UK: Scottish Highlands - Isle of Skye
This was perhaps one of the most beautiful places I've been to in my life. Scotland, you stole my breath away.
Nestled in the northeast of Scotland, Isle of Skye was one of the most breathtaking places I've been so far. We rented a car from Edinburgh and drove up 6 hours north to Isle of Skye passing by the little town of Inverness, the iconic Loch Ness, Eileen Donan Castle, and Urquhart Castle.
First pit stop: Inverness
The drive up was so beautiful. Literally, I cannot stop gushing about Scotland. The views of the highlands were amazing - the lush green juxtaposing with the crumbling rocks, the stillness of the lakes, the hazy fog rolling in every once in a while with the sun peaking through the fluffy dense clouds.
Loch Ness
I went to Scotland in late November during Thanksgiving weekend so the days were getting shorter. It got dark around 4 PM which limited much of our activity. I read that if you go during the summer, the sun sets around 9 PM which is crazy. Imagine all the hiking you could do! Nevertheless, that didn't stop us. This picture of the Eileen Donan Castle was taken around 4 PM and it was so dark already. Everyone left already so it was deserted. We took this opportunity to poke around the castle and take some amazing pictures.
We arrived at Portree around 7 PM and checked into our Airbnb, which was a caravan. Don't be alarmed, it was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had. We got so lost trying to find the house but were thankfully guided by the very helpful family whose caravan we were staying at. It took awhile though since we had such a hard time understanding what directions were being given (cue the ignorant American comments, yes yes I fully accept my inability to understand different accents easily). We were met with the family cows and heavy rain. We ate dinner in Portree, which was so empty you would think it was a ghost town. It was such a nice change from busy noisy London. Portree has only one grocery store, Co-op, which we got all our goods for the following day.
Portree during the day
The next day, we started out at around 5 AM to our first stop in Skye which was the Quirang. It took about 30 minutes to get there. There, I can say I saw the most beautiful sunrise in my life.
The hike at the Quirang was moderate. There weren't many paved paths so it gave you the leisure to "make your own adventure". Also, not very many people were there so I was able to really take it all in and feel like I was the only one there.
Next stop: Kilt Rock.
Next we stopped at Old Man Storr which overlooked a beautiful lake. It amazes me how still the waters were.
We were only able to go on two hikes because of the short daylight so we decided to go to the Fairy Glen Pools which were at the base of the Black Cuillen mountains. The hike was a lot easier than the Quirang and was a lot more wet. Bring waterproof shoes for this hike; I didn't have any so my feet were drenched by the time we finished. I could not keep track of how many waterfalls there were on this hike - spectacular. The water was so blue even in the winter time. I can only imagine how this hike would be during spring and summer with the flowers blooming.
Towards the end around 4 PM again, the clouds started to come in and it got so difficult to see when trekking back to the car. We made it over the Skye bridge that was featured in the 007 movie Skyfall but unfortunately it was too late to actually see it.
All in all, Scotland is definitely a place to visit for all nature lovers out there. And definitely get yourself a car, it'll make life a whole lot easier.
Nestled in the northeast of Scotland, Isle of Skye was one of the most breathtaking places I've been so far. We rented a car from Edinburgh and drove up 6 hours north to Isle of Skye passing by the little town of Inverness, the iconic Loch Ness, Eileen Donan Castle, and Urquhart Castle.
First pit stop: Inverness
The drive up was so beautiful. Literally, I cannot stop gushing about Scotland. The views of the highlands were amazing - the lush green juxtaposing with the crumbling rocks, the stillness of the lakes, the hazy fog rolling in every once in a while with the sun peaking through the fluffy dense clouds.
Loch Ness
 |
| The still waters of Loch Ness On the lookout for Nessie |
I went to Scotland in late November during Thanksgiving weekend so the days were getting shorter. It got dark around 4 PM which limited much of our activity. I read that if you go during the summer, the sun sets around 9 PM which is crazy. Imagine all the hiking you could do! Nevertheless, that didn't stop us. This picture of the Eileen Donan Castle was taken around 4 PM and it was so dark already. Everyone left already so it was deserted. We took this opportunity to poke around the castle and take some amazing pictures.
 |
| Eileen Donan Castle Couldn't get the best quality picture (taken with a point and shoot) but hopefully its beauty still shines bright |
We arrived at Portree around 7 PM and checked into our Airbnb, which was a caravan. Don't be alarmed, it was one of the most bizarre experiences I've ever had. We got so lost trying to find the house but were thankfully guided by the very helpful family whose caravan we were staying at. It took awhile though since we had such a hard time understanding what directions were being given (cue the ignorant American comments, yes yes I fully accept my inability to understand different accents easily). We were met with the family cows and heavy rain. We ate dinner in Portree, which was so empty you would think it was a ghost town. It was such a nice change from busy noisy London. Portree has only one grocery store, Co-op, which we got all our goods for the following day.
Portree during the day
 |
| Restaurants and shops on the Portree pier Most were closed during the winter season |
The next day, we started out at around 5 AM to our first stop in Skye which was the Quirang. It took about 30 minutes to get there. There, I can say I saw the most beautiful sunrise in my life.
The hike at the Quirang was moderate. There weren't many paved paths so it gave you the leisure to "make your own adventure". Also, not very many people were there so I was able to really take it all in and feel like I was the only one there.
Next stop: Kilt Rock.
Next we stopped at Old Man Storr which overlooked a beautiful lake. It amazes me how still the waters were.
We were only able to go on two hikes because of the short daylight so we decided to go to the Fairy Glen Pools which were at the base of the Black Cuillen mountains. The hike was a lot easier than the Quirang and was a lot more wet. Bring waterproof shoes for this hike; I didn't have any so my feet were drenched by the time we finished. I could not keep track of how many waterfalls there were on this hike - spectacular. The water was so blue even in the winter time. I can only imagine how this hike would be during spring and summer with the flowers blooming.
Towards the end around 4 PM again, the clouds started to come in and it got so difficult to see when trekking back to the car. We made it over the Skye bridge that was featured in the 007 movie Skyfall but unfortunately it was too late to actually see it.
All in all, Scotland is definitely a place to visit for all nature lovers out there. And definitely get yourself a car, it'll make life a whole lot easier.
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