I'm 24 years old, living with my husband in our new home, along with our rabbit, Charlie, and our tw...
I'm 24 years old, living with my husband in our new home, along with our rabbit, Charlie, and our two guinea pigs, Pickle and Ginger.
Member since:13.08.2002
Reviews:5
Members who trust:1
The Isle of Skye is, to me, one of the most stunning places to visit. I have been twice, both times in May, both times with my parents.
Accommodation on Skye is plentiful. Many islanders have cottages they will rent out, whilst others have turned spare rooms into B&Baccommodation. For my first visit, in 1995, we rented a cottage in Sleat, near the southern-most tip of the island, about 5 miles outside Armadale. The village of Sleat is very quiet and peaceful, but does have the drawback of being at the far end of twenty minutes worth of mainly single track road. On my most recent visit, I did discover that the first section has been widened.
I would definately recommend a detour off the Armadale road to Tarskavaig. Along this semi-circle of single track road, we managed to view seal, common tern, golden eagle, great northern diver, the Black and Red Cuillin Hills, both mallard and eider duck, and the islands of Rhum and Eigg. The view of Rhum (i think it was Rhum!) was stunning as it had a cloud of mist settled on top of the island, looking very much like a blob of whipped cream! Also off the Armadale road is the narrow, windy road to Kylerhea.
Kylerhea is the location of an Otter Sanctuary. My parents and I spent two hours sat in a hide, being very quiet and talking in whispers, in the hope of seeing one of Skye's supposedly common residents. After two hours, it was somewhat disappointing to have only seen 15 grey seals! But the ferry running to the mainland is also worth a visit. It takes 6 cars and costs about £5.00 each way, crossing to and from Glenelg. The ferry is built on a turntable basis, in that the wheelhouse is at one end, and cars drive on at the other end, facing the wheelhouse. The ferrymen then release a lock and spin the deck by 180 degrees and re-lock it, so that the cars can drive off forwards at the other side. Very novel and also inspiring, as the surrent through the sound at that point is very strong.
For those wanting a little more noise and people, head northwards to Portree. As the main town on Skye, Portree has a livelier atmosphere than Broadford, where the small airport is. My best memory of Portree is the harbour. Seen recently on TV in "Two Thousand Acres of Sky," the harbour is the place where the day's catch is unloaded, and thus, in my eyes, provides the best fish and chip shop in town with the delicacy! Best eaten sat on the harbour wall watching a rainbow stretched over the hills and harbour mouth!
Skye has many natural features - the Quiraing, a naturally pinaccled rock feature; Kilt Rocks - cliffs which have fault lines looking like the pleats of a kilt, plus a waterfall which, owing to the ever-present breeze, has a tendancy to flow upwards; the river at Sligachan is very impressive after rain, plus the island has many natural bays and beaches.
The Isle of Skye has a magic all of its own, for hich I am struggling to find the words to describe, but it has certainly cast its spell on me. I can't wait for my next visit - I wonder if my husband has thought about next year's holiday yet???
Skye is certainly a beautiful island....I remember one memorable trip when we went to Sligachan and camped outside the hotel.......it was so cold all our fruit and veg froze, lolol!
ironfrost 15.08.2002 16:06
I really love Skye; it's great for walking and climbing. The only thing wrong with it is the weather^^
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Advantages: beautiful scenery, peaceful, silent Disadvantages: Very dependent on the season and the weather. And the weather is often fickle with tourists.
Aug 14th, 2002
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