After our 1,000-mile round trip to Snowdonia, Cardigan Bay and Brecon Beacons last year, we thought it time to set out on another adventure to some of Britain's far-flung beauty spots, this time heading 700 miles due north to Skye. A few extended outings of late meant our skills at packing the car were well honed, but Rosie's accumulated bits & bobs still took up the majority of the limited space in our little Fiat Punto.
On the Thursday night, Emma's parents Jeannine & Gordon visited briefly to coo over Rosie, and that night we ate quesadilla, washed down with Brahma beer. While Emma & Ruth chatted, Matt & I watched the Liverpool UEFA Cup game and played some Street Fighter before turning in. On Good Friday morning, we dressed Rosie up in a chick outfit, and after bacon & eggs set off on the road again. Our pit stop was the Westmorland services, where we had sandwiches & salad, before taking a scenic M6 drive through Cumbria to arrive at Dumfries at 4pm. Our second overnight stay was with my aunt Vanessa & uncle Andrew, both retired from the Met Police and enjoying retirement north of the border. Rosie got to meet her first dog in the shape of Rennie then went to bed and, after talking Scottish history and failing to learn Gaelic, we sat down to a 3-course dinner (antipasti di salumi, salmon conchiglie, fruit salad) accompanied by copious wine.
On Saturday, we got an early start and a huge Scottish breakfast, then ventured off on a windy picturesque route round the Lochs, stopping at the Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum, in the foothills of Ben Nevis. Fish & chips there was amazing. The scenery on the journey north through the moors, lochs and mountains was stunning, and we arrived in Glenelg after navigating a windy mountain pass at around 5pm. Our cottage was literally next door to the Glenelg Inn, with amazing views over to Skye.
Our week in the cottage was idyllic and to write in detail about all the events of the week would take too much time and space here, so I'll give the shortened version. Weather-wise, about half the days were blue skies & sun, some were drizzly and overcast and only one was an all-out wash-out. Thankfully, this was the day (Easter Monday) after we arrived so it gave Ruth, Rosie & I a chance to relax after the long journey north. Most evenings (after putting Rosie to bed) started with G&Ts and snacks, followed by food & wine and then board games & whisky. We played Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Scottish Quest and Cranium over the course of the week, and Dan & I also managed to watch a fair amount of European football, including Barcelona & Messi's drubbing of Arsenal.
Monday was gorgeous so we walked to Sandaig beach, famous as the setting for Gavin Maxwell's Ring of Bright Water. I recommend the book as an example of how to forge a life in the wilderness away from the city, but don't bother watching the film. To get to the beach meant crossing a cold mountain water stream, which was fun for most as the rope bridge made it easy but I had Rosie on my back in the baby hiker, so I had to take off my shoes and socks and tiptoe across the slippy rocks in the freezing water. The prize was a gorgeous beach and incredible scenery with views down to the islands of Rum and Eigg.
On Tuesday, we drove for 2 hours to Applecross, a bay further north in Scotland in the region of Wester Ross. The mountain pass is the highest in the UK, and was shrouded in mist both coming and going, and provided some incredible pictures of mountain deer on our journey home. We ate lunch at the Applecross Inn, an unpretentious pub that serves delicious seafood and has a loyal following. My lemon sole & chips was the best I've tasted, and Ruth enjoyed her langoustines. Highly recommended. On the way we stopped at Eilean Donan castle, but decided against the tour and just took some pics instead. They weren't quite as good as the image on out Scottish shortbread tin.
On other days, we also had a chance to go out on the bikes and kayaks, visit the local brochs and walk from Sheena's Tea Hut in Corran round the nearby sea lochs in the shadow of the Knoydart mountains. We took the picture below on the approach to Arnisdale bay, an incredibly scenic spot and once home to the family of James Bond author, Ian Fleming.
We saved our best day for last, and took the Glenelg-Skye ferry on the Friday to visit the island and celebrate Dan's birthday. Our first stop was Talisker distillery, home of very informative tours and whisky tastings, and where I picked up an expensive bottle of single malt. We then headed to Portree on a scenic route round the Cuillin mountains, stopping at the Lower Deck restaurant for lunch. We then headed north on the Trotternish peninsula, taking in the incredible rock formations such as the Old Man of Storr, and the general otherworldliness of the Quiraing. We even had afternoon tea at Flodigarry Hotel, before heading home via Flora McDonald's grave, Uig and the Skye Bridge as the sun fell on the island.
So, an incredible trip all in all. On the way home, we stopped in Glasgow to see our friends Chris & Joanne. The only hiccup on the journey though was a burst tyre on the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond, which involved an AA van, Strathclyde Police and a lucky encounter with a tyre garage in Glasgow that did the job for £14. We eventually made it to C&J's flat, and had a lovely evening catching up, eating lamb and playing Beatles Rock Band. After a walk in the sunshine on Sunday morning, we set off with a generous packed lunch from Joanne, and stopped again at Westmorland services before breaking up the journey at a Best Western hotel near Stoke-on-Trent. It was a bit awkward once we put Rosie down, as we had to keep quiet in the same room while Rosie was behind a rigged-up veil, and eat room service meals in silence and watch the Masters golf on mute. On the upside, we had a lovely swim in the hotel pool on Monday morning and arrived home feeling pretty relaxed given the epic journey.
Comments