The Isle of Skye at its most dramatic, with low cloud spilling over the mountains as rain swept across the landscape beneath brooding Highland skies.
Isle of Skye
28th July
Today it was time to head towards the Isle of Skye which is one of the reasons for choosing Lochcarron as base for staying in Scotland. First it was time to head to Kyle of Lochalsh where you can take the bridge over to the Skye.
Looking out across Kyle of Lochalsh towards the Skye Bridge, with the mountains of the Isle of Skye rising in the distance beneath clearing skies.Standing on the Skye Bridge, looking across Loch Alsh towards the mountains of the east Highlands, with breaks in the cloud finally revealing some of the spectacular scenery.Looking west from the Skye Bridge out to the sea, where calm waters, scattered islets and distant mountains provided a spectacular welcome to the Isle of Skye.Looking down from the Skye Bridge towards the picturesque Eilean Bàn Lighthouse, standing on its tiny island surrounded by the crystal-clear waters of Loch Alsh.Person on the Skye Bridge with Loch Alsh and mountains in the background.
First, I made my way towards Broadford and then turned off down towards Armadale and finally too quiet a narrow country road over towards Dunscaith Castle, which was a bit of a challenging road, but I am glad that I also downloaded my maps to my phone, so that when I loose internet signal on my phone, I can still navigate, otherwise I would have been having a nightmare.
A classic Isle of Skye scene, with tidal waters, scattered islets and distant mountains stretching beneath a brooding Highland sky.A rocky inlet on the Isle of Skye, where a small stream flowed out to sea beneath grey skies and distant Highland mountains.A small flock of sheep grazed peacefully by the shoreline, with views across the water to the mountains beyond — a scene that felt quintessentially Skye.
I was tempted to go into the ruins of Dunscaith Castle, but there was a slight problem with the fact that the bridge was missing a few stones from it, so it would have not been safe to go across to it unfortunately, but here are a few photos I was able to get of it.
The remote ruins of Dunscaith Castle stand guard above the coastline on Skye's Sleat Peninsula. Once linked to clan battles and local legends, the castle occupies a dramatic position overlooking the Sound of Sleat.The dramatic ruins of Dunscaith Castle stand atop a rocky sea stack on the Sleat Peninsula. Once protected by a narrow bridge and steep cliffs, the castle occupies one of the most spectacular and defensible locations on the Isle of Skye.A panoramic view of Dunscaith Castle, perched on its rocky sea stack above the Sound of Sleat. The castle's isolated position and dramatic coastal setting make it one of the Isle of Skye's most evocative historic sites.
After this, it was time to head back up to Broadford and towards the Fairy Pools, where I stopped off at Sligachan for a bit of a break.
The dramatic peaks of the Cuillin dominate the view from Sligachan, their slopes disappearing into low cloud beneath a typically moody Skye sky.The interpretation plaque at Sligachan helps identify the many peaks of the Black and Red Cuillin, while also featuring the Gaelic and English words of Psalm 121: "I to the hills will lift mine eyes..."A panoramic view from Sligachan, where the road winds through open moorland beneath the towering Cuillin mountains. Even under grey skies, the landscape feels unmistakably Skye.The famous Sligachan Bridge crosses the rocky waters of the River Sligachan, with the rugged slopes of the Cuillin providing one of Skye's most iconic backdrops.
It was then time to go to the Fairy Pools, but when I got there, I was in for a bit of a shock with the price of parking being £10. That is for all day parking, which is fine if you want to go off an explore quite a bit, but all I wanted to do was spend about 30 mins to 1 hour there, so I quickly left and instead followed the road down to its end in Glenbrittle and that turned out to be the right decision with black sand beaches due to the basalt from volcanic activity, back when the island was formed, it is also why quite a few of the mountains have black rock.
Looking across the estuary at Glen Brittle, where low cloud drifted across the landscape and the dramatic scenery of Skye's west coast stretched away into the distance.Exploring the tidal flats at Glen Brittle, with views across Loch Brittle towards the wild and rugged coastline of Skye's west coast.A sweeping view across Loch Brittle at low tide, where shallow channels wind through the exposed shoreline beneath the dramatic skies of Skye's west coast.A wide view across Loch Brittle at low tide, where vast expanses of pebble and sand are exposed beneath the brooding skies of Skye's west coast, with the surrounding hills fading into the distance.Someone had carefully balanced several seashells on the beach at Glen Brittle, creating a small piece of temporary artwork among the pebbles and stones.
As time was getting on and the day after is quite a long day, it was time to start heading back but stop at Sligachan again as when I stopped there beforehand, I saw a place there called Seumas' Bar which looked quite good and the food sounded quite nice as well.
After exploring Skye's dramatic landscapes, a stop at Seumas' Bar at Sligachan provided the perfect excuse to get out of the rain and enjoy a well-earned refreshment.Inside Seumas' Bar at Sligachan, a warm and welcoming refuge from the Skye weather, with an impressive selection of whiskies and views towards the Cuillin just outside.
For dinner, I had Haloumi Fries with a sweet chilli jam for starters and Haggis, neeps and Tatties with a whiskey sauce for my mains, which was a first. I would definitely stop here again in the future.
Halloumi fries served with sweet chilli jam and a fresh side salad — the perfect snack to enjoy while sheltering from the Skye weather at Seumas' Bar.A traditional Scottish favourite — haggis, neeps and tatties served with a rich whisky sauce, enjoyed at Seumas' Bar on the Isle of Skye.
Join me next time, as I head as far up north as I can go (AKA to Johns O’ Groats)!!!
