On our Saturday off, we sleepily embarked on our seven-hour journey at 0630 to explore the great sights of the Glenfinnan Viaduct, Isle of Skye, and Eilan Donan Castle. Much of the group was a wee bit tired from the week’s festivities, and opted to catch up on sleep during the first leg of our adventure.
It took roughly two hours to arrive at Glenfinnan Viaduct where a portion of Harry Potter was filmed. We were able to take a short hike to a viewpoint where the viaduct could be seen more clearly. The viewpoint also provided beautiful views of the towering mountains, vast ocean, and the Glenfinnan monument.
We then continued our journey to Mallaig, a little port town on the bay overlooking the edge of Skye. We had planned ahead to travel via ferry to reach Skye, as there was no road access from Mallaig. We parked our minibus onto the ferry and strolled to the top of the vessel for stunning views and fresh air as the ferry transported the group across the bay and to our destination. The ferry ride lasted roughly 30 minutes when we had arrived to Armadale, another small port town in South Skye.
We spent a little bit of time in Armadale at the Eilean Iarmain Hotel. It was a quaint place recommended by Mr. McGhee where we decided to have lunch and a rest after a long drive. A few had haggis, neeps, and tatties (haggis, turnips, and potatoes), a quintessential Scottish cuisine, vegetable lasagna, and steak pie. I decided to keep it simple and go with a classic cheddar sandwich with crisps. I wasn’t overly hungry, so I thought a lovely grilled cheese sandwich would satisfy my hunger needs. Alas, today I learned a valuable lesson about Scottish cuisine: if there is no “toastie” in the title, don’t assume it to be so! You learn something new every day.
After Armadale, we embarked to the popular tourist town of Portree. On the way, we were graced with magnificent sights of Skye that made the drive so worth it. The hills, mountains, cute little waterfalls, and vast sea of sheep were like nothing I had ever seen. Portree is a small little town with various shops and eateries for tourists to enjoy while on Skye. We stopped and got coffee, explored the town, and walked down by the water to take in more views. The further we drove into Skye, the prettier it became. We passed an iconic piece of Skye, The Old Man of Storr, which we viewed as we drove by. It is possible to hike up to view it close, but due to the intensity of the hike and our travel exhaustion, we opted to save that for our next trip to Scotland!
We continued to drive and came upon a large cliff overlooking the sea, endless green land, and a stunning waterfall. Are you seeing a pattern? Everything is beautiful here!
We had seen a great portion of Skye and it was an absolutely incredible experience. In fact, we had enjoyed Skye so much, that we decided we needed souvenirs to remember our journey by – meet our new mascots, Darryl and Roman! Mike was able to open the van door as we were passing the sheep to let them climb inside. Kay and Vanessa, thankfully, had a little extra room in the backseat for Darryl and Roman to sit. We still have to figure out how to get them past customs, but I’m certain we can work our way through that somehow.
On the last leg of our journey back to Inverness, we arrived at the beautiful Eilan Donan Castle, where portions of the movies Made of Honor and Highlander were filmed. It was a large, magnificent castle that overlooked the water. With our last destination completed, we embarked on our last two-hour journey back home for the day. We ended our evening at the Snow Goose for dinner and relaxation after day full of driving and sightseeing.
A really great thanks to Mr. McGhee for being a wonderful driver and showing us the Isle of Skye. They are memories we will all cherish and remember for the rest of our lives.
Summer Abroad in Scotland 