Several months ago we researched day trips from Inverness and Fergus, Merida, William and I agreed that a trip to the Island of Skye sounded very interesting. After a few online searches and e-mails we booked John Alasdair Macdonald, a.k.a. The Hebridean Explorer. At 8:30 in the morning John picks us up at the Columba hotel in his seven passenger SUV. He quickly reviews the plans for the day and graciously makes a slight adjustment so that we can also stop by a whisky distillery on Skye.
As we begin chatting we learn that John has a quick wit and vast knowledge of the area and the history of Scotland. He claims he arranged for the rainbows ahead of us with a fun Scottish accent and twinkle in his eyes. Of course we all smile. John drives us south along Loch Ness passing by Urquart Castle then turns west. We travel along through Glen Moriston on the way to Glen Shiel and the Five Sisters of Kintail mountains. We stop for photo's and have a brilliant time. The scenery is beautiful.... but it is just the start!
As we begin chatting we learn that John has a quick wit and vast knowledge of the area and the history of Scotland. He claims he arranged for the rainbows ahead of us with a fun Scottish accent and twinkle in his eyes. Of course we all smile. John drives us south along Loch Ness passing by Urquart Castle then turns west. We travel along through Glen Moriston on the way to Glen Shiel and the Five Sisters of Kintail mountains. We stop for photo's and have a brilliant time. The scenery is beautiful.... but it is just the start!
Shortly John takes us on some back roads to give us a view of Eilean Donan Castle in the distance. 15 minutes later we are at the castle. We delight for 60 minutes walking through the castle and staring out at the views. We happen to be there on a day when local musicians are making a promotion video, which adds wonderful music and added excitement to the experience.
Then we are back in the SUV. John fills us in on more Scottish history as he drives us toward and over the bridge to Skye. The landscape brings a certain intensity - with the lack of any significant trees and the Red Hills then the Black Cuillin Mountains. We stop near an old bridge at Sligachan for views of the mountains.
We wanted to see the Talisker Distillery, the only distillery on Skye, and John takes a detour to bring us to the small town of Carbost. Needless to say, Talisker is a big draw in a very small town, but the scenery is equal in our opinion.
We arrive in Portree, the main city on the Isle of Skye. It is a wonderful fishing village which is perhaps three square blocks plus the buildings along the harbor. We enjoy a late lunch at the pub - local, fresh fare. After a quick stroll we are back in the SUV and headed back to Inverness. We discuss our plan for the next few days and John gives us tips on places to eat and good approaches for seeing the sights. We stop for a couple of photo's along the drive and at 6:30pm John is dropping us off in front of Columba Hotel.
This will be a day all of us remember for a very long time.
This will be a day all of us remember for a very long time.
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