Sailing for Skye

Sligachan Bridge

Ok so not exactly sailing to Skye but close enough. We caught the 0940 ferry from Mallaig to take us to Armadale on the Isle of Skye. Some person (*cough cough Malcolm*) randomly quipped that he wouldn't mind experiencing some "real" British weather. Well it appeared that wishes do come true. Gone were the sunny blue skies replaced by heavy clouds, rain and mist. Darn you Malcolm!! Fortunately, the ferry still ran and the waters remained relatively calm. Unfortunately, we had to cancel the suprise family photoshoot as part of Nana's surprise 70th birthday present. Penny, the photographer was lovely and kindly offered to reschedule the shoot for when better weather prevailed while we were on the island.

Loading up the ferry in the rain

Our van right at the front. No view for us!

Not missing out on much. Couldn't see much...

We drove to Elgol where we stumbled across a slippery, rocky beach before retreating to the car. There was a cave in Elgol where Prince Charles Stuart hid in after the battle of Culloden. The promising hikes though would have to wait. It was simply too wet. For the remainder of the day we meandered back up to Portree via the various craft shops, distilleries and photo stops. All were pleasant, but none were sufficient to justify the effort to get here. The whisky was nice, but not brilliant, the oysters were large, but less flavoursome than those at Loch Leven and the vistas were grand, but fogged over. We arrived at the apartments a little frustrated and consoled ourselves by enforcing a little child labour. Lara and Jonah cooked dinner for us and cleaned up after. Homefarm apartment, were we'll base ourselves over the 2 nights was at least warm, dry, well appointed and comfortable.

Over dinner we decided that we would have to make our own luck. A blog provided some wise advice to venture to our planned destinations on Skye, be patient and wait for the weather to clear and then go for it. There must've been a secret ingedient in the microwave Indian meals (with added fresh broccoli to make it healthy!) than gave us energy because we decided to wash all our clothes that night and then wake up at 5:30am to go hiking. We figured that this would beat the crowds and allow us to take on the Old Man of Stor before the parentals became too bored back at the apartment. Would this prove to be a wise move? Time would tell...

Lots of indoor activity while waiting for the weather to ease

Whisky? Why not

Ruins of and old church on the way to Elgol

Elgol

Oysters were OK

Views were nice though, at least the ones we could see through the fog...

Our lunch stop. A little over priced and over rated in our opinion. Food was ok without being brilliant

The view of Portree Harbout from the top of the hill

Lovely touches at our apartment

The dining and kitchen

Dinner by Lara and Jonah!