t anything but ocean between that point and Canada.  The sun was shining but the wind was blowing so strongly that the hood of my jacket cracked like thunder in my ears.  The ground was so saturated that even stepping carefully, my feet were soon soaked.  As we reached the top of the cliff, we could see water spraying up over the edge.  But, we were at least 300 feet above the water!  As I moved toward the edge, I could see where water had collected on a ledge of rock.  The spray was coming from the fierce wind blasting that small pool.  The spray did make a great picture as it blew across the top of the cliff and sparkling in the sun.  We looked down from our high perch to see the lighthouse far below.  The wind, the spray, and the view combined to make Neist Point one of the best stops of the tour.

 We got up Friday morning to begin our trip back to Edinburgh.  We had spent two nights in a very nice bed and breakfast.  Mrs. McFarlan was a lovely innkeeper and a good cook!  The bed and breakfast was call “Quirang” which Mrs. McFarlan told us was from Norse, not Gaelic.  I learned a lot on this trip and one thing was the strong influence the Vikings had on Scotland.

 Friday morning we visited Eilean Donan Castle.  It was mostly a reconstruction but a castle has been on that spot since the 13^th century.  We then went to Loch Ness—no monster visible.  When we were four hours out from Edinburgh there were a few things still to see but the trip was definitely winding down.  When I think back on this tour and look at my pictures, I’ll remember several things.  Everywhere we’ve gone, there have been sheep grazing.  They have been in ones, two, and flocks.  Some lying down, some grazing, and occasionally running to get away from our van as we interrupted their quiet day.  But I will always imagine the highlands covered with sheep. Another image is of small herds of Highland cattle.  Their shaggy coats and long horns are so distinctive.  Every mountain and hill had a frothy white line of water spilling down it's side.  I'm glad we went in the beginning of spring!

 One of my favorite memories from this trip will be listening to Celtic music while looking at the gorgeous landscape.  It’s the first tour I’ve taken that had a “soundtrack.”  Even better, the music truly fit the sights.  I think Celtic music will always bring back this time and the vistas we have seen.

 My last, but not least, memory will be of our driver/guide, Tony.  He has told wonderful stories to inform us of Scotland’s history.  He has the knack for storytelling, inserting enough humor to entertain while still leaving the listener better educated in Scottish history.  He truly helped make this trip memorable.