The Clog
Travel Diary – Isle of Skye & North West Scotland
The Isle of Skye is the largest
island in the Inner Hebrides and one of the jewels in the Highlands of
Scotland. The first part of this travelblog will discuss my time on the island
and visiting Ross and Cromarty on the mainland.
The Journey North
The journey to Skye has a great
sense of occasion. After crossing the Erskine Bridge, the road winds past Loch
Lomond, past the Arrochar Alps and onto Crianlarich. Only a few miles further
on, the road splits at Tyndrum and you have the choice of continuing west on
the A85 to the busy port of Oban or continuing on the A82, heading north to
Fort William. The journey to Fort William is like a greatest hits of Scottish
scenery with the soaring grandeur of Glencoe.
The landscape of Fort William is
dominated by Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK. Following a trip up the
Great Glen, the road heads north to Kyle of Lochalsh, a town that has always
been a key crossing point to the Isle of Skye and the crossing point for the
Skye Bridge. The photo below shows the view over the sea to Skye to the small
settlement of Kyleakin.
The journey reached its
conclusion when we came to our accommodation, a lovely 3 bedroom home called
Bruchlas , around 3 miles from the port of Armadale, overlooking the Sound of
Sleat on the east of the island.
Elgol
We decided to take a trip on the
single track road west of Broadford to the small hamlet of Elgol, a place of
historical significance as it is where Bonnie Prince Charlie spent his last
night on Skye after being hosted by members of clan MacKinnon. There are some
views of the Cuillin mountain range and out to nearby islands from this
settlement.
Uig & Kilt Rock
Monday involved a trip to the
north of the island to the port of Uig, a place of importance as it is the
gateway to the Outer Hebrides. Although it is a very small place, there was
much activity on Monday due to the large amount of trucks at the quayside as
they waited patiently to board the Ro-Ro ferry, Hebrides, which was undergoing repair after a breakdown. We enjoyed
seeking solace in the local café where I enjoyed a delicious bacon roll and
lovely cappuccino. The journey then continued down to the main town on the
island, Portree, via Kilt Rock and its waterfall.
Gairloch & Loch Ewe
Tuesday involved a trip to the
mainland, with a scenic journey to Gairloch and Loch Ewe on the mainland. The
latter of these was of strategic importance in World War 2, as it was the site
of the departure of the Arctic Convoys that went to northern Russia. The site
is still used by NATO vessels as a refuelling point when there are exercises in
the North Atlantic. A commemoration of the WW2 exploits is planned in the area
for Spring 2013.
Dunvegan - Trumpan
Wednesday began with a scenic
drive out to the west of the island, stopping off at a traditional community
fair in Dunvegan which provided the opportunity to purchase some local produce
and crafts including some tasty marmalade that included Talisker 10 year old
single malt. We also stopped off at Fairy Bridge, a haunting site where 2
people are known to have died in mysterious circumstances and various
supernatural activities have been noted. It has been said that horses have
refused to cross the bridge, leading some to suspect that they have seen sights
that are invisible to human eyes.
Following this, we then continued
up the winding road towards the site of Trumpan Church. This was the site of a
bloody massacre when members of the Clan MacDonald came over to Skye and
barricaded members of the MacLeod clan in the local church whilst they were
worshipping. They then burnt down the building, killing all inside apart from
one young girl who escape to raise the alarm at the local castle. The marauding
band were then caught on the beach heading back to their ships and all were
killed. The remains of the church still stand as a reminder of the bloody clan
warfare that took place in times gone by.
The most poignant part of our
trip involved paying respects at the grave of Flora McDonald Margaret Swire, a
young lady whose life was cruelly cut short by Lybian terrorists on the night
of the 21st December 1988 on Pan Am flight 103 in the skies above
Lockerbie, on the eve of her 24th birthday. She has been laid to
rest at a secluded cemetery near to Dunvegan, alongside her grandparents. Miss
Swire was training to be a neurosurgeon at the time of the tragedy and had just
bought a ticket to the USA to spend Christmas with her American boyfriend. Her
life is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate cruelty of terrorism, but as we
consider this talented young woman and the lives that she could’ve saved
through her medical training, the eulogy given to her namesake of Jacobite
times came to mind:
“Her name will be mentioned in history and mentioned with honour”.
Her father, Jim Swire, has been a
tireless campaigner for the families of the Lockerbie disaster victims
worldwide, even meeting the only man convicted of the bombing. All of those
affected by this tragedy should also be remembered for their dignity in the
face of the most senseless loss and know that they are not alone in their
grief, sentiments that also ring very true for the victims of the latest
mindless attack on the streets of Boston.
