We woke up a bit stiff and tired from yesterday's adventure in the rain. We'd dried our clothes at the hostel, catching up mid-trip with laundry. It wasn't cheap, a wash load was four pounds, and drying- 15 min, a pound, but well worth the time and effort. Jesse was super at organizing and folding most of the clothes, she's so good at getting things done!
We found stuffing our shoes with newspaper several times helped dry out the shoes, or like Cindy, used a hair dryer (again a few pounds to rent... ) to get them wearable!
Enjoying the simple continental breakfast we bought at the hostel, we packed extra sandwiches for a lunch, hoping the 100% chance of rain for the day would retreat for a picnic in the hills.
The morning wasn't bad, some faint rays of sun among the clouds as we headed west toward the Quaraing and more adventure. Our first stop, the farthest away, was the Fairy Glen. Just up the hill from the small fishing village of Uig, we pulled up to find a tiny range of mini mountains, glens and rocks that formed this strange but fascinating place.
To the left, our car, and our first view of the
glen. To the right, some of the "hills". That's me trying a selfie, lol, I don't do them much, with Nan in the background.
The hills were amazing. So much fun to climb and look around, avoiding the sheep land mines, of course, while admiring the sheep as well. They were all over, the glen their place, looking at us I am sure with rolled eyes as more tourists to bother their wandering.
Leaving reluctantly, we headed back east toward the Quaraing, a wonderful mountain range and valley on a good day with sunshine, but not so good on ours with a lot of mist and low clouds moving in as we drove toward them. But Cindy and Rachel, Jesse and Louise got out to look, taking a short walk in the hopes of having some clearing weather for pictures, but it was not to be. Sad that our few days of planned hiking didn't work out, but that's Scotland and especially Skye, the island of Mist!
Indeed, our next stop, the Kilt Rocks, was pretty, but also filled with tourists. The walk to the Old Man of Stoor, not far from there was also busy with tourists, even with the mist obscuring most of the mountains. Cindy and Jesse hiked up the hill, once again hoping for a miracle of clearing clouds but the fairies chose not to bless us that day and the clouds stayed thick and dark. Just one more thing to come back for next time!
Funny thing, Jess and Louise couldn't get in to the Oyster Shed, or another small restaurant on the quay (our problem as well), so ended up at the take-away and ate on the quay nearby. Cindy, deciding to join Jess and Louise, couldn't find them, so she too, got to have yummy fish and chips as well, while we got lucky and found a spot at the Gathering Place Restaurant. I had cod, not fish and chips, and was happy as the food was still good. Louise and Jess, and then Cindy found us and came in to get a seat for some yummy dessert and a bit of whiskey tasting!
So. just to clarify, I wanted to add that despite the rain, the Fairy Glen, and Quaraing were absolutely beautiful! And I really didn't feel up to the walk out to the Quaraing, as the rain was getting me down, but then when I saw Cindy, Rachel, and Jess jump out and start walking, I said to myself, "What the heck! You're here in Scotland-just go for it. You won't get another chance to see these sights if you just sit in the car." So I got out and walked quickly to catch up with the other girls. Jess and Rachel were far gone--they have a quicker pace than me--but I managed to catch up to Cindy. When I reached her, I stopped to actually take in the view and was amazed at how beautiful it was--even in the rainy mist. I can't imagine how it is in the sunshine. I kind of stood there in awe for a few minutes, then decided to take pictures and videos of this magical place. I was so glad I decided to walk out there after all. It was well worth it!
ReplyDelete