Isle of Skye

This weekend I went to the Isle of Skye. It was a two day bus tour arranged by Glasgow University International Society. The bus was full of international students, in other words. We stopped at a few places along the way to take pictures and stretch our legs. It rained occasionally and sometimes it was windy. And the sun came out for a minute or two sometime during the trip.

Ok, pictures. First stop was Luss, a tiny village on the bank of Loch Lomond.

Then we stopped at a view point by Loch Tulla. We were now on our way into the Scottish Highlands, which are quite beautiful. The Highlands are so different from what I'm used to from Norway, because there are almost no trees and the mountains aren't as jagged, or maybe they are, you just can't see it under the grass.

Next stop was Glen Coe and the Three Sisters. Glen Coe recently became famous for featuring in James bond Skyfall. 

Now I haven't seen Skyfall, nor do I plan to. I was more interested in the fact that the Glen Coe area has been used in filming scenes from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

It's not really important what films the area has starred in though, what's important is that it's beautiful.

We stopped at Fort William for lunch. It is the second largest settlement in the Highlands, and a major centre for tourists and hillwalking and climbing, due to its proximity to Ben Nevis (1344m), the highest mountain in the UK. We had time for a brief stroll into town.

Next stop, Loch Garry, is famous because it supposedly looks like a map of Scotland.  Maybe from the air, but from our perspective? You'll have to judge for yourself.

Then there was Eilean Donan Castle. We unfortunately didn't have time to go into the castle, but watching from afar worked out fine. I heard it is the most photographed castle in Scotland, because of its location on an island with lovely scenery behind.

Then we drove over the Skye bridge and arrived properly on the Isle of Skye. We stopped at Sligachan Bridge to take some pictures of the bridge and the Cuillins (moutains).

Then, at about 6 pm, we arrived at Portree, the capital of Skye, and checked into our hostel. The hostel looked like a kindergarten on the inside.

We took a stroll around town, looking at the Harbour, a tower up on a hill and the view.

On Sunday we toured Skye. First we went to the Kilt Rock. It is a sea cliff formed by volcanic activities millions of years ago that now resembles a kilt. If you use your imagination.

 It is also famous because dinosaur skeletons and footprints are found in the area.

Next was Lealt Gorge and Lealt Falls. This was quite beautiful. It was also quite windy, it was hard to stay on my feet at times. 

This is the ruins of a diatomite factory.

A shepherd in kilt watching over the sheep.

We were now supposed to see the Old Man of Storr, one of the main attractions on the Isle of Skye, I think. It is a set of stone formations, but because of the mist we wouldn't be able to see them. We therefore stopped at two other places instead. The first was a waterfall by the name of Bride Veil Fall.

The second stop was another place with great view and hints of a rainbow.

And that was it. We drove back to Glasgow, had a short stop at Fort William again, and were home around 8 pm. I went almost straight to bed and dreamed sweet dreams. Maybe.