A Forever of Nows

We’d hoped to escape the stormy weather on our way to Skye, and for the first day it seemed luck was with us. We arrived at our B&B with enough daylight remaining to walk the mile and a half to the tiny village harbor of Elgol. The light on the water was beautiful; we ignored the foreboding clouds in the distance.

Processed with Snapseed.

Our luck held well enough in the morning for us to make our way north to the Trotternish Peninsula, where our first stop would be the iconic Old Man of Storr. As we approached the landmark, it was clear we weren’t the only ones with this plan. We found a spot to park down the road and joined the masses in the steep uphill climb, dodging selfie sticks along the way.

At the top, the wind whistled through the rock formations, and we felt the first raindrops on our faces. The way down was treacherous, slippery with mud churned from so many feet. We picnicked in the car, and gamely forged onward, continuing around the Peninsula, hopping out of the car for quick stops to admire the views, shaking the rain off our coats when we hopped back in.

The storm progressively grew stronger as the afternoon wore on, and we began to opt for viewing the scenery from within our cozy car. We could literally see the wind gusts unfurl in sideways rain, waves in the wall of water we were driving through. The final leg of the drive had little conversation, as Chad drove white-knuckled and fiercely focused on the road. Luckily, the proprietor of our B&B maintains a deliciously curated wine and liquor list – Chad was well-deservedly rewarded with a dram of 18 year Talisker single malt by the fire. Quite a day!

Inspired by the Talisker from the evening before, the next morning we booked a spot for a tour at the distillery. Fun to learn about the history and process, and taste the product!

Processed with Snapseed.

Processed with Snapseed.

Nearby the distillery are the famed Fairy Pools that we visited afterwards. We were dismayed to find it nearly ruined by previous visitors trampling the fragile banks of the streams. Our B&B host had warned us about this, but we were still surprised by the destruction.

Our last full day Skye, we woke up to clear blue and sunshine – we barely recognized our surroundings. We’d planned ahead and reserved tickets for a boat excursion to Loch Coruisk, a sea loch surrounded by the majestic Cuillin Hills. A pair of Harbor Porpoise swam alongside the boat (it took several tries to break through the Scottish accents of the captain to understand what they were), and we spotted lots of seals lounging on rocks. Loch Coruisk was wild, remote, unpopulated and gorgeous – this was the Skye we were looking for!

We loved the beauty of Skye, but it feels like it is on the cusp of being over-discovered. The tiny country roads were more heavily trafficked than we expected, and they were definitely not designed for the enormous towering tour vans that forced our small car into the non-existent shoulder. In retrospect, with more time and better weather, we would have sought out lesser known hikes and walks on the island. We looked forward to continuing our journey along the northern coast of the country, with a one-night stopover in Ullapool before heading to the Orkney Islands…