It’s now late July, temperatures climbing to 105 degrees F. with little relief in sight. With the heat I thought this might be a good time to carry on with our trip to Scotland this past May, where the weather was cooler and the countryside greener.
It seems that, as I’ve grown older, I don’t tolerate the heat as easily as I did years back. Maybe it’s that I simply know that I have different choices now that allow me to travel to the coast (ahhh, fog and low clouds!) when the temperatures become unbearable here. With that said, I can certainly revisit Scotland and the Isle of Skye.
May is one of the best months to visit Skye and western Scotland. Tourist season has not come into full measure, it isn’t raining constantly, and the midges aren’t swarming about. Days can be quite warm while hiking the mountains but that is part of the enjoyment. The view in the left photo above changed 100% by the following morning. This area is known as the Quiraing. It is a stunning and unique landscape located in the north of the Isle of Skye, not far from the village of Uig. It’s part of the Trotternish ridge that was formed due to a massive landslip that created high cliffs, hidden plateaus, and striking rock formations. The area is a paradise for hikers due to its dramatic scenery. Alas, when we returned the next morning, the entire landscape was cloaked with thick fog and low cloud. I’ve gotten myself lost on the mountains near Ft. William in the past when fog and rain blew in unexpectantly, and I totally lost my way in the hills. I was not about to repeat the same experience again and we drove down to a lower elevation for a safer, but less strenuous hike. Even so, cloud and fog started blowing in and even though I reached the top of the hill, I thought it wise to head back down as quickly as possible.
The photo on the left shows the fog blowing in, the right photo is the ordinance marker at the top of the hill.
While still on the mainland of Western Scotland we stayed near the town of Plockton, lodging at the Tingle Creek Hotel. Plockton curves along the waterfront, live music happens often across the street from the Plockton Hotel and the views are beautiful. After Plockton and our stay on Skye, we headed for Edinburgh for a few days before flying home.
Edinburgh is a fairly easy city to navigate, especially if you’re on foot. The Castle dominates the skyline and if you want a hill walk, then Aurther’s Seat gives you some fantastic views of the city and countryside.
Just walking through the city of Edinburgh you’ll come across small, well cared for gardens. Although the gardens are small, they always seem to have interest and charm.
Edinburgh is the home of Greyfriars Kirk (church) and of course Greyfriars Bobby – the Skye Terrier that who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died on 14 January 1872.
This post has been mostly a travelogue of our holiday, a nice remembrance of places we visited and the people we met along the way.
Right now, our vegetable garden is overflowing with tomatoes and the butternut squash has finally started to put on flowers. We’ve got plenty of time for winter squash to mature and in the meantime, it’s putting up tomato sauce and thinning the peach and pear trees.
So, for now I’m off to make a batch of eggplant bruschetta and stay indoors on a hot, July afternoon.
