10:20pm, Ardtreck Cottage B&B, Skye
Rose with the 8:30 alarm, and checked my email for responses from the 7 B&Bs I had emailed last night. 4 had responded, and all had availability. Still needed to figure out plans, but first came breakfast at 9am. We had porridge, and a full Scottish breakfast. We watched the ferry come into the Uig ferry terminal while eating and listening to ethereal Enya music. The music made me feel like I was in the "Hand of Man" art/gift shop in Owego, NY. We paid for our stay, and I gave Susan, the owner, a deck of 14er cards. She had visiting Estes Park in CO before, so it was more than just a token of appreciation. The weather was still very windy, but visibility was much better. Precipitation was mostly light to heavy mist. Before leaving the B&B, we took advantage of the wifi for some last minute researching, and after a few calls, booked 2 nights of lodging on Harris and Lewis isles for next week. One was on a croft farm, and will have a sheep gathering/shearing opportunity, weather permitting. Having pushed our check-out time past the limit, we quickly loaded the car, and drove to the ferry terminal in town to purchase tickets to and from the outer Hebrides. Wendy checked out a local pottery studio. Then it was time to head south.
The drive was so much nicer than yesterday's soupy experience. At Portree, we stopped briefly for Wendy to buy a few items from the local bakery, which was quickly becoming her favorite eatery on Skye.
South of Portree, the skies started to clear, and blue sky lifted our spirits, and turned the sea deep blue. We took a scenic drive down a peninsula south of Portree, before heading to Carbost, and eventually to the Fairy Pools in Glenbrittle.
At Carbost, we stopped at the local pub to check out dinner availability times (food til 9:30pm), used the restrooms, and headed south towards the Black Culliens. The skies were clouded, but holding away the rain.
More scenes from the morning drive...
Interesting mannequin of the queen, outside of Carbost. 2nd pic: From the Fairy Pool parking lot, a look at the cascading stream we'll hike along...
Several cars were at the Fairy Pools carpark, and we could see the entire 2 mile cascading stream leading to the mountains. These cascades were known for their green pools and enchanted falls. We set out ~1:30, past some sheep grazing near the trailhead.
Wendy quickly become enthralled with the churning pools and tumbling water. The recent rain made for frothing pools and lots of white water. We made two stream crossings that required some careful maneuvering.
Second stream crossing was no piece of cake (Wendy already made it across the tougher part in this pic). Some other people turned back. Waterfalls emerge...
High water volume from all the rain yesterday...
Same pic, but different color settings...
Green waters...
After ~30 minutes, we reached a waterfall, and I realized I left some of my camera gear in the car. Given that I had bought a ND filter for this specific hike, I ran back to the car to retrieve, while Wendy sat on the stool we brought and watched the falls. Took me about 20 minutes round trip, but as luck would have it, light rain started up just as I was about to setup the tripod.
The rain wasn't stopping, so we continued up the trail, marveling at the cascades. The conditions were great for a hike, but not for camera equipment. The rain would come and go periodically, and eventually on our descent, it stopped long enough to take some photos.
We turned back close to the foot of the Black Culliens...
Finally it stopped raining, and I setup up my tripod for long exposures...
We tried a 8 second exposure self portrait...
Wendy continued her return to the car, while I hiked back up the trail to take photos, now that it was dry.
Some pink heather, while returning to the car...
After the hike, we drove down to the end of Glenbrittle, and looked out to the sea. Then we made the 25 minute drive to our B&B in Fiskavaig. The location of this B&B was spectacular. The views out to the open sea, along with Macloed's maidens, and Oronsay Island were dreamy. Oronsay's causeway was underwater. We had hiked to the island during low tide early in the week. The B&B owner offered us some tea and fruit/nut cake upon our arrival.
Must be a pot of gold in town somewhere. Another look from Carbost...
The road leading to our B&B was narrow (with people walking along it). A look out across the sea...
Wendy relaxes at the B&B, enjoying the views...
A little sun on the horizen. MacLoeds Maidens stand in the distance...
Fantastic views from the B&B. Oronasay Island, which we hiked 2 days ago, is the closest island in the first pic. The causeway is underwater now, during high tide...
After getting the rundown, and filling out our breakfast orders, we drove to Tallisker Bay, and hiked ~.75 miles past sheep and cows to the scenic stony beach. No sun set visible today, but the waterfall on the cliff was gushing. Walking in the twilight with muted deep green grassy hills and meadows, along the dirt road, offered plenty of solitude.
Sheep and a rocky beach with waterfall at the bay...
It was very chilly and breezy, but we dressed with all our layers and stayed warm...
Even though we missed a sunset, it was still a beautiful hike. Passed some cows on the way back...
We drove our way down the windy one-lane roads back to Carbost, and had dinner at the Wayside Inn and Pub. The place was surprisingly large, with additional small rooms appearing around each corner. The place was packed with locals and patrons of the attached hostel.
The menu selection was solid, and included several fresh fish specials. I ordered a Haggis Struedel in a homemade whisky sauce, and Wendy ordered the white fish special. Both were excellent, and reasonably priced. We sat in the corner of a room with other young Brits on holiday. It felt dreamlike. The décor and atmosphere truly felt authentic to the Scottish Highlands. I felt a little like an out of place stranger at the Prancing Pony in Bree.
My haggis struedal was great, as was Wendy's fish...
After dinner we got slightly lost returning to our B&B in the dark, but Wendy's iphone GPS came to the rescue (again). As we unloading our luggage into our room, I realized my toiletry kit was missing! Must have left it at the last B&B! No… I made due using Wendy's supplies. At least we will be heading back to Uig for the ferry in a few days. I'll have to call e B&B tomorrow to confirm they are there.
We opted for a 7:30am breakfast tomorrow to get a jump on the day.
Several times today I reflected out special these times are. The scenery and adventure is great, but it's sharing it with Wendy, my best friend, that makes it 100 times more special.
Wendy quote of the day: "Cows are scarier than sheep, cause they're bigger than me." The floors creak a bit here. Not a lot of room to put stuff either. Wendy says it smells like cats a little too.