Isle of Skye

Sunday July 7, 2019

What a delightful day! We were up and at it in good time. Our first castle to explore was just down the road from our B&B. Armadale Castle (home of the Clan Donald - “mac” means “son of” so Mac Donald = son of Donald) turned out to be a ruin so we could only walk around the outside. A bit disappointing, but the grounds and gardens were really nice. The sun was out, and stayed out all day (could be the last sun we see for many days). We spent a couple of hours in the museum learning about 1,500 years of Scottish history. The cafe had tables outside so we had lunch in the gardens. It’s been quite chilly so sitting in the sun for a bit was wonderful.

Next stop was Talisker Distillery which opened in 1830. Our tour guide had a fairly thick accent and spoke quite quickly. Throw in the noises from the machinery and we missed a fair bit of what he said. It sure takes a lot of effort, ingredients, and time to make whiskey!

There’s always one person who fails to listens to instructions. It wasn’t us. This time.  :) At the end of the tour was an opportunity to taste some of the whiskey. It was 45% alcohol. I passed, but the rest of the group went for it. It was fun to watch the faces and attempts to cover the coughing. The guide did warn everyone about the strong burn.  (Dave was looking for something to get the taste out of his mouth when we got back to the car.) The tour ended, as they all do, in the gift shop. There we saw a bottle of 31 year old whiskey that sold for 2,200 pounds - almost $3,000 US. They actually make a 40 year old whiskey. You have to really love the stuff to spend that!

The town the distillery was in was so cute. A real tourist town - on a lake, picturesque, roads wide enough for only one car. There were lots of people there.

We headed out to find our B&B for the night. We’re booking places day by day not really knowing what we’re getting or where exactly the places are. It’s adventurous and can be bit nerve wracking, but it’s all worked out fine so far. We do go down some out of the way roads and wonder if we’re lost. Our room for this night was located in the country, surrounded by rolling hills/low mountains and lakes everywhere. The view from the bedroom window is terrific. Many years ago, this was a croft - a farm.

It turns out that the Isle of Skye has been called one of the ten best islands in the world - says National Geographic. That makes for a challenging time getting lodging, but we’ve yet to sleep in the car.

Supper was in a tiny village. The food was quite good and there was lots of if. We drove back to the B&B and Dave went to work looking for a place to stay for the next two nights. On Tuesday we’ll be at Loch Ness! Looking forward to that. It’s light here at 11 pm and again at 4 am. Not sure when the it gets dark and when it’s first light. Long, lovely days!

One thing I learned today: If there isn’t a slight breeze, the midges come out (tiny bugs that bite) and it’s most annoying.
One new thing I experienced today: Tried my hand at playing a harp.
Most powerful moment of the day: Trying to absorb the incredible hardships the people of Scotland have faced in the past. Why do people treat others so horribly?
One pleasurable experience: Sitting in the sun, surrounded by incredible gardens, eating good food, listening to music from the movie A Star is Born (on the loud speaker) with the love of my life.