We set off this morning to see the southern part of The Isle of Skye. We are currently staying on a road that is one lane and basically "gives way" to the sheep of Skye so one has to make sure to leave with enough time to allow for that. On our way out this morning we encountered these fellows!
Maybe they were waiting for the local bus?
We made it to the small fishing village of Elgol where we hopped aboard The Misty Isle for a trip out into the Loch to see the Cuillin "Hills." Let me first say that I will be the first to acknowledge that I am not a science person. Therefore, I don't know what makes something a hill vs a mountain. However, these "hills" sure looked like mountains to me!
In fact the one on the right actually looked like a volcano with the cloud billowing out of it and all!
You can't tell from the pictures as it was a bit misty and rainy as it is Scotland after all, but the water was crystal clear!
There are the "hills" again from the dock of the boat!
We had the option to get off the boat and "hike back" however, those of you who know me know that I am a bit accident prone. See those "hills" and how they are mostly big chunks of rock? Well, we decided that the chances were pretty good that there would have to be an evacuation after I fell on a rock, or fell into the water, or fell off a cliff. So, we road the boat back.
On the way back the captain who was a local to the small fishing village told us to watch this following YouTube clip of a local Skye resident who does mountain biking stunts and did one that they did a short on. The entire stunt was based on "The Ridge" of these hills. Yeah, just watch. I wouldn't WALK that let along do any of that with or on a bike!
On our car ride back through Skye I had my first encounter with the animal I have been on the hunt for and here he is!
Meet the Highland Cow or Bull as the case may be. They are known for their LONG horns and their double coat of curly thick hair!
This hair allows them to overwinter in the cold climates of the Highlands of Scotland. They can withstand temperatures almost to that of the caribou and reindeer.
We then continued back toward our cottage on Skye stopping at a cute little shop right by our cottage called Skye Weavers. The nice young man who works there gave us a demonstration of how they "hand make" their tweed material. Actually they use a loom that is run by a bicycle like machine.
Think of how many steps one would get in during the day! I actually bought a nice wool blanket that is being shipped home to the US so I don't have to count the weight in my luggage allowance!
We ended our day of adventure by traveling out to the end of the peninsula we are staying on. It is actually the Western most tip of Scotland. The sky cleared as we made our way out to the point.
It was an absolutely beautiful and peaceful sight.
The Neist Point Lighthouse is just over the cliff.
You can see the lighthouse way out in the distance. That is the farthest point west in Scotland.
Hey. I could have saved you lots of money. We have a small herd of these right here in Preston County. They are adorable.
ReplyDeleteDonna where are they?
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