I had the best weekend in the Highlands and on the Isle of Skye, no exaggeration!
There is so too much to say about how beautiful and magical the Highlands are. I hesitate to post pictures because any picture would fail to capture how gorgeous the landscape really is. The last thing I want is for you all think “I don’t see what the big deal is!” and never visit. Because you should visit! As soon as you can! (But first stop by and visit me in Edinburgh because I miss you all!)
The trip started on Friday morning in Edinburgh, where myself and the students studying abroad at the palace caught our MacBackpackers tour bus. Accompanying us on the bus were our tour guide, Gordon and various visitors from Australia, South Africa, French Canada, China and England – a pretty eclectic and fun mix of travelers, if you ask me!
We departed Edinburgh and headed north into the Kingdom of Fife, located on the other side of the Firth of Forth, and Perthshire, where we took a wee walk in an “enchanted forest.” Our tour then stopped at the town of Pitlochy and later in Kingussie at the Ruthven Barracks, a remaining garrison built in 1719 by the English to pacify and keep an eye out on the rebellious Highlanders after their uprising in 1715.
The Ruthven Barracks
Later that afternoon we made our way to the Battlefield of Culloden, which turned out to be one of my favorite places we visited that weekend. The Battle of Culloden is a very significant battle in Scottish history, as it marked the end of the Jacobite rising and their leader Bonnie Prince Charlie. The result of the battle led to the Highland Clearances and a full ban on tartans, clans, the playing of bagpipes and Gaelic language by the British. It was a very solemn experience, walking on the moor where over 1500 people lost their lives defending their cause to return the Stuarts to the throne of Britain.
Culloden battlefield
We left the battlefield and headed east about 5 km to Inverness, the only “city” in the Highlands, towards Loch Ness, which I am sure you are all familiar with. The loch is quite big and it is surrounded by rugged mountains, which was less impressive to me, as someone who lived in Washington, than to all the students from Wisconsin, but still inspiring nonetheless. Several of the students and fellow travelers jumped into the freezing loch, but I stayed on the shore with my common sense and had some hot cocoa.
And just as I was about to take a sip, I looked into the loch and saw… No, it couldn’t be… could it?
It’s Nessie!
After Loch Ness, we got back on our mini-bus (there was a lot of driving the first day) and drove over the Skye Bridge to the misty Isle of Skye. We pulled into the small but pictuaresque town of Kyleakin just on the other side of the Skye Bridge, which would be our home for the next two nights. We stayed at this fantastic, fantastic hostel, right across from the waterfront. My room’s window looked directly out onto the bay. While most of our group ended up in one giant room together, I was fortunate enough to get placed into the Star Wars room with just three other people.
That first night we all went to the local pub down the street from the hostel for karaoke night. It was an absolute riot! One of the students even won the karaoke competition. After a few hours of dancing to silly songs, we retired to our hostel for some well-deserved sleep.
On Saturday, we boarded the mini-bus tour again and headed out for a full-day on the Isle of Skye. In the morning we stopped by many places, including the River of Eternal Youth and Beauty. Each of us on the tour dunked our faces in the chilly river, but I’m not convinced the effects have kicked in yet. Afterwards we trekked on to Portree, a modest but beautiful coastal town. We stopped for pick up some lunch at a market in preparation for our next destination: the Old Man of Storr. The Old Man of Storr is a huge rocky hill over the Trotternish peninsula, measuring in at 2385 feet. And guess what? We hiked the sucker!
Halfway up to Old Man of Storr. My facial expression says ”What do you mean there is more?”
Once at the top, we were over a blanket of clouds that were sitting low on the peninsula, so we really looked like we were in heaven. On the top of the peak, we had a picnic lunch and took pictures of our feat.
Atop the Old Man of Storr
After we tumbled down the steep hill, we progressed to Kilt Rock and then Duntulum Castle, the most northern point of the Isle of Skye. Here our tour guide, a very humorous lad, told us some great stories about the two clans of Skye, which you should remind me to repeat for you sometime. Following the castle, we visited perhaps another favorite place of mine during the weekend, the Faerie Glen. This little thatch of land was spectacularly lush, attracting several sheep to graze upon its green hills.
Trekking up Faerie Glen
After that adventure, we returned once again to our hostel in Kyleakin. After some supper (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, of course), myself and some students trekked out to Castle Moil on the other side of the small town. Up there we had amazing views of the town, Skye Bridge and the bay as the sun started to set down into the mountains. I could have stayed up there for ages, except that the Isle of Skye is infested with these small bugs called midgeys that will eat you alive if you stand still for more than 2 seconds. Oh, I am still covered with these mini-mosquito bites! I look like I have the chicken pox!
At dusk, myself and some students read books and played board games by the fireplace in the lounge of the hostel. We even got into a discussion about morals and ill-structured problems, which made the student development theory nerd in me so content and happy. Then I told the students a bedtime story (yep, you heard me right!) and we all headed to bed, knowing sadly this was our last night to do so on this jaw-dropingly beautiful island…
Sunday came as soon as it went. We left the Isle of Skye first thing in the morning and entered back into the Highlands. We stopped first at the forbidding and crenellated Eilean Donan Castle, the most photographed castle in Britain. Eilean Donan was originally built by Alexander II to protect the area from the Vikings in 1230. In recent years it was used for the movie Highlander and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough…neither of which I have seen.
Eilean Donan Castle
We drove south down the west coast of mainland Scotland to Fort William and then to Sterling to see the Wallace Monument. By that time I was pretty tuckered out, though I hiked up the steep incline to check it out. However, after that, I couldn’t tell you how we got back to Edinburgh because I slept the whole way, with sweet dreams of the Highlands and this fella below in my head…
em>Hamish the Highland cow, better known here as a harry coo!
This past weekend was an absolute joy! The scenery was good, the folklore top notch, and the company even better. I really like the students and I don’t think I’ve laughed so much in ages. I learned a lot about them this weekend and I just adore them. However, I am a little excited they will be gone this weekend in London because I could use a day or two to sleep, finish my final exams and soak my feet!
Brit, the pictures are beautiful. Some of the places look like Cornwall area in England. I am glad you got to see all this. However, where are your walking shoes?? No wonder your feet hurt when you wear sandals to climb moutains. Do you need some sneakers or hiking boots?? What size??
check your email as I know Uncle Pres has written you about visiting them.