Viewfield House Portree

Up at 6:30 this morning so that I can get showered, have some breakfast and get on my way, I have a 70 mile drive and then a long bike ride (or so I thought!).

Today I am going to attempt the Applecross Peninsula, This route incorporates the highest mountain pass and one of the ultimate cycling challenges in the UK - the Bealach na Ba (Pass of the Cattle) - a climb that takes ...

... to be careful out in the ocean!

We stopped at the Talisker Whiskey Distillery on the Island, this is what the Swedes had been waiting for the whole trip!! Yuk still don't like whiskey but it was interesting to see how they made it from Barley.. smelled a bit!! lol We searched for salmon jumping in the rivers on our way back but didn't see any,we watched for stag and deer but didn't see any.. ah ...

... friend and not his wife or lover.
- the masacre at Glenroe was due to the fact that the Macdonals clan signed a treaty too late. The English king wanted to set and example so got his hencemen, ie the Campbell clan to kill them. The Campbells way into the Macdonals place was to rely on the highland hospitality, which means no one can ignore someone looking for shelter and food. The Campbells claimed that had no food and somewhere to stay, the Macdonals invited them ...

... and to feel the thrill of the whirling, bitingly cold wind at the same time. There was almost an ache when we were leaving. It was like the mountains were inviting us to come up and join them - and we would have so loved to do a trek - however small - but there wasn't enough time. I doubt we will ever get back, but if we do, we will most definitely plan a longer trip so we can do some trekking.

The main reason for coming to Scotland was to see some of the highlands and visit the Isle of Skye which people seem to have a tendency to rave about. To be fair there's some lovely scenery and maybe I'm a bit spoilt at the moment having just traveled around Africa, but it all seemed pretty ordinary to me. It's all very scenic but not terribly different or exotic from what I've seen before.

The way that I ...

... Mike Bentley called up, the conversation was along the lines of:

Mike: fancy catching up for a beer tonight.
Ian: Can't, I'm driving up to Scotland in 2 hours to go hiking on the Isle of Skye. Actually, you interested in joining.
Mike: Yep, why not, see you shortly.

... made it with minutes to spare. The whole car ferry experience was quite thrilling, for neither of us had ever been on one. Sitting on the deck above our little 'cedes, it was a bit nippy due to the breeze coming off of the Sound of Sleat. We were in dire need of this brief reprieve from the confines of the car, so I actually did not mind the cold as much as I usually would. I especially appreciated the calming effect of this break when I ...

... 3 visitors' moorings available. It was either that or stay put for another 3 days, which did not appeal. We had a super sail down the island, touching 8 knots at times with the ever-strengthening south-westerly breeze. Some of the geological formations we passed would I'm sure, excite even the most jaded of geologists and I include a couple here. Also please note the waterfall, this one is at least almost vertical ...

... beautiful and at this time of the year, sunset doesn't arrive until about almost 9.00 pm !! We had to wait quite a while at the windy and cold Point as the wind from the sea somehow brought down the temperature quite a lot. But it was well worth the wait, as can be seen from our photos :-

... trails of Skye past sheep and herder alike, soaring along the sharp cliffs eroded from the billions of years standing against the weather of the world. We wrapped around the tip of Skye without even knowing it and came through the Uig, one of the bigger towns, twisting and turning through the streets leading back to the South. As we came to one of the very few splits in the road, we turned west towards Dunvegan Castle, home to the McLeod Clan. In Dunvegan we ...