IRELAND and SCOTLAND - Day 16 - October 16, 2023

STRANGE LANDSCAPES, LONG DRIVE, WHISKEY LAND - Day 16 - October 16, 2023

Today was our longest drive - over 200 miles on a combination of single track farm roads, narrow two lane secondary roads, and a few stretches of 4 lane motorway.

The sun was out in the sleepy village of Uig this morning. This part of Skye has place names influenced by its Norse past, and Uig (meaning ‘bay’) is one of them.

From our starting point in Uig, we drove east up and over the Trotternish Ridge of mountains. The road was a single track farm route that climbed quickly up to open sheep range. It’s amazing how well the sheep keep the thick grass trimmed. Rocks and shrubs stick up, but the green grass around them looks like it’s been carefully manicured by professional landscapers.

Coming out to the eastern edge of the mountains, we saw the other-worldly landscape of the Quiraing (another Norse derived name, meaning ‘round fold’). The ancient landslides that created the formation have left a wonderland for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts. Filmmakers have also been attracted to the area.

Not too far south from there is Mealt Falls, also known as Kilt Rock Falls. Water from Mealt Loch flows right over a cliff into the sea below. With nearby Kilt Rock as a backdrop, it’s quite a sight.

Further south is the trailhead for climbing up to Storr, another craggy outcrop in the Trotternish hills. We happened by just as a gentle rain was clearing.

We backtracked our route from yesterday until we left the Isle of Skye via the bridge. Then, we went east up, over and through the mountainous Northwest Highlands. The hardwood trees were beginning to get into fall colors, and the Scots Pines and Sitka Spruce trees made it feel like we were up in alpine forests.

Dropping down into Inverness, we crossed over the Moray Firth into this busy city. We caught a glimpse of the North Sea as we drove along the four lane motorway.

Heading due east, we were now in flat farmland. The road straightened out until we got to the old village of Elgin and turned south into the Speyside area. 

Speyside is where they make whiskey, and lots of it. Over half of the whiskey made in Scotland is made here. More than 50 distilleries can be found here, where they say the many rivers and the abundance of good quality water is the main draw for distillers.

By the time we rolled into the Craigellachie Hotel, at the confluence of the River Spey and the River Fiddich for the night, it was time for a taste of the local product.

NEXT: Exploring the nearby villages.

IRELAND and SCOTLAND - Day 15 - October 15, 2023

AN ‘OFFAL’ GOOD START, RAINBOWS, FAIRY POOLS - Day 15, October 15, 2023

I overcame a food fear this morning. I’d heard of this stuff over the years, and it always gave me a little bit of a churning sensation when I thought of it. 

PS

Today, I had haggis for breakfast. And  -  it was pretty tasty!

It reminded me of the black and white pudding I’ve been eating off and on during the past two weeks. It’s kind of like a spicy sausage flavor with a mildly gelatinous texture. Yum!

After eating we jumped in the car and drove northeast on the A82 with the snowy Grampian Mountains to our east and the equally snowy Northwestern Highlands mountains to our west.

The two lane highway followed Loch Lochy and then Loch Cluanie, as we turned northwest onto the A87 and up into the mountains. 

Along the way, we had sunshine, wind, rain and rainbows in no particular order. Gorse, heather and ferns covered the hills and stretched up the craggy slopes while dozens of streams gushed down from the upper reaches of the mountains.

We made a quick stop at one of the castles, Eilean Donan Castle, to snap a few photos.

We got to Kyle of Lochalsh and left the Scottish mainland by crossing the Skye Bridge over to the Isle of Skye. An interesting tidbit about the bridge is that there had never been a bridge to the island until this one was completed in the mid-1990’s.

The bridge owners (based in the U.S.A.) made it a toll bridge. The toll was not received well by the locals. As early as opening day, people began refusing to pay when they crossed. For the next decade, and after many protests and much political wrangling, the toll was abolished. So, we crossed for free.

Our first stop was the Fairy Pools in the western part of Skye. On sunny days, the pools have a blue color to them. On days like today, with light rain and overcast skies, there’s not as much color. Still, it’s quite picturesque.

Historians say this is also the site of one of the last big clan battles in 17th century Scotland. It seems the MacDonalds of Sleat and the MacLeods of Dunvegan just couldn’t get along.

After our little walk to the pools, we drove to our small hotel near the northern tip of Skye, in the Eilean a’Cheo Ward, in the coastal village of Uig. From our room we have a view of The Little Minch, which is the sea just northeast of the Sea of the Hebrides.

To finish off the day, I had a wee dram of some peaty Talisker Whiskey and a pint of Skye Red Ale - each of these libations made here in Skye.

NEXT: Mealt Falls, then long drive to Speyside.

IRELAND and SCOTLAND - Day 14 - October 14, 2023

IN THE HIGHLANDS - MORNING RAIN, AFTERNOON SNOW, EVENING RAIN - Day 14 - October 14, 2023

Our B & B is a cozy inn on a hill overlooking Loch Linnhe in old town Fort William. One of the items offered for breakfast today was haggis. I haven’t convinced myself to eat it yet - perhaps tomorrow morning.

It was a brisk highland morning, at around 38 degrees with a stiff breeze, when we drove south to see Inchree Falls. Most of the waterfalls around here are running pretty well with all the recent rain. There’s a short trail up to a viewpoint.

A group of climbers was working its way down the falls while we were there. 

We were planning to continue south to see a few more sights, but we saw the sky clearing and decided to go north a few miles to ride the Ben Nevis Gondola while there was an opening in the weather.

The enclosed ski gondolas (4 person) go about halfway up Aonach Mor. The top of the mountain is at 4000’, which makes it the eighth highest in Scotland. Today’s air temperature at 2100’ was 32F with a wind chill of around 25F. When we stepped out of the gondola, we walked right into our first taste of winter weather.

Karen and Laura opted to wait in the little cafe at the top of the gondola.  Paul and I took a little one hour walk to a viewpoint. 

The wind was howling at this elevation and then we started to get snow showers coming in horizontally. Every few minutes it would stop snowing and the sun would come out. It was cold, but the 360 degree view of the Glencoe Valley, the nearby lochs, and Ben Nevis (highest mountain in UK at 4413’) was well worth it.

When we got back down to our car, it seemed a little warmer, but not much. We drove back south through Glencoe to see The Meeting of Three Waters waterfall. Once we were there, we realized we’d already seen it on yesterday’s drive. We just didn’t recognize it with all the clouds and rain that day.

Back in Fort William, we hit the Crofter Bar for dinner. It’s a locals hangout pub and we got a good feel for the Saturday night atmosphere. When we got back to the B & B and told our host where we’d eaten, she asked if we had seen any fights at the pub and she seemed surprised that we hadn’t. Turns out that we really did go to the right place for local flavor.

NEXT: Portree, Isle of Skye

IRELAND and SCOTLAND - Day 13 - October 13, 2023

GOOD BYE IRELAND, HELLO SCOTLAND - Day 13 - October 13, 2023

Our drive to Belfast International Airport gave us a taste of big city driving in Ireland. It’s a little too close to the U.S.A. style of morning commutes for my liking.

The flight to Glasgow was delayed for an hour, so it was late in the afternoon by the time we got our rental car (a big Mercedes Benz SUV) and hit the road. Traffic was pretty heavy in Glasgow as we headed out of town under rainy skies.

It wasn’t long before the big wide highways turned into narrow twisty roads. The route up into the highlands took us past Loch Lomond, Loch Leven, and into the Glencoe valley area. Small ribbon waterfalls came down the steep mountainsides on either side of the valley.

We got to our B & B in Fort William just before dark. Tomorrow, we’ll figure out what we’re going to do.

NEXT: ?