Travel Diary - Isle of Skye & North West Scotland

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 21^st December 1988 on Pan Am flight 103 in the skies above Lockerbie, on the eve of her 24^th 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.