Isle of Skye

The drive into Isle of Skye was beautiful. There is only one way onto the island, on the Skye Bridge. We drove until we came to Portree, the largest town on the island. We had initially tried to get a place to stay here, but it was all booked. It was a long day of driving, so we stopped to walk around town. It is a very cute town with lots of shops and restaurants. I stopped in a little candy shop and got some rhubarb rock candy. It looked interesting and I wanted to try it. I really liked it!

An Talla Mor Eighteen Twenty

We stopped for a quick pint in this interesting pub. It is a converted church in Portree with large spaces for bands to play.

Redwood House

About 30 minutes west of Portree is Redwood House. This is where we will be taking for the next three nights.

The Redwood House was very nice. However, there is a 2 mile one track road to get to it. Good thing I had some practice in the Highlands! the road was a bit rough and had many sheep crossing it. I just took it slow and we got there eventually. We reserved dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. the food was really good.

The hotel included breakfast, so I tried the Scottish breakfast. I got the fried egg, bacon, haggis, hash browns and tattie (potatoes) scone. All of it was delicious.

Action Tour Guide

I found this app through Airbnb Experiences. This app will automatically play clips of information as you drive. You get details on sights, geology, folklore and much more. We really liked this app.

I downloaded the tour for Isle of Skye on Action Tour Guide. Once it is downloaded, you do not need WiFi or cell service. It also allows you to start anywhere along the tour route. It will automatically play clips for the area you are at. This tour technically started at the Sky Bridge, but we started it from our hotel along the tour route.

It was a rainy day, so we decided the auto tour was the way to go. We headed west to dfsdfsdfsadf. It was very windy and cold.

Talisker Distillery

The audio tour recommended we stop at this distillery. I tried the Talisker Skye, Talisker Port Ruighe and Talisker Distiller Exclusive. They were all a bit peaty for me.

The audio tour also mentioned that tweed was made in a town called Portalong just up the road. We went to check it out, but could not find any shops.

The Oyster Shed

The bartender at the Talisker Distillery recommended this place for lunch. It had a unique setup. You placed your order on an iPad, picked up your cold dishes at the oyster bar inside the shed. Hot food was prepared and served in a food truck outside.

We drove down to the Fairy Pools, but the rain became very hard with lots of wind. We decided not to do the one mile hike to see them. Maybe later this week.

Skye Textile Mill

We did find a textile mill, hoping to find some tweed. It was very small and only had hats, gloves and scarves. Sandy got a really nice wool scarf. They also had original machinery that knitted the wool. It was pretty cool to watch.

We had dinner back at the hotel again. Tonight they were serving venison loin. Yum!

The next day, the weather was more promising. We headed up the Trotternish Peninsula and continued our audio tour.

Kilt Rock & Mealt Falls

This falls drops 196 feet over basalt cliffs into the Sound of Raasay. Just past the falls is Kilt Rock. The basalt columns make it look like pleats on a kilt.

Lealt Falls

This multi level water fall flows out into the Sound of Raasay. It is known as a prime breeding ground for salmon.

There are also the remains of a Victorian-era Old Diatomite Factory. Diatomite was quarried here and used for paint, cosmetics, toothpaste and more.

Old Man of Storr

This is one of the biggest attractions on the isle .the rock formation appears to have an old mans face on it. There are a couple of folklore stories about how it came to be.

Bride’s Veil Falls

The water here cascades down the rocks in a number of narrow channels. The channels connect in random spots to make a web/net like a Lacey bride’s veil.

Hairy Coos

These log hair cows are everywhere! For $3 you can get close and pet them if you want.

The Trotternish peninsula was very crowded with tourists. We were able to see most of the sights in this area, so we headed south to the Sleat Peninsula. This part of Isle of Skye is really off the Beaten path. We hardly saw any cars on the roads.

Buth Eilean Iarmain

Saw a sign for Gaelic Gin. Had to stop and sample. It was pretty good, I actually bought a bottle. (I’m up to 5 bottles of gin to take home now!)

The drive through Sleat Peninsula was quiet. Many single track roads. Came across a flock of black sheep. There must have been around 30 of them. I have never seem a flock of only black sheep. (I did not have a chance to take a photo). The day was sunny and the views were calm and serene.

Hendrick’s Sunspell Gin

Back at the hotel, I had time to enjoy my Hendrick’s Sunspell gin. (Only available in Duty Free). It was inspired by a Scottish sunset. Figured this was the best place to drink it!

On our way out of Isle of Skye, we stopped at Eilean Donna Caslte.This castle has been used in many films and shows. It was a rainy day, so an inside tour fit the bill! It was interesting to see even the guy directing traffic had a special kilt with reflective tape on it.