Today we headed off to the Isle of Skye. To say that this leg of our journey has been much anticipated is putting it lightly. My husband was full of excitement and was eager to be on our way. He has waited his whole life to see many of the places we were going to visit and all of his hard work, planning, and preparation was finally coming to fruition.
First, we had to head into downtown Edinburgh to meet our guide with Discover Scotland Tours. It was an early pickup, but we got there with plenty of time to spare. Thank goodness for that too- If it were left to me, we'd miss out because I am often in my own little world and lollygagging about. I appreciate that David always steps up and takes charge of that type of thing and makes sure everything is taken care of. We were both hungry, so David once again stepped into hero mode and took off onto the streets of Edinburgh to find us breakfast. Fifteen minutes later he was back with two egg and sausage baguettes from Snax Cafe. They were delightful and gave us the energy to tackle the day. As David walked around he snapped a few pictures of the downtown area.
We met a nice Australian couple as we were waiting for our bus and chatted with them for a while. I was feeling a bit jet lagged, but listening to their flight details made me feel some extra gratitude for our much shorter journey! It wasn't long and soon we were off on our adventure. In true Scottish fashion the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down. We laughed and were happy to be on the bus with raincoats in hand! For our first stop we were headed towards the town of Luss along the banks of Loch Lomond in the Trossachs National Park. The drive was uneventful and soon we were on the shores of the Loch. Sadly, the rain and clouds prevented us from seeing some of the views of the loch, but we did not mind. It is hard to be annoyed by anything when you are in Scotland rather than at work. We also met up with Julia at this stop and were excited to be spending more time with her as well.
On a side note the Trossachs National park has earned the distinction as the first National park in Scotland. You would think that means it is really old, but that would not be the case. It was not awarded this status until 2002. We found that very surprising.
After a break in Luss we were back on the road. I looked over at David and I could tell he was feeling some kind of way. He was very serious, but also really excited at the same time. I recognized that he was realizing a life long dream and I left him to it. David's maternal family hails from Glencoe and this region is part of his ancestral home. David had shared with me one time that he would know he had "made it" when the day came that he could walk on the same ground as his ancestors in Glencoe. I know his mind was racing thinking about all the days he dreamed of this moment. I felt so privileged to share this moment with him and watching the expressions on his face change as the scenery started to change around us. The gently rolling hills gave way to the mountains rising above us. We were finally in the highlands. It had a forlorn feel to the area, but also a wondrous beauty. The pictures do not do it justice, but will give you a better feel for what we saw.
On a lighter note, we also found the road used in the movie Skyfall. Apparently the area was supposed to be James Bond's boyhood home, so it was featured in the film. I also got to see my first highland cow! I was very excited about that.
As beautiful as Glencoe was and as excited as he was to see the area, David was looking even more forward to the next stop. After all the years he has spent studying Scotland there is one view that he was eager to see with his own eyes. That was the Glenfinnan Monument in front of Loch Shiel. To David the beauty of this view is unparalleled and to finally lay his eyes on it meant more to him than I can share in a blog post.
For those of you not familiar with the monument it represents the location that Bonnie Prince Charlie landed on the shores of Scotland to take the crown. He convinced some of the clans to join his cause and he had some success. However, eventually his campaign fell apart and he was killed. The clans in the area wanted to remember him and his cause, so they created this monument in this beautiful location.
For Harry Potter fans this location is equally special for another reason. The famed Glenfinnan Viaduct is at this same stop. Our guide timed things perfectly and about 15 minutes after we arrived the Harry Potter train came roaring past on the Viaduct. It was such a fun experience. Loch Shiel also has one other tie to the Harry Potter franchise. The water scenes from the tri wizard competition were filmed in Loch Shiel. It was a fun stop and I soaked up every Harry Potter moment.
Loch Shiel- home of the Tri Wizard Tournamnet!
After a couple of hours it was time to head out again. We were heading to the most photographed castle in Scotland: Eilean Donan. This is a smaller castle, but the setting is breathtaking. It is surrounded by water with soaring mountains all around. We didn't have time to explore the castle, but I could have just sat there staring at that castle for an entire day. It was a definite must see. The castle was built back in the 1400’s as a defensive position against Vikings and other invading clans. During the Jacobite Revolution the castle was completely destroyed. However, 200 years later the original building plans were discovered and it was restored.
Finally as the sun began to set we crossed the Isle of Skye bridge and officially were on the island. Our bed and breakfast was in the tiny hamlet of Kyleakin. We were staying at the Winklebeech B&B and were greeted by Fiona as we came inside. She took care of all our needs and made sure we were settled into our room. Our door even used a “real” key! That was a nice surprise. What was an even better surprise is she gave us a room on the second floor with an unobstructed view of the water and the Isle of Skye bridge.
For dinner that night my husband had made reservations at Saucy Mary’s just down the road from the B&B. This restaurant is always packed and reservations are required. I had the fish and chips (hey when in Scotland eat like a local). For desert we tried Cranachan. We had a laugh at that desert because we made it for a presentation our daughter, Savannah, did in middle school. It brought back some fond memories for us and it was delicious. After that we slowly walked back to our B&B and collapsed in bed. What a day!
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