We have spent Saturday and Sunday on the Isle of Skye taking in the beauty of the mountains and coastline as we drove through the rain. It took us almost two and a half hours to do our laundry on Saturday afternoon. Next to figuring out which B&B we were actually staying in that night, the laundry was the highlight for me – because it took so much time and because it was good to have clean clothes again. We spent Saturday night at the Glenview B&B which is run by a lovely young couple who look like they're about thirteen. They were very nice, and we had a lovely stay there. We tried to attend church this morning in Staffin on the east coast, but the services didn’t start until 11:00 or 12:00, and we needed to be on our way before then. We also passed several churches along the way, but none of them looked open. So, we didn’t make it to church - maybe next Sunday. We might be over in the Edinburgh area by then.
Today we saw DunVegan Castle, the oldest continuously occupied castle in the UK. The first parts of the castle were built in the 1200s. The word dun means fort. So it seems that there is a fort here for strict vegetarians. You don’t find that often. Following our castle tour we drove out to Neist Point and the lighthouse there. I thought we were just going to look at the view, but Tom decided he wanted to see the lighthouse which was not visible from the top of the hill where we were. So we walked down the very steep hill across a flat area and down another steep hill and across another flat. Oh, my goodness. The lighthouse was interesting and there also were some strange rock formations down there that looked to have been built by some new age types, but then we had to walk all the way back up to the parking lot. Oh, did I mention that it was really steep? Except for the pilgrimage on Iona I have not had much strenuous exercise since my surgery, so this was not easy for me, but we made it eventually. I have to say that I am in better shape than I was two weeks ago. As we drove into a little town today we saw a green street sign with white letters put up by a front gate that read “Elvis Presley Blvd.” You never know where you’re going to find an Elvis fan. Tonight we are staying at the Stein Inn, built in 1790. It is the oldest inn on Skye and is right by the water. It continues to rain, but we took a little walk on the lone street in this part of town after dinner anyway.
Monday morning: it is really stormy now. The leaves on the palm tree out front are blowing almost parallel to the ground and the rain is streaming down the windowpanes. We might not do a lot of walking today. Although Skye is beautiful, I still prefer the Isle of Mull.
The mountains and the coastlines and harbors that we have seen thus far are fantastic. Tom and I have found similarities with the mountains in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont as well as Atlantic Canada, especially Cape Breton. Perhaps long ago when the continents were still connected, the mountains of Scotland were part of the mountain range that we call the Alleghenies in the U.S.
The farther north we drive the more barren and desolate the countryside is. Today there was a lot more exposed rock and fewer trees, and also fewer houses. We had lunch today in Ullapool. We ate with a young man, Jan, from Switzerland. He had chosen a table at which to sit and had then gone up to the bar to order. When he returned we were standing at the table, and after informing us that it was his table, he asked us to join him. Jan and a friend are hiking and camping around Scotland. Their plan was to spend most of their two-month holiday in Scotland, but after three weeks of rain the plan now is to go to France for the remained of the holiday. He was lamenting the fact that they just can’t seem to ever dry out. Before we left, Tom took out his Swiss Army Knife. Jan’s face lit up and he asked what else we knew from Switzerland, Tobleron? Yes, and Swiss banks and the Swiss Army. The Swiss Army was so impressive that they were chosen to guard the Vatican. I have seen those guys, too. They dress in the same style uniform from about the 1500s (I think).
Our friend Jeanne Parker encouraged us to drive up the northwest coast on our way to the Orkney Islands. I’m so glad we took her recommendation. It is stunning up this way, and we had a lovely conversation with an interesting person.
Today, Tuesday, July 21, 2009, we drove from Scourie where we stayed last night in a house that the Duke of Sutherland built for his wife in 1835, to Scrabster where we took the ferry to the Orkney Island of Mainland. The Scourie Lodge also has a lovely garden with palm trees grown from seeds from Australia. It is believed that they are the most northerly growing palm trees in the world. We saw more beautiful mountains and white sand beaches on the drive across the north coast of Scotland. After an hour and a half crossing, we arrived at the town of Stromness. Our abode while on the island for two nights is the Ferry Inn which is right across the street from where the ferry docks. The building is a little worse for wear, but it has character. The first thing we did was to see Skara Brae, a 5,000-year-old settlement on the northwest coast of Mainland. No one seems to know where these people came from or where they went after about 600 years at this site. What motivates people? It’s so hard to know, especially 5,000 years later. We also walked around Stromness a bit (this is a small town, so we didn’t go far) and had supper at the Inn.
No comments:
Post a Comment