Double Jeopardy Category: Isle of Skye

Hello everyone, I'm your host, Alex Trebeck, let's start today's round of Jeopardy!

Q.  Although not known as the "Lord of the Isles", this clan possessed a much finer castle home.

A.  Who are the MacLeods?

We visited Dunvegan castle today, traditional and current home of the chiefs of clan MacLeod.  Although their neighbors on Skye, the MacDonalds, considered themselves Lords of the Isles, the MacLeods had a much finer castle and grounds.  A lot of history was on display and the castle is in really good shape for Scotland.  I think we were a little too early to catch the gardens in their best shape, but the waterfall was great and the tulips were almost too good to be real.

Q.  Known as the "Sheepwhisperer" this real-life Doctor Doolittle discovered his ability to talk to sheep while on vacation on the Isle of Skye.

A.  Who is Rik?

There has to be at least a 10:1 ratio of sheep to people here, they literally are everywhere.  Whenever Fiona scampered off to get the perfect shot to feed your incessant demand for blog pictures, I would invariably be left face to face with a herd of sheep.  I soon discovered that I could command the attention of the entire flock by bleating.  They would all stop eating and stare at me intensely.  I thought it was cool at first, but now I feel the weight of responsibility on my shoulders - being the sole link for communication between humans and sheep is a little more than I bargained for.  

Q.  The Isle of Skye's lone brewery.

A.  What is the "Isle of Skye Brewery"?

OK, so the name is not so original, but the beer is pretty tasty.  I've been looking for a local Scottish beer that I could enjoy as much as I loved the local beer in Houston, Shiner.  I think I've found it.  It's called Red Cuillin and it's brewed in a small brewery in the town of Uig ($5 if you can pronounce that correctly first time).  I bought a case.  It reminds me a little of Rickard's Red ...

Q.  In this hidden gem of Scotland, hobbits would feel right at home.

A. What is the Fairy Glen?

Our Lonely Planet guidebook steered us towards this beautiful piece of scenery just outside Uig.  We've never seen anything quite like it.  These small hills covered in grass and slumps, with sheep grazing.  Ponds, waterfalls and ruined cottages rounds out the perfect imitation of the Shire from Lord of the Rings.  

Q.  A formation of sandstone and vertical volcanic sills makes up this famous Isle of Skye viewpoint.

A.  What is Kilt Rock.

So named because the vertical beds in the cliff look like the pleats on a kilt, it truly was a spectacular view.  The railing keeping you from falling 100m down into the sea below were humming in the wind, creating this eerie noise, like a faraway boat sounding its horn.  This was probably the busiest place we've been on the Isle - with tour buses galore.

Q.  About one day.

A.  How long does it take to drive around the Isle of Skye?

We've done this before, on PEI when we were there for Adele and Doug's wedding.  It looks intimidating because it takes up a whole page on the driving atlas, but, even with some single track lanes, we managed to make it around most of the island in one day. 

Q.  They're having a great time on the Isle of Skye.

A.  Who are Rik and Fiona.

Truly.  It's such a unique landscape, and it feels like stereotypical Scotland, from the sheep to the castles to the weather to the small lanes.  If you're coming to Scotland, you might want to leave a couple of days in your itinerary for this.