A Postcard From Skye
Elizabeth Young
A Postcard From Skye
Elizabeth Young
This is a feature from Issue 12 of Charitable Traveller. Click to read more from this issue.
Moody Landscapes
Forget rain macs and midges, when I opened the curtains on my first day in Skye there was nothing but clear blue sky and sunshine to greet me over the Sound of Sleat. With my belly full of a hearty Scottish breakfast I headed out to get the mood and the measure of the island with a local who knew every jot and tittle of its rolling hills and the best ways to admire them.
Skye – 50 by 25 miles in size – is shaped like a bird in flight and is the most popular of the Hebridean islands, thanks, in part, to the bridge joining it to the mainland at Kyle of Lochalsh. I had arrived by Caledonian MacBrayne ferry, one of the many that criss-cross the waters between the isles of the inner Herbrides, or head on to the remote outer isles.
The scenery is stunning. Rolling hills of purple, rust and straw yellow; babbling brooks dotted with heavy boulders speckled in vibrant lichens. Hardy sheep and cattle nibble the grass down to neat spongy ‘lawns’, interspersed with bright yellow gorse. The white, slate-roofed cottages tell tales of remote farms and hardy fishing communities.
The Fairy Pools are part of Skye’s rich folklore – named after a clan chief who allegedly married a fairy princess there.
Dramatic Style
The Cuillin ranges are huge, domineering and unexpected, and they can’t fail to impress. I craned my neck to look up at the long ridge of the Black Cuillin, said to be the UK’s most challenging mountain range. Nearly seven miles long, it has 12 Munros (peaks higher than 3,000 feet), all with magnetic appeal for climbers.
The gentler Red Cuillin range is popular with quick- fix hillwalkers who come to snap the famous Old Man of Storr, a rock outcrop, or the translucent spring-fed Fairy Pools. Others come in search of otters or whales, eagles or puffins, and many come just to feel the remoteness. Skye is a land of organic tartans and tweeds, woven by nature in muted tones.
That much I had expected, but the surprise was the drama of it and the sense of being in a truly ancient place. It has plenty of Scottish heritage, but it’s the earth-shattering geological action it has seen, the ragged peaks and smooth hills, that inspire awe. It’s a small island, yes, but visit and you quickly see it grow in stature before your eyes.
Skye is home to 12 Monros – mountain challenges full of scenic drama.
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This is a feature from Issue 12 of Charitable Traveller.
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