To the Kilt: Our Scottish Adventure (cont.)

Enjoying a soak at the Fairy Pools! 

Day 8

I awoke early the next morning to partly cloudy skies and a favorable weather forecast. I decided to take advantage of the weather and hike the Old Man of Storr Loop. If you hike the full trail, it's about 3.5 miles (an upper and lower loop, with a short connecting trail in between, as well as a spur to the summit at the end), with lots of elevation. (Some folks shoot straight up to the top, keeping to the right side of the trail at all times and skipping the loops. But I loved the views on the left sides of the loop trail, and I also made tons of friends with sheep over there!) 

My reasoning for hitting this hike first thing in the morning was as follows: 

1. The sun was at least partially out. And as I was learning, when it's not raining in Scotland, you better take advantage of it.
2. I figured the traffic on the (tiny) roads you had to take to get to some of these trailheads would be slim to none at such an early hour. This made me feel a lot better about driving out to the middle of nowhere for these hikes. 
3. The trail would be clear. This hike is a popular one, and I figured that going early would both ensure plenty of parking at the trailhead as well as a bit more solitude on the trail.

Old Man of Storr Loop

I was correct on all counts, and heading out early really paid off. Traffic was nil, and I was one of the first cars in the parking lot. A little bit of cloud cover and atmospheric mist hung in the sky, but I did not get rained on. And even better, I saw almost no one on the trail. Fantastic. 

On the lower loop, interpretive signs explain some of the hydro-electric power projects in the area that brought light and heat to large parts of the Isle of Skye in the 1950s. And I also met a herd of sheep; the lambs were so cute and playful! As you cover more elevation, you get wonderful views of the Sea of the Hebrides and of the Old Man of Storr rock formations. (When I reached these, a bit of mist shrouded the upper mountains and formations further above us. It felt like something out of Lord of the Rings.) 

Bride's Veil Falls

You can continue on past the Old Man of Storr formation, up to a summit a bit further, for a dramatic view of the formations from above. The wind was terrific up there, and the sea view was amazing. I'd tucked one of our small tasting bottles of Tomatin in my backpack, and I shot it at the top. Perfection. (I think I understand better now why Scots love whisky. A shot at the top of a cold mountain is wonderfully warming.) Then, I made my way back down to the car.

On the way back to the rental, I stopped at Bride's Veil Falls, which is right by the side of the road. By this time, the cloud cover was burning off, and I got to appreciate these tumbling waters with the sun winking off them. Gorgeous. 

I drove back to the rental, got cleaned up, and then headed into Portree for lunch with hubs and my son. We did a little shopping (handmade soap, a lovely painted tea towel, etc.) and then popped into Antlers Bar and Grill at the Portree Hotel for lunch. I had the fish and chips and a cider, and I think this was the best fish and chips I had throughout the whole trip. Crispy, not too greasy, a good-sized portion, but not too large. And the tartar sauce was yummy. 

After lunch, the sun was well and truly out, giving us some of the best weather we'd seen so far. We decided to take a chance and go hike the Fairy Glen. This is an easy, 1-mile walk, and it's very popular. We figured that by visiting right after our (fairly early) lunch, we might beat crowds who were still eating. 

We navigated to the trailhead and easily found a space. We paid to park (and we found paying to park with a credit card or Apple Pay very easy nearly everywhere we went in Scotland), then hit the trail. It was a gorgeous afternoon, and the route was richly green. We saw some other tourists, but the trail wasn't crowded. (In fact, at one end of the trail, after we crossed the road and climbed a hill, we had the whole place - and a fantastic view - completely to ourselves.) 

My son at Fairy Glen

The small stone rings, conical hills, sheep (more sheep!), and beautiful views made this a great, easy hike.

After such a full day, we stayed close to our rental for dinner that night. We walked to Chargrill, where we had a reservation. As soon as hubs saw the 30-ounce joint of beef on the menu, I knew we'd all be splitting it. We ordered a lovely salad, some sautéed mushrooms, and a bit of asparagus to go with it, and it was divine. We even shared a couple of gorgeous desserts, then walked back to the rental and slept soundly.

Day 9

Because the previous day had been so active, we decided to have a lazy day. We ate breakfast in, did some laundry at the rental, and strolled downtown Portree. We found some more souvenirs - a bottle of whisky, some sweet Scottish tablet, a couple of hokey magnets - and grabbed some takeaway lunch. 

Pretty Portree harbor

We got hot chocolates and walked down to the harbor to admire the brightly colored buildings. We also stopped by a grocery to replenish our house snacks - fruit, chips, granola bars, etc. Having snacks around meant we could keep eating some breakfasts in. It also gave us a few options if we just didn't want to venture out for lunch or needed a late-night nosh. 

Sunday roast at 
Dulse & Brose

That night, hubs and I had dinner reservations at the swanky Dulse & Brose. It was a Sunday night, so in addition to their standard menu, they were offering Sunday roast. You could get it in both beef and chicken, and so hubs got beef, and I got the chicken. 

It was DELICIOUS. One of the best meals of our trip so far. A nice, perfectly cooked piece of chicken with a variety of vegetables - potatoes, carrots, broccolini, a gorgeous cheesy cauliflower. Plus a beautiful, airy popover to accompany. Fantastic. We ate. It. UP!

Day 10

This morning dawned gloriously sunny. Not just *not raining,* but SUNNY. So, you know what I had to do. I put on my hiking boots and headed for the Fairy Pools. This is another one of those really popular hikes on Isle of Skye (and the trailhead is located at the end of a ridiculously rural road; I cannot imagine driving on that thing with any significant cross traffic to contend with), so I knew going first thing in the morning would make my life easier in a multitude of ways. 

The 2.6 mile out-and-back is pretty easy, along a partially paved route (though there is some elevation). But, oh, what views! I was literally the first car in the lot, and I had this trail all to myself. The sun was topping the mountains that rose around me. The landscape was lush and green. And the route takes you past one glorious waterfall after another. 

Headed to the Fairy Pools!

The trail runs along Allt Coir a' Mhadaidh as it tumbles down from the Cullin Mountains, creating a series of clear, beautiful, cold pools. Rushing water abounds. At the end of the trail, I slipped off my hiking boots and socks to soak my feet. I also dipped my face in, because according to legend, if you immerse your face in one of the fairy pools for seven seconds, you'll be rewarded with youth and beauty. But mainly, I just felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be soaking in Scotland's Fairy Pools on a sunny morning. It was so special. This was just one of those great morning hikes that I'll remember always. 

Dipped my face in the COLD
water at the Fairy Pools!

On the way back to the rental, I stopped at Mackenzie's Bakery, where I picked up fresh scones, some savory breakfast rolls, jam cookies, and a flat white for my guys. Then, it was back to the rental to awaken them with breakfast and begin packing up for our next stop - Glencoe! 

Once we hit the road, we did take a few breaks. (On the days we drove, I tried to find points of interest along the way where we could get out of the car, stretch our legs, pick up a snack, etc.) We first stopped at Sligachan Falls. This was a great, quick stop. You can park in a lot across the street, then make the quick walk to see these low falls. Also at this site, you'll find a big statue of John Mackenzie (a mountain guide) and Professor Norman Collie (one of his close friends and regular climbing clients). Together, the two mapped and named many of the Cullin Mountains you see in the distance. 

Then, it was back in the car on our way to Glencoe. Our next stop was the ruin of Invergarry Castle. The inside of this ruin isn't stable (and if you walk around it, you can see how they've braced the interior walls to keep it standing), so you can only admire it from the outside. Invergarry Castle was a large 17th-century L-plan tower house. It had a main block of five floors (and the walls are still tall), with a six-floor round stair tower. Even the ruins today are impressive and atmospheric. We poked around this site for 20 minutes or so before continuing on. 

Invergarry Castle ruin

We arrived at the Corran Serviced Accommodation, where we'd booked a one-night stay, in the afternoon. The suites here are not on the water, but you are quite close to the loch and the ferry in this location. (The building is also attached to a restaurant. The restaurant wasn't open during our stay, which was likely a good thing, as it kept our evening quiet and private.) We checked into two very comfortable suites, which featured sitting areas, coffee stations, and big bathrooms. 

After relaxing a bit, we headed out for our dinner reservation at Lochleven Seafood Cafe. Our research had told us good things about this place, so we'd made an advance reservation. When we sat down at our table, we saw a table of three men sharing a HUGE seafood platter that had virtually everything you could think of on it - lobster, crab, shrimp, clams, mussels, everything. Hubs and I took one look at each other and decided we'd have the same. We got a green veggie on the side, and my son ordered a small bowl of seafood pasta.

Lochleven Seafood Cafe plays to WIN.

And when this seafood came out, it. Was. GOOD. Perfectly cooked, tons of variety, a few sauces to try. We didn't finish it all, but we only left a little. Delicious, delicious, and my son tried his first razor clam! We loved this place and would recommend it to anyone. 

Day 11

The next morning, we breakfasted at the rental on items we'd purchased at the bakery the day before. (The rental also had food in the mini-fridges for us - juice, milk, a couple of baked goods, as well as the coffee stations. So we had lots of choices.)

Beautiful views at Glencoe Visitor Center 
(And my first Highland cow!)

Then we hit the road again, headed for the Glencoe Visitor Center.  What a great stop! Here, we learned all about mountain climbing in the area and watched interpretive films about the massacre at Glencoe. Out back, the center has a historically accurate reconstruction of a turf and creel house that you can go inside. I also finally saw my first Highland cow! Views from the back of the center across the mountains are also beautiful.

I'd planned for us to do a little hiking in Glencoe, but the weather was very uncooperative. It was cloudy, raining, and cold. So instead, I contented myself with a hot chocolate at the visitors center cafe and then a visit to the overlook for the Three Sisters. (At such time as I return to Scotland, I may fly into Glasgow and head straight to Glencoe, where I'll dig in and hike on any pretty days I get.) 

Beautiful barn owl at Loch
Lomond Bird of Prey Center

Then we continued driving along pretty Loch Lomond towards Glasgow. When we were nearly to the city, we stopped on the banks of the loch for a pre-booked experience - owl flying at the Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Center. This was so cool! 

Once we'd checked in, they let us explore the center a bit. They have tons of gorgeous birds there - golden eagles, falcons, owls, kestrels, vultures, buzzards, hawks. For our owl encounter, they gave us all leather flying gloves and let us fly four beautiful owls - Miranda (a huge Eurasian eagle owl), Digby (a great horned owl who I affectionately dubbed Mr. Featherpants), Kiko (a gorgeous barn owl with a creamy white face), and a small brown owl that reminded me of a screech owl. 

We so enjoyed this experience. We learned a ton about owls and flying, and it was cool to get up close and personal with the animals. 

We traveled on to Glasgow that night, checked into our rental, and made it to our dinner reservation at Ox and Finch. This place was great! We all got drinks and a variety of small plates - whipped feta, lamb, filet with Diane sauce, chips with aioli, green veggies. Then, we all sampled everything. We finished off with a couple of desserts to share. I really love eating like this - lots of small tastes of different things. It allows you to try all kinds of dishes. Plus, this place had a really great vibe - full of locals and tourists alike, with a great wait staff. 

Then, it was back to the rental and to bed!

More to come . . .  

Me + the Three Sisters