Skye or the Isle of Skye, is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills. The main industries here are tourism, agriculture, fishing and whisky-distilling and the largest settlement is Portree, which is known for its picturesque harbour. Just over 30% of the residents on Skye speak Gaelic.
***
The Swiss lady has left when I woke up and the other 2 Spanish girls were packing up to leave as well. While having breakfast, I chatted a little with the 2 guys sitting at the same table who were traveling on motorbikes. Later, I checked out from the hostel and went to the tourist information centre to get some maps and info about Isle of Skye. I’ve then decided to follow the route up north round the Isle. My first stop is the 'Old Man of Storr'. The Old Man of Storr is part of a weird wonderland of rock scenery and outcrops that lie below the cliffs. There’s a small area for car park at the side of the road. The climb is not too steep where you first go thru a thin wood before coming to a rocky clearing. The view is great even from here. I was hesitating (fearing for my knee) if I should hike up the hills to the stones as I could see that the way up is only going to be steeper. Well, I thought since I’m already here, I’ll just push it and be really careful. I wasn’t as tough as I thought although I did needed breaks from time to time but I made it to somewhere near the bottom of the big rock. You can actually go further to the rock itself but that would really require a little more serious climbing so I decided not to do it.
The higher I went the windier and colder it gets, but still its well worth the hike as the view from the top is absolutely amazing. While at the top, I received a SMS from my sister. How I wished she could be here with me together to enjoy this magnificent view. The descending is fine but I almost slipped once and I can just start feeling the ache in my knee. Back to my car, I continued on the road. There is no need for Sat Nav here as there is basically just one main road and the road signs are sufficient. Off and on I’ll just pull my car over at the side road to snap some photos. The sky is still pretty dull so I’m not sure how will the photos turn out. I arrived at Lealt Falls about noon time so I had my quick lunch here before proceeding to Kilt Rock, which has beautiful cliff views by the sea.
There's a waterfall at the cliff edge flowing into the big blue sea. Kilt Rock is so named because of the strange tartan-like pattern on the brownish basalt rock. Later. I reached the Museum of Island Life near Kilmur where they show how the islanders lived years ago. I was only interested in the outlook of the houses so I just snap photos from outside the fence and avoid paying the ￡2.50 entrance fee.
Going on, I reach UIG, the ferry terminal to the western islands. I felt that the place is more impressive when viewed from the top just as you branch off the main road to enter the town. I just did a quick walk around at the jetty and then went back to the car thinking of my next destination. I decided that I’ll go to the recommended Stein Inn for dinner. Stein Inn is a very nice and cozy pub beside the jetty. As the dinner would not be started until 6pm, I ordered myself a half pint of Tennents and wrote my trip report. There’s a cute little baby gal with her parents one table away and she is busy crawling around exploring the pub. At another table sat a man and 2 ladies. The man especially was rather playful and he would voice over the baby girl’s actions, which was pretty funny. It’s drizzling outside now and I just hope that the rain would stop soon as tonight I’ll be sleeping in my car. I think this would be quite an experience. Cold, I’m certain but fun nonetheless. I’m just so glad that I had my little Micra so I could go wherever I wanted and stop whenever I wanted. I’m starting to have second thoughts about selling it away before I go home. I ordered breaded haddock with salads and chips which was pretty good.After dinner, I set off back to the main road B886 and then A850 towards Dunvegan Castle, in search for a suitable place to spend the night. It’s still raining and quite windy. I thought the castle could be seen from afar, but I was wrong. So I drove on towards Ose and along the way there were some places which would serve a good parking place but they were either taken up by other vehicles or they don’t have a good view. Yes, I am searching for a place with great views as well so I can wake up to it the next morning. It’s getting dark and I spot this perfect place overlooking the sea with the crossings of 2 hills in front. Best of all, this parking lane is slightly lower than the main road and there are some bushes hence my car will be hidden behind it. Happy and satisfied, I switch off the engine and climbed to the backseat and made my ‘bed’. Its only about 8.30pm so powered on my laptop and transferred my photos from the SD cards. After it was done, I put my lappy away and tried to sleep. Its still raining and the strong wind is rocking my little Micra so it felt as if I’m sleeping in a cradle. Very soon it went completely pitch dark. I was wearing 2 layers of jackets, 2 layers of socks and a pair of gloves. I also have my fleece blanket with me. The backseat is rather small so I had to curl up. I’m not sure how much I’ve slept but I woke up around 2am and decide to try the front passenger seat so I can straighten my legs on the deck. This is slightly more comfortable position wise but as I’ve moved and with my legs up on the deck, hence it got colder as I couldn’t reduce the heat loss. Just as I was trying to sleep again, my mind went wild with a couple of ghost stories I’ve heard or read before. So, I plug in my MP3 to try to divert my attention and calm myself down. Little by little, I stopped all the wild imaginations and dozed off.
No comments:
Post a Comment