Waking in the van for our early morning ferry, we headed to Mallaig through sheets of rain and increasing bursts of wind. At the gate to the ferry, we were informed that all ferries for the day had been called off, due to the weather. The red-bandana wearing news-bearer instructed us to park ‘over there’ to get a refund. After 15 minutes he came over to inquire if we had received the refund. It turns out we had to go inside to arrange this. We were rightfully called a ‘pair of plonkers’.
Heading the long way around to Syke via the bridge, we were faced with ever-heavier sheets of rain and gales through the mainland mountains. The view was splendid. Probably.
We stopped by Eilean Donan Castle (McRae clan), which looked awfully exposed. We decided that if they weren’t worried about pirates, they must have been the pirates.
Onto Skye, the rain did not slow up at all, and where there’s rain, there’s waterfalls. We stopped by Skye Skyns, the only tannery in the UK. They mostly produce sheep skins (from sheep who were already being killed) and they had to learn from someone in Norway as the knowledge had been lost in the UK. They use Mimimosa tree extracts to soften the hides, rather than harsher chemical processes.
Battling back through potholed, puddled single-lane roads and buffeting winds, we visited Dunvegan castle, which was home to McLeod chiefs for 800 years, starting with Norwegian Viking bloodlines in the early 13th century. The castle’s interior had clearly been lived in until quite recently, but they nonetheless had some incredible artefacts and even a dungeon(!)
To top things off, the gardens were amazing!
We were pleasantly surprised at every turn.
They even had plant names in English, Latin and Gaelic.
I mean, honestly!
Running back to the car through even more rain, we headed to Edinbane Inn for a delicious, coastal dinner. We’re now figuring out if we’ll be staying in a Bothy or the back of the van tonight. Wish us luck!
This featured blog entry was written by OaksGoWalking from the blog Hattie and Jess Go Walking.
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