Isle of Skye

We got up bright and early today to start our Isle of Skye long weekend.  We had dropped off Casey at a kennel the night before - getting to and from the country kennel is a story on its own - we ended up having to get directions from someone on a horse!

I was about to write that the trip was uneventful, but I don't think that is entirely accurate.  It's always an adventure driving through northern Scotland, where the main roads disappear and are replaced by a series of tracks and roads that barely fit one car.  If you are unlucky enough to end up behind a bus or tractor you could be driving 30 miles an hour for the next 50  miles.

We dodged and weaved our way to Strathcarron by lunchtime and pulled into the local pub for lunch.  The bartender had a buddy he was talking to, who was quickly joined by his granny for lunch.  It was all very quaint.  And just when you think that you've gotten as far away from home as possible, the bartender/waiter asks where you're from, and when you say Edmonton, he tells you about the year he spent working there and how wonderful it was to see a mall with dolphins and submarines.

As we got to the "other" side of Scotland and started to see the ocean, we were taken aback by the amazing view points.  It was hard to take my eyes off the blind corners and hills, but Fiona tells me it was quite nice.  We eventually got to the Kyle of Lochlash, where the Skye bridge takes you from the mainland onto the Isle of Skye.  The rain was intermittent, which is a bit of a problem for us as our wipers are really bad.  We need either a good steady rain to keep the wipers lubricated, or no rain at all, otherwise they scrape and generate a noise that has no equivalent in the natural world.

We got to our hotel in the early afternoon and it was fabulous.  We've got a nice room overlooking an old garden and a stone's throw from the sea.  After we got settled we headed out into the island, stopping first at Armadale castle, the traditional home of Clan MacDonald.  The castle itself is not much more than an assembly of ruins, but the associated gardens were fabulous.  There was an interpretive centre with a history of the MacDonalds that was kind of cool.  Afterwards we trundled up the coast a little further on these small one track roads until our car was attacked by a goose - or gander I guess.  He seemed quite upset at the prospect of us driving past his ladies!

We got back to the hotel and had a very nice dinner.  We're catching up on some Master's golf highlights before bed - although we're more used to watching major tournament golf highlights in the afternoon with Roger, the calm demeanor of the announcers helps put you in a nice frame of mind for bed.  I think I can get used to it.

Anyway, enjoy the pictures, we should have more over the next couple of days.