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England-Scotland Day 8 (Part 4) – Evening at Portree on the Isle of Skye


10 April 2010

The village of Portree, situated on the east side of Skye overlooking a sheltered bay, is the capital of the island and centrally located on the Isle of Skye.  and . It is surrounded by hills, Ben Tianavaig to the south and Suidh Fhinn or Fingal’s Seat to the west, both about 1000ft (413m and 312m respectively) and Ben Chrachaig, much lower (144m) to the north.

The area around Portree harbour is a good place to stay and we had booked a Bed & Breakfast B&B, called the Ben Tianavaig. It is located on high ground, overlooking the Portree harbour.

“Postcard view” of the Portree harbour from outside the B&B. Yes, we saw postcards of Scotland with this view!


I had booked the B& B via email and our hosts Bill and Charlotte Johnson were waiting for our arrival. Bill helped directed me to park the car into a tight space by the road across the B&B. We took the 2 rooms at the ground floor, on both sides of the entrance. 

Once we had checked in and freshen up, it was time to explore the small town of Portree and also dinner! Naturally, we took a stroll downhill to the harbour front.

Ben Tianaviag B&B – great place to stay in Portree and some of the best hosts we met during our trip.


Isle of Skye, Portree, ScotlandView of the actual Ben Tianavaig across the harbour. The B&B is named after this mountain that could be viewed outside the B&B and also from our breakfast table on the second floor of the B&B.


Isle of Skye, Portree, ScotlandInteresting road sign at Portree harbour, Isle of Skye. Good thing we walked here!


Isle of Skye, Portree, ScotlandOur B&B perched on the top of the cliff, overlooking the harbour, and walking distance to the restaurants in the town.


Isle of Skye, Portree, ScotlandPortree harbour and Ben Tianavaig glowing in the evening sun. It was about 7.45 PM by now but the sky was still bright in spring.


Isle of Skye, Portree, ScotlandChecking out the menu of the Sea Breezes restaurant at Portree Harbour.


After a day of driving, we needed a good dinner to end the day with. Choosing the Seabreezes Restaurant was a good decision. Dinner at the Seabreezes Restaurant was great! We ordered the langoustine platter, fresh scallop pasta amongst other seafood. The scallops (about 8 cm in diameter) was the largest and tastiest I have eaten so far.

The view of the harbour and town at dusk was simply pretty. I had left my tripod in the B&B, so I had to improvise to take some long exposure shots of the night scene.

View of Portree from the outside the Seabreeze Restaurant before our dinner. Our B&B is on the top right hand corner of picture. 


View of Portree from the outside the Seabreeze Restaurant after our dinner. Beautiful!


Portree Harbour at night. Calm and serene. This photo was shot on long exposure, without tripod, but resting my camera on the railings!


Portree after dark. Quiet and peaceful.


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England-Scotland Day 9 (Part 1) – Our plan for exploring the Trotternish Peninsula on Isle of Skye

11 April 2010

The day started off with a good breakfast on the second floor of the Ben Tianaviag B&B. Besides serving us an excellent breakfast, Bill Johnson came to chat with us and helped fine-tuned our sight-seeing plan for the day. 

Our plan was to explore the Trotternish Peninsula and North-East Skye and all these could be covered in a day, going up one side of it and come down the other side for a full circuit.

Places I planned to cover includes the following:

THE OLD MAN OF STORR (8 miles north of Portree) - stone pinnacle which is 160 feet high and featured on many postcards on Scotland.

LEALT (14 miles north of Portree) – a walking trail to see Skye's most spectacular gorge and waterfall.

MEALT WATERFALL AND KILT ROCK (17 miles north of Portree) - a waterfall that drops 300 feet into the sea.  Kilt Rock is where columns of dolerite form what appears to be pleats in the cliff

THE QUIRAING (20 miles north of Portree) – Mountains with weird formations of pinnacles and pillars.

DUNTULM CASTLE (26 miles north of Portree) – a ruin castle close by the sea.

UIG (15 miles north-west of Portree) - Ferry terminal and town. Probably a good place for lunch.

FAIRY GLEN (2 or 3 miles east of Uig) - conical mounds and hillocks divided by steep-sided narrow valleys were formed by a process of landslips. 

DUNVEGAN CASTLE (22 miles west of Portree ) - Picturesque castle and wooded gardens.

 

Bill loaned us his detailed maps of Skye which I found particularly useful. He recommended that we drive up to the Quiraing for the gorgeous views and walks at the top. He said that we should have no problems with it if we had done the Applecross Pass. It is going to be easier or pretty much the same!

The above itinerary would be enough for a day trip but I wanted to photograph Neist Point at sunset. Neist Point is the most Westerly point on the Isle of Skye. This is a good place for short coastal walks, spectacular sceneries and watching the sunset. It would meant a detour from the standard Trotternish Peninsula driving route, going through some single-track roads, to get to this remote area.

It may mean some night driving on the way back. But if you had seen some the photographs of this place in postcards of Scotland, you will understand why this was a “MUST GO” place for me in Skye. I will post my photos of Neist Point at a later post. We planned to be back at Portree for dinner and probably back to the Sea Breezes Restaurant again!

By the time we finished our breakfast and ready to go, it was 10 AM. I could not help taking more shots of the postcard picture views of Portree with the reflection of the pastel coloured buildings off the still water of the harbour, but this time in the morning light. The lighting was harsher now, so it was not the best picture but still pretty nevertheless.

Photo of Portree Harbour in the late morning. 


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England-Scotland Day 9 (Part 2) – Old Man of Storr, Lealt Falls and Mealt Waterfall and Kilt Rock

11 April 2010

Leaving Portree, we drove northwards towards the Trotternish Peninsula via the A855. We could see the Old Man of Storr from the road as we approached it, some 8 miles north of Portree.

We spotted some horned sheep by the road and being city folks, we stopped the car to get closer.

Isle of Skye, ScotlandBy the A855 road and taking photos of sheep and ram. The Old Man of Storr in the distance on the left.

Isle of Skye, ScotlandPhoto of a young ram, backlit by the morning sun.


The Old Man of Storr seen from the roadside.  This basalt pillar is one of Isle of Skye most famous landmark.



There is a car park at the foot of the hill next to the forest. We could have parked our car at the carpark and walked up to the Old Man of Storr, but somehow we did not do it.

The location surrounding the Old Man of Storr had been featured in many movies and most recently, we saw it in the opening scenes of the alien sci-fi show Prometheus.

We stopped at the Lealt Falls and took the recommended walk down the path on the south side of the river towards the shore to view the coast.

This is supposed to be Skye's most spectacular gorge and waterfall but we had seen better. Nevertheless the walk to the coast was a nice experience. The Applecross mountains could been seen across the sea from here.

Lealt Falls running down the gorge.


The gorge leads into the sea. The Applecross peninsula where we were the day before could be seen across the sea.


Walking to the edge of the cliff.


Some parts of the cliff were unfenced. We could see sheep grazing on the steep slope in the distance cliff. Sure-footed beasts. A slip would mean a fall into the sea below.

Some ruins at the bottom of the cliff.


Thrill seeker sitting on a rock near the edge of the gorge. I would not want my kids to do this!


Lealt Fall“Flag of Scotland” seen over the sky at Skye.


Our next stop was the Mealt Falls. This waterfall drops 300 feet into the sea. This is one of the few waterfalls in the world where the water falls directly into the sea. I had seen one similar, in the island of Jeju, South Korea.

Isle of Skye, Mealt Falls and Kilt RockMealt Fall – quite spectacular. Kilt Rock in the background.


Joanna doing the “Merlion”. The merlion is  famous tourist landmark in Singapore. It is a stone figurine that has a lion head and a mermaid’s tail and spouting water out of its mouth.


Like most places of interest in Scotland, there were information signs here. Kilt Rock was formed about 61 to 55 millions years ago by volcanic activities. It was formed when molten rock were pushed up through the sandstones by volcanic activities and then cooled subsequently. The sandstones were then eroded over time, leaving the harder rock pillars in columnar form.

A closer shot of Kilt Rock, using telephoto lens.


A closer look at Kilt Rock revealed upper layers of hard rocks with the sandstone eroded away and the lower layer of rock with the horizontal sandstones still present.

Fossils at Kilt Rock, Isle of Skye

This place is also known for its dinosaur fossil. Fossils of dinosaur footprints were found on a beach in the town of Staffin nearby.

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England-Scotland Day 9 (Part 3) – Going up the Quirang in the Isle of Skye

11 April 2010

Shortly after leaving the Mealt Falls and Kilt Rock carpark, we approached the Quirang. This is the mountain range that Bill had told us about during breakfast.

We caught our first glimpse of the Quirang from the A855.


We could see tiny figures of some people on the mountain top as we took the single track road that will leads us there.

We turned off the A855 and took a single track road that zig zag up the mountain. It was like “Applecross Pass” driving all over again.

We passed some cyclists. It was amazing to see an elderly man on a black bicycle going up the mountain on the road that we were taking. This road will lead to the other side of the Skye peninsula, so he must be taking a “short-cut” by cycling up and down this mountain pass!

We left our car at the car park near the peak and explored the flat surface of this “table mountain”. We had to be careful not to fall off the edge. We were now the “tiny people” seen by cars below.

There were a few trails for walks at the top of the Quirang. We took a trail that leads to the weird formations of pinnacles and pillars, stopping often to enjoy the views.


View from the Quirang. Car negotiating one of the many hair-pin turns on the single track road.


Quirang, Isle of Skye, ScotlandHere, we were taking the trail at the top of the Quirang that leads to the weird formations of pinnacles and pillars.


Stopping for a photo.


View of the single track road that we took to get to the top of the Quirang.


Mom and daughter moment – enjoying the sun and views of Skye and the Applecross peninsula across the sea.


Putting my tripod to good use - Family photo at the Quirang.


After the walk, we went back to our car and back-tracked down the road we came from and headed towards Staffin. If we did not backtrack down the way we came, the single track road would take us across the top of the Quirang and down to the other side of the Trotternish peninsula.

Once back on the A855, we continued northwards to see the Duntulum Castle.

Quirang, Isle of SkyeCottages at the foot of the Quirang near Staffin.


As the Quirang is a mountain range, a panoramic photo is needed to show its complete majesty.

The photo below is created from several photos stitched together using a panorama-maker software.

Panorama of the Quirang – one last look at the mountains taken from the A855 road as we travelled northwards.

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England-Scotland Day 9 (Part 4) – Visit to two castles Duntulm and Dunvegan and the Fairy Glen on the Isle of Skye

11 April 2010

Duntulm Castle is a castle ruin situated on the northern coast of the Trotternish Peninsula, Isle of Skye. To get to the castle, we took a short walk on a footpath across a grass fields on top of a ridge, avoiding the landmines (sheep droppings) along the way.

Not much was left of the castle, except piles of rubble and some crumbling walls where wooden fences had being put up as a safety barrier to prevent visitors from taking an unplanned dip in the sea below.  I was not too interested in the history of this place, but the ruins and blue sea offered some photographic opportunities.

Ruins of Duntulm Castle.


Ruin of Duntulm Castle by the northern coast of Isle of Skye.


Exploring Duntulm Castle, Isle of Skye, Scotland.


View from a “window” . I was amazed by the colour of the sea below. A deep blue and crystal clear!



We stopped for lunch at Uig. Not much options here, although this was supposed to be a ferry point to some outer islands. Lunch was some sandwiches from a deserted cafe.

Uig, Isle of Skye, ScotlandUig – a place where we stopped for lunch. Not much options here, surprisingly.


Then we moved on to search for the Fairy Glen, a supposedly “magical” place just outside of Uig. Along the way, we spotted the same elderly man on the black bicycle we had last seen cycling up the Quirang. Amazing how physically fit the local folks are.

The Fairly Glen was not well marked in the maps we had. So it took some navigating, wrong turns and back-tracking before we finally got there.

The Fairy Glen is a “bizarre and delightful miniature landscape of grassy, cone-shaped hills” as described in the guidebooks and internet. No big wow factor here but it was a nice place to take a hike and enjoy the weather.

Fairy Glen near Uig, Isle of Skye, ScotlandExploring the Fairy Glen near Uig, Isle of Skye, Scotland.


Leaving our car by the roadside, we took a small footpath up a slope to explore the place where fairies lives. The small conical hills were the points of interest.

Our final destination and objective for the day is to visit Neist Point, the most westerly point on the Isle of Skye. To get there we have to pass by Dunvegan where there was another touristy place to visit – the Dunvegan Castle. The castle was not on my list of places to see in Skye, but since it was too early to see the sunset at Neist Point, we paid (not cheap!) a visit to the castle.

Unlike Duntulm Castle, this castle is not in ruins. We went into the building to see the interiors. There were supposed to be other activities like boat rides on the loch but it was not operational in Spring.

The garden is supposed to be a highlight of this attraction, but at this time of year in early Spring, the garden was not at its best yet.

Garden at Dunvegan Castle.


We left Dunvegan Castle feeling a little let down and proceed to take the single track road to Neist Point.

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England-Scotland Day 9 (Part 5) – Neist Point at Isle of Skye

11 April 2010

For a photographer or hobbyist, no visit to the Isle of Skye is complete without a visit to Neist Point to photograph the cliffs.  That’s what I told my family to get them to tag along with me while I took a detour off the beaten path to see this place.

Leaving the A863 near Dunvegan, I took a B-road heading west towards the most westerly point of the Isle of Skye, followed by a single track road. Thanks to the detailed map provided by Bill Johnson from our B&B, we managed to find this place.

There is a car park at the end of the single track road for hikers to leave their cars. There is a well publicised walk  (about one mile distance) from the car park to the lighthouse below the steep cliff. We did not take that path. It would be long walk down and a steep climb back up if we were to go to the lighthouse.

Instead, we went through a wooden gate and took a walk by the edge of the cliff northwards. The views from the top of the were magnificent, well worth the effort to get to this place.

I was leading the way across the fields looking for the best spot to shoot the “postcard” view of Neist Point while the family followed behind. Far behind!

Finally, the spot I was looking for - Northern face of the cliff and lighthouse in the distance. The trail leading to the Neist Point lighthouse in the distance could be seen on the left.

Neist Point at Isle of Skye.


Family photo at cliff overlooking Neist Point – a highlight of my trip to Isle of Skye.


Neist Point at Isle of Skye, ScotlandThe lighthouse at Neist Point. This is a view often seen in postcards of Scotland.


Neist Point at Isle of Skye, ScotlandTo appreciate this place, I shot a couple of panorama of the Moonen Bay and Neist Point.



I would have like to stay here a little longer to take more pictures of the coastline at dusk but that would mean a wait of at least 2 hours and a drive back on a single track road in the dark. Not a good option to take.

Neist Point at Isle of Skye, ScotlandLast look at Moonen Bay and coast of western Skye from near the car park.


We decided to head back to Portree for a good dinner at the Seabreezes Restaurant again. But it was not to be.

Seabreezes Restaurant was closed! We scouted around and have our dinner at the another restaurant on the quayside at the Portree harbour.

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England-Scotland Day 10 (Part 1) – Sligachan, Elgol and the Cuillins at the Isle of Skye

12 April 2010

This was our second day in Isle of Skye. The plan for the day was to go to the seaside town of Elgol, located on the South-Western part of Isle of Skye and taking a boat trip out to sea to see the wildlife, visit Loch Coruisk and Cuillins mountains. There are a couple of operators to choose from, each offering something different. We decided on the Bella Jane boat-trips.

Enroute to Elgol, we passed by a couple of Isle of Skye landmarks. One of which is the Sligachan Bridge at Sligachan. This is a good place to view Glen Sligachan and the Cuillins mountains.

Sligachan Bridge with Black Cullings Mountains forming the backdrop.


Glen Sligachan and the Cuillins Mountains, Isle of Skye.


Exploring the river and rocks. It was so tempting to try crossing the stream without getting the feet wet.


Managed to get to the middle.


Gave up and heading back to shore.


Leaving Sligachan, we continued southwards on the A87 till Broadford. Then we took a smaller B8083 road westwards towards the small village of Elgol. There were many nice views of the Scottish mountains en-route but we did not make any stops as we had a boat to catch!

Finally, the village of Elgol.

Elgol is a small crofting and fishing village. Sparsely populated.

Elgol Beach with the Cuillins mountains in the background – can you see the kids on the rocks?


Closer shot of those kids perched on top of the rock.


Primary school in Elgoh. For only 20 students.


Primary school in Elgoh.  Nice view of Cuillin mountains and Loch Scavaig from the playground. I wonder what the kids learnt in school here?


We decided to take the Bella Jane’s AquaXplore boat trip instead of the more leisurely boat trip to Loch Coruisk.

After booking our trip, we had some time to kill. So we had tea at this shop till it was time to depart on our adventure.

Tea shop at Elgol, Isle of Skye.


Finally, it was time to get suited up in splash/wind protection clothing. A sign of the adventure that was coming.

Suited up and ready to go. We looked like fireman, right?


More about our AquaXplore boat trip in the next post.
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England-Scotland Day 10 (Part 2) – AquaXplore boat trip from Elgol, Isle of Skye to Isle of Eigg

12 April 2010

It was hard to envisage that a city folk who lives in South East Asia could be with his family on a small boat out at sea, on the wild and remote coast of Scotland’s Isle of Skye. But this was not a dream. We were actually on an AquaXplore Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RIB) heading out to sea off Isle of Skye.

One quick shot of the Cuillins mountains from the AquaXplore boat before we took off on a high speed dash across the calm sea.


Earlier in the day, we had drove from Portree to Elgol where we booked a boat trip out to sea to see the wildlife, visit Loch Coruisk and Cuillins mountains.

There are a couple of operators to choose from, each offering something different. We decided to take the Bella Jane’s AquaXplore boat trip instead of the more leisurely boat trip to Loch Coruisk.

Our boat was the AquaXplorer Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RIB). Next to it is the Bella Jane that goes to Loch Coruisk.

 

I had been on many boat rides prior to this but riding on the AquaXplorer RIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) was a new experience.

The wind and splash proof clothing we have donned a while ago proved its worth as the skipper of the craft gunned its powerful twin engines and sped across the relatively calm sea. It got a bit rougher as the boat moves out from the sheltered area of the bay towards some islands in the distance, where we would be doing some birds and wildlife spotting, he told us.

No pictures was taken and posted here as my camera bag was safety tucked under my clothing to keep them dry. It was fun and thrilling to say the least as the skipper did some show-boating, zig-zagging to show the manoeuvrability of the watercraft and made the ride to the islands more fun, and exciting.

The boat went close to the some steep cliffs of island which I believed was Isle of Rum. Here, we saw rookery of sea birds on the steep cliff, a large sea cave but no whales, dolphins or sea mammals. Probably too early in the season for the migratory whales.

Shelter for trekkers in the wilderness, Isle of SkyeRemoteness of these islands of the west coast of Isle of Skye. The green cabin is built as a shelter for trekkers, in case the weather turns for the worst suddenly.


Then we headed for the Isle of Eigg where there was an one hour stop at the island.

Majestic An Sgurr ridge on the Isle of Eigg, seen from the boat.


Eigg is not connected to the main land but is self sufficient in electricity, thanks to these huge fan turbines.


A message to save our Earth. Go green.


Friendly dog at the tea shop on the Isle of Eigg where we bought some snacks and tea for our lunch.


Nice boat at Eigg. Said to belong to a doctor who lives on the island. Good life!


There was not much to see or do on Eigg, except to grab some lunch and enjoy the sun and breeze. Then it was back to the RIB for our ride back to Skye.

The journey back was fun! The wind was stronger than when we left, so the sea was much choppier. Riding the RIB on those sea was like riding a bucking horse. Best to grip the handles tight and half stood instead of putting our butt on the seat.

Fun and thrilling; and more show-boating from the skipper, even with those rough waves. Since we did not get to see any sea mammals, this bit of excitement on the way back was a consolation on an otherwise disappointing trip.

Finally we made it back to Elgol.  As can be seen from the photo below, the sea was choppier now, even near Elgol and the thick clouds are rolling down the Cuillins mountains. What a sight! Isle of Skye, the misty isle. We were told that trekkers could get into trouble when clouds rolled in suddenly while they are out on the mountains.

Off the shore of Elgol, Isle of Skye

Clouds spilling over the Cuillins Mountains.


After getting back to shore and the returning our wind/splash proof gear, the family went to take shelter in the car as the wind was getting strong and chilly.

As for me, I wanted to capture the dramatic scene of the thick clouds spilling over the mountains. Have to brave the strong winds, and with no time to set up a tripod, I took some photos to make the panoramas below.

Panorama of the Black Cuillins, taken from Elgol.



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