We awoke Friday morning to gray, dreary skies full of rain. The day before hadn't been sunny, so we were disappointed that our visit to the Isle of Skye would be filled with clouds. We had an entire list of things we wanted to see and do; so we hoped with all hope that the skies would clear. After breakfast, we left the southern part of the island to drive north to the Quairang Mountains, where we wanted to see and hike to Old Man of Storr, a volcanic rock formation that sticks up like a finger pointing to the sky. We're not sure why its called Old Man of Storr, because the formation looks nothing like an old man. There was one rock formation that resembled a man's head. We definitely saw the formation many miles away, but a huge black cloud was hanging over the area, and rain was pouring down.
We decided to drive on up to Lealt Falls, a beautiful waterfall that the casual tourist might pass by. You have to walk a little ways to see it, but it was so beautiful! The picture of the three of us was made in front of the falls. We drove a couple of more miles up the road to find Kilt Rock and the Kilt Rock Waterfall, a lake that spills over the cliffs right into the ocean. It was a spectacular sight to see. There was also a sign telling about the many dinosaur fossils found on the island. Abby enjoyed comparing the size of her foot to the footprints of the dinosaurs. A real dinosaur footprint exists on Staffen Beach, but we did not have the time to stop and explore. Across the road from Kilt Rock, there is a small dinosaur museum, where Abby got to handle dinosaur fossils and touch a real dinosaur leg bone! She was pretty excited about that!
After lunch, we took the scenic route up the Quairang Mountains. They were so impressive from the road, but they were even more impressive when we got out to walk the ridge! It was amazing; we felt like we were on top of the world. We walked as far as we could go until the path got too dangerous for Abby to cross. We could see the front of Needle Rock from the valley floor, but hikers told us that it really stands out when viewing it from the ridge. Darn--that will have to be an adventure for another time!
We circled the Mountains and drove to the Museum of Skye Life, a small museum that highlights the life of the early crofters on the island. These crofters were farmers who lived in thatched huts. Abby learned a little about smitheys, wool weavers, and oat farming. We took a picture of her standing in front of an oat grinder--who knows when we would ever see one of those again!We also toured a croft house.Down the road from the museum is the grave of Flora Macdonald, the famous Macdonald who helped Prince Charles escape to France.
We decided to drive back down toward the Old Man of Storr to see if the rain cleared--yeah, sunlight and clear sky! We desperately wanted to hike to the top of that mountain; something just pulled us. We've read that it is a beautiful hike, and one of the last pictures in the blog shows the view of the ocean and mountains from the top. Abby sang and told stories about fairies and trolls the entire way. The entire climb to the top took about an hour, and it was a very steep climb. We were so proud of Abby for hiking the entire trail. Parts of the trail wound through forest and felt like the Smokeys. Under the dark canopy of the trees, the hike felt a little enchanted, which inspired Abby's stories. When we finally got to the top, we enjoyed the different formations, and we even saw bunnies darting about. Rabbit holes were everywhere! And of course there were sheep!
Our total hike lasted about 2 1/2 hours, so we were starving when we reached the bottom of the trail, especially after hiking the ridge and touring museums earlier in the day! We drove a short way to a town called Portree, where we found a few seafood restaurants. We had a delicious (and reasonably priced) dinner of fish and crab. After such a long day, we all slept soundly at the Bed and Breakfast. We've decided that we like Bed and Breakfasts much better than hotels, because we get to be part of someone's home for a night and share in the lives of the locals. Plus, the English breakfast is delicious! We don't order the full breakfast, just the parts we'll eat (they don't appreciate wasted food). We've learned that a full English breakfast consists of bacon (which is much meatier than our bacon back home), sausage, eggs, baked beans, mushrooms, grilled tomato, toast and jam. On top of that, most places offer cereal, porridge, yogurt, and fruit. You really should not go hungry at a Bed and Breakfast. Most places are very accommodating of children, so we've been pleased. We left feeling completely satisfied, but Abby was hungry just 2 hours later. She has definitely grown since the beginning of our trip. Her jeans are at least an inch shorter! Why can't we all grow taller instead of wider?
No comments:
Post a Comment