Today’s road trip focused on the Trotternish Peninsula. Our first stop was the Old Man of Storr. This is a famous rock that you can hike up to and go further. It’s not very far, only about a mile and a half to it, but it’s primarily uphill. You can take different paths to continue your hike when you get to it. We spent a lot of time exploring the Old Man of Storr. The view from the rock is breathtaking; you get a full panoramic view of the Sound of Raasay and mainland Scotland.
The walk down was a bit less fun because a bunch of insects woke up during the time we were up there. I believe they are called midges, and they were absolutely horrible to walk through. So gross.
We had no rain at the Old Man of Storr, but in Scotland, the weather is always a bit puckish. It’s unpredictable and almost mischievous in its ability to surprise you. We drove to see the Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls and even got out of the car to see if we could find the Jurassic Dinosaur footprints at An Corran. When there are museums with skeletons, footprints feel a little less dramatic as a portal to the past, so I wasn’t too disappointed that we didn’t find them. The weather reminded us who was in charge anyway, as it started to rain, and we ran back to the car.
At the northernmost point on the peninsula are the ruins of Duntulm Castle perched on a cliff overlooking the sea. There is not much left of the castle, but when you are standing in its ruins, it is hard not to imagine what it could have been like. This castle was obviously situated as a defensive position to keep a lookout for all who were approaching Skye from this direction. It was certainly cold, damp, and foggy. I’ve read there are many ghost stories about this place, and that certainly seems fitting. The rain reduced to a sprinkle and let us take a minute to explore it.
My favorite stop for the day was the Fairy Glen. I hadn’t done much research about it, and had simply put it on the to-do list because I saw it on a number of lists. It’s situated inland, just south of the village of Uig. Unlike the dramatic, jagged peaks that Skye is famous for, like the Old Man of Storr, the Fairy Glen is made up of small, grassy, conical hills. Interspersed between these gentle mounds are winding paths. It’s very green and it stands in stark contrast to the rest of Skye. In the center is a big rock formation that people call Castle Ewen. You are allowed to climb to the top of it and enjoy the view.
We returned to Portree to do a little shopping and rest. Samer bought a sheep’s hide for our place in the U.S. Admittedly, it is very soft and looks good on our couch, but I’ll admit I was skeptical at first.
That night, we ended up having dinner at The Isles Inn. Classic Scottish fare, nothing fancy, but it hit the spot after a wet day of hiking.