lucy in the skye with... backpackers

My god thats the corniest title... anyway, this is a little story about our trip to the Isle of Skye...

I'm generally pretty dubious about those backpacker bus tours advertised at hostels, they're all a bit wacky and zany for me. But Bri and I had a reliable tip-off that the 3 day bus tour to Skye was a good one, so we signed up. We departed at 9am Sunday morning (way too early) with a tour group including was a mix of aussie, canadian, russian, south korean, german. Our tour guide Jamie was a Scotsman (who unfortunately doesn't wear a kilt whilst driving the bus like the other drivers apparently do, loses points for that according to Bri!), but he had gorgeous dry scottish sense of humour and a brilliant story-telling manner, recounting all sorts of tales of murder, rape and pillage from scottish history whilst driving us through the countryside.

First stop was Dunkeld to check out a 14th century cathedral, still operational, but with the back half in ruins.



It was so beautiful, complete with amazing chiming bells. I also managed to find a bakery nearby for a top class cornish pasty yummm! Drove through Inverness, and then on to Loch Ness, where Jamie invited us to take a dip in the (freezing cold) water. We all thought he was kidding until he stripped off to his shorts and waded in, only one other guy from Melbourne joined him - except for Nessie of course who was already in and waved hello to us ; )

Stopped at Urquart Castle and then Eilean Donan castle, which for all you 80's film fans is the setting of Highlander! (apparently of Die Another Day and Entrapment too hmmm). Finally arrived in Skye and checked into our hostel in Kyleakin, where we stayed for the two nights. Its a tiny town, no shops at all but 2 pubs of course. Spent the first night at the pub, ate a yummy fish supper of haddock and chips (yum again) and then Bri beat us all at countless games of pool.

This was the pub we DIDN'T go to...



Day 2 was a day trip around Skye, starting with us all dipping our faces in a creek, which as legend has it will make you beautiful (bring it on i say...). Strangely the South Koreans didn't join in, perhaps coz they thought they were beautiful enough already. But more likley they had absolutely no idea what Jamie was talking about and wondered what the hell we were all doing dunking our heads in the freezing creek at 9.30 in the morning.

Then wandered about Portree, Skye's capital, which had a pretty bay lined on one side with coloured houses...



We picked up some supplies for lunch, and had a yummy brunch of a real sausage roll and tiny perfect pineapple tart...



Strangely again, the South Koreans re-emerged on the bus carrying the most enormous packet of chips (crisps). It was almost bigger than them. Maybe you can't buy crisps in South Korea.

After a drive up to the north of the isle, we walked up into the hills for a picnic lunch surrounded by the crazy shaggy sheep and drank in the view.







Then stopped by the McLeod Castle, and got to explore this one from the inside. Wouldn't mind hanging out there for a while, althought the torture chamber didn't look too appealing. It was built next to the kitchen so the prisoners could smell the food being prepared for the fancy people upstairs, which they of course wouldn't be eating. so mean... Anyway, next visit was to a little valley called the Fairy glen, where everything is tiny - mini trees, little flowers, and a rocky outcrop they call the fairy castle. Hippie heaven!

Day three we made our way back to Edinburgh, past Ben Nevis - the highest peak in the UK and with a very bad rep (heaps of people die trying to climb it). Then to Fort William, where the Fort has now been replaced with a supermarket (!!) and to the William Wallace monument in Stirling.

We spent lunch in the valley of Glen Coe, a really beautful place which was the site of a horrible clan massacre. When climbing back after lunch, a busker completely kitted out started playing his bagpipes up at the top of the hill. The sound drifted through the valley was really spookily beautiful.



Scots are obsessed by cows and we stopped to meet Hamish the highland cow, poor thing was held in a pen near a main road and harrassed by tourists constantly. I have no idea why Hamish is so famous, there was a whole souvenir shop devoted to him. He was pretty cute though.



Got back to Edinburgh completely buggered, but it was a great few days, really worth doing. I did make a bet that I would go back to Lock Ness for a dip, but lets hope everyone forgets...

xx