Road Trip Part 4: Still High on Skye
- Kim Gilman
- Jun 30, 2024
- 4 min read
The Isle of Skye remains one of my all-time favorite places. Faithful readers may recall my post from last October, when we first visited that beautiful Scottish island. I was excited to go back for four days during our June road trip. It did not disappoint on this second visit either, and I hope I will have the chance to return yet again one day.
We took the ferry without incident from the Isle of Harris to the port of Uig on Skye. The June weather was cool, rainy, and breezy, but there were periods of sun too. It started warming up noticeably as we came south to Skye from the more remote islands.
Skye has excellent restaurants - some too fancy for our limited palates...but several do a superb job with traditional Scottish cuisine. One standout was the Ferry Inn at Uig. They only have four tables, so reservations are imperative. Exactly six weeks before the date you want to dine, online reservations open up. Believe me I was up early that morning and luckily secured a table. The couple that run the place are lovely and we enjoyed every morsel - photos below.
We also had another birding triumph on Skye. I had wanted to see puffins this year (in Shetland - check); Robin wanted to see a white-tailed sea eagle. The wildlife-spotting boat trip we had booked from Uig was canceled due to high winds. But on our final day, we tried again with Stardust Cruises out of Portree, Skye's main town. We got seats on a boat with Captain Willy and he knew where the eagles' nests were! An eagle circled very close to our boat; we were too mesmerized to take photos, but here's what one of these majestic birds looks like:
Earlier, while waiting for the weather to improve, we took the dogs for an easy walk to a ruined castle. We also availed ourselves of the short ferry trip over to the nearby Isle of Raasay, where we again took a scenic walk and then visited the Raasay Whisky & Gin Distillery. The views back towards Skye were awesome.
And for the icing on my cake, I got to spend a couple of early-morning, non-rainy hours walking in the Quiraing - Skye's otherworldly and majestically beautiful landscape. I ventured a little further along the trail this time, as proper boots and hiking poles really help in the tough parts! I met a hiker from France who commented, "It's like the Lord of the Rings out here." My sentiments exactly Monsieur! I was so grateful for the chance to soak in this incredible place once again.
During our stay, we enjoyed another comfortable AirBnB a few miles outside of Portree, with its own ancient standing stones just down the road - as you will see, the ancients of Skye weren't really much for stone circles 😆. I'll share a few additional photos of my Skye favorites.
A couple of times, we ran into the notion of "island time" on Skye. Our wildlife boat, for example, was 20 minutes late arriving at the dock to pick us up. Not a big deal, the captain was just showing the previous group a little extra and we got the same treatment (the poor group after us was 30 minutes late!)
I was on a mission to finally try MacKenzie's Bakery in Portree, which despite the posted hours on its website, was closed both times we went in October. I finally arrived at opening time, 8 AM on a Friday to get in line (having read about the queues.) Seven people were ahead of me and the doors were bolted shut. We waited. I began to worry about my 30-minute free parking running out. A worker next door assured the crowd, "don't worry, they'll open when the baker is ready."
At 8:25 the doors opened and we all surged in to order our fill. MacKenzie's provided the best chicken salad sandwich and flat white coffee of the year - not to mention the most delicious raspberry tart! (See those little pink blobs in the photo above - didn't try the yellow ones, which were labeled as pineapple.)
The sad day came when it was time to leave Skye. I had the ill-fated idea of departing via the unique but archaic turntable ferry from the obscure port of Kylerhea. Driving there along one-lane, precipitous, and sharply-bending roads through the mountains was harrowing. Robin handled it like a champ and the scenery, when I could open my eyes, was awesome, but my knuckles were white! (The photo in your email announcing this post was from that drive.)
The ferry itself wasn't much better - our car barely seemed to fit and that thing rode pretty low in the water! But the 10-minute journey to Glenelg on the mainland went smoothly, and our time on Skye was over. (Next time, we will simply drive over the wide and modern Skye Bridge!!)
Ah well, half the fun is in the journey, isn't it? We are so grateful that our travels have gone smoothly and provided so many highlights and memories. Next: we conclude our June road trip in the old English city of York.
⛴️ 🥃 🏴 🐑
Looks like a private ferry boat, are you Taylor Swift?
Wow, all looks amazing! (Kara)
Thank you for sharing this peaceful and beautiful piece of the world. We all need it during these tumultuous times, and it brings us back to the essentials of life.
Maureen
Yes, do drive over the bridge, it's a piece of cake. And, oh, the Quirangs! And I hiked on Raasay!! Such beauty everywhere: in the landscape and the people. Thanks for bringing me back! Cheryl
Dear Kim,
What an absolutely awesome trip you guys have done! So wonderful to read, see and live your impressions for almost a year now, alongside Robin. The fact that you also took your dogs just confirms to me what a special person you are. Wish I’d met you when I lived in Boston.
I loved that you saw an eagle! I’ve become addicted to the Big Bear Valley bald eagles Jackie and Shadow in CA. The 24/7 live cams are amazing. They have followers from all around the globe. They’re so special these two.
Oh- I think that doggie on the counter was a Skye terrier if I’m not mistaken . Would make sense 😉
I’ll be going to…