The Next Chapter in Our UK Trip
Cathy
it will look like by the time it transmits itself to your viewing screens!
As always, if you'd like to read the version complete with photos and links,
you can make your way to http://www.cathyskye.com and click on UK Trip 2005.
Hope you enjoy!
==========================
Rainbows and Waterfalls
Isle of Skye, 10 November 2005
We had reached the Loch Duich Hotel by 4:30 p.m. It was almost totally dark,
but Eilean Donan Castle was lit by floodlights, so that didn't ruin my
balcony watch. Reluctantly I made myself come inside and put things away.
Denis came back upstairs with the evening's dinner choices. We relaxed for a
bit and then went downstairs to the bar to eat. Denis had roast beef and
Yorkshire pudding. I had the Chicken Rabbie, which is chicken served on a
bed of haggis. At this time of year, the restaurant at the Loch Duich is
closed, which is why we were eating in the bar. We learned later that the
restaurant has won awards and that doesn't surprise us a bit because every
meal we had was excellent (and yes, I liked the haggis)! Mr. and Mrs.
Gault, the owners, spent some time with us. It seems that just about
everyone has heard of Arizona and wants to learn more-especially when you
live in a land of overcast skies, lots of rain, and winter is closing in.
The Gaults told us that when our time at the Loch Duich was finished, they
would be taking their own holiday in the Dominican Republic.
After a good night's sleep, we went downstairs and had the Loch Duich
version of the full English breakfast. It was the best by far, and the black
pudding was delicious. Today was the day we would spend exploring the Isle
of Skye, but a chore had to be performed first: the laundry. The night
before Denis had gone back down to the bar to have a couple of "proper
beers" and he had asked where the nearest laundromat was. While he was
drinking and chatting, I was looking through the information I had in our
room. We both wound up with the same answer. There was a place in Broadford
called Skye Surprises which had a laundromat as well as internet access.
Once breakfast was finished, we loaded the laundry in the car and went down
the road to Skye.
As we got into the car, I had to take a look behind me at Eilean Donan. It
sits at the confluence of three lochs: Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh.
From the balcony, I could try to keep an eye on what was happening on all
three, and of course I had been out there first thing in the morning to do
just that! We had to drive through Kyle of Lochalsh in order to cross the
Skye Bridge. Fortunately for everyone who lived in the area, the £ 6 toll
had been abolished. If you lived on one side and worked on the other, or
lived on the opposite side from your doctor or the grocery store, travel
could get very pricey very fast. The Skye Bridge was a sweeping curve over
the loch and onto Skye. As we went up the bridge approach, I was a bit
stunned to see that there was a small lighthouse down below on a tiny
island. The island, Eilean Bàn, and its lighthouse had once been home to
Gavin Maxwell who wrote the classic, Ring of Bright Water. I didn't have
much time to think about that because as we were leaving the bridge, I was
distracted by a rainbow over the water. Little did I know what was in store.
Skye Surprises was easy to find. Not only did it contain a laundromat and
internet service, it also had a cobbler's shop, gas pumps, and a small
grocery store/tourist shop. It took me a few minutes to get into laundry
mode because Skye Surprises was right by Broadford Bay, and there was
another rainbow! As I stood and watched, I saw two more gleaming above the
water. (Before the day was over, I saw a dozen.) Just when I thought I was
ready to tackle the dirty clothes, I was distracted once again by two birds
in front of a car. (Once I had the laundry started, I looked them up in my
bird book and discovered that they were hooded crows.)
When I could no longer find distractions to keep me from the laundry, I went
inside and began. Denis found out the rules and regs for the internet
service and checked his email. The fee was £ 1 per fifteen minutes. I took
the opportunity to email three friends to let them know how our vacation was
going so far.
Back outside with a boot full of clean clothes, it was time to explore Skye.
There were patches of blue interspersed with light rain showers, and all the
refracted light seemed to create rainbows as fast as I could blink. We
headed for Portree and stopped at a group of shops called Aros. I bought a
handmade lace bookmark for my friend Helen who, once again, was house
sitting for us. A few more odds and ends joined my purchase. The view of
Portree and the Sound of Raasay was fabulous, and Denis had to remind me
that nightfall was at 4:30 p.m. That definitely got me moving! Like the
Grand Canyon, the Isle of Skye is blessed with constantly shifting light
that makes the same aspect seem different from moment to moment. I felt
fortunate to have found another place where light plays such an important
role. The only problem was-it made me want to lollygag, gawk, and generally
take my own sweet time. We couldn't do that with such short days.
Heading out of Portree, we started our "circle tour" of Skye. The mountains
had patches of dark forest green and soft moss green from trees, but the
slopes were mainly a gleaming combination of rust, brass and copper. Upon
closer inspection, I realized that most of the metallic coloring was due to
frost-killed acres of bracken. And waterfalls of all shapes and sizes were
EVERYWHERE! It seemed as though, whenever two raindrops met, they insisted
on joining others in a tumbling dance to the sea. If any water on earth
could be said to be happy, it's the water on Skye.
As we drove along I also realized that there was a standard cottage on the
isle: thick-walled stone with two high dormers over a central door. A few
had three dormers. Some were tarted up with bay windows on either side of
the door, but this seemed to be the architectural standard. Looking at the
houses made me realize how few derelict properties there are in the UK-the
land is at such a premium that very little is allowed to cave in from
neglect. One of the houses-a light sky blue color-made me think of Angela in
Durham. It is her favorite color, after all! <wink>
We stopped and took photos at many places, Dunvegan Castle being one of
them. We were so lucky-every time we wanted to stop and explore, it wasn't
raining. Mountain followed mountain. Sea loch followed sea loch. Tiny
village followed tiny village. There was too much to see and not enough
time! I vowed right then and there that we were coming back. For at least a
week! All too soon, the sun began to set and we headed back to the Loch
Duich Hotel where Denis and I both had Whiskey Charlie steak for dinner. (I
splurged and had apple rhubarb crumble for dessert.)
The wind was relatively calm that night. A half moon and one lone star could
be seen through high wisps of cloud. Eilean Donan Castle seemed to be
floating on a pewter charger. I closed the curtains over the balcony door
and laid quietly in the four poster bed. My mind revisited each and every
wondrous thing I'd seen that day. I knew that until the day I died, I would
always think of Skye as the magical land that laughed in waterfalls and
winked in rainbows.
--
--Cathy.
"Books are a uniquely portable magic." (Stephen King)
http://www.cathyskye.com
Buff
Ohhhhhhhh ... you are /magic/ with words!!! Thank you for the pictures!
--
Buff
Ærchie
any sense had already left town. Yet Cathy was standin' in the doorway
saying:
Thank you, Cathy.
I have tears in my eyes at the beauty of your writing, a smile on my face
at the happiness you experienced and wonder in my heart at the images you
conjured up.
I will never look at raindrops in the same way again.
Ærchie
Steve L Ferris
Your story makes me want to go too.
steve
Jeanie
> the balcony door and laid quietly in the four poster bed. My mind
> revisited each and every wondrous thing I'd seen that day. I knew
> that until the day I died, I would always think of Skye as the
> magical land that laughed in waterfalls and winked in rainbows.
A wonderful place with a wonderful name. What better place to be named
after! LOL
Jeanie
Angela Lamb
Great travelogue as usual Cathy. I guess from reading it, this was the
absolute highlight of your trip. It paints a fantastic picture, well
except for the *peach* bit of course.......
Angela.
Cathy
> Great travelogue as usual Cathy. I guess from reading it, this was the
> absolute highlight of your trip. It paints a fantastic picture, well
> except for the *peach* bit of course.......
Actually this day and the next were *the* highlights of the trip for me. I
haven't told y'all about going Nessie spotting when a North Atlantic gale's
brewing yet. <G>
Odd how that little peach cottage made me think immediately of you, isn't
it? LOL
Cathy
> A wonderful place with a wonderful name. What better place to be
> named after! LOL
And I still answer to it, too! LOL
Cathy
> Your story makes me want to go too.
The Highlands are fantastic, Steve. I think you'd enjoy it. I already have a
cottage by the shore of a loch scoped out for next year.
Cathy
> Ohhhhhhhh ... you are /magic/ with words!!! Thank you for the
> pictures!
And if you want to know something completely silly and soppy--when I was
proofing the pages before announcing they were up, I got tears in my
eyes--all emotional because I wanted to be there *right now*.
Thanks, Buff.
Cathy
> Thank you, Cathy.
>
> I have tears in my eyes at the beauty of your writing, a smile on my
> face at the happiness you experienced and wonder in my heart at the
> images you conjured up.
>
> I will never look at raindrops in the same way again.
You're welcome, Ærchie. Thank you for your kind words.
Angela Lamb
gh...@gofc.com> writes
>Actually this day and the next were *the* highlights of the trip for me. I
>haven't told y'all about going Nessie spotting when a North Atlantic gale's
>brewing yet. <G>
I can't wait! :)
>
>Odd how that little peach cottage made me think immediately of you, isn't
>it? LOL
Oh I think my prejudice is well understood in here!
Angela.
Jane Benn
As usual, I enjoyed the travelogue, Cathy.
The only trouble is, every time you write one, I have to add another place
to my list of spots I want to go see some day, because you always make them
sound so inviting.
Thanks for taking me along.
--
Jane
Cathy
> As usual, I enjoyed the travelogue, Cathy.
Thanks, Jane.
> The only trouble is, every time you write one, I have to add another
> place to my list of spots I want to go see some day, because you
> always make them sound so inviting.
I haven't written about a couple of recent trails--probably due to severe
liver and kidney damage, a couple of fractured vertebraes, and my fingers
being permanently locked on the grab bar of the Jeep. ;-)
> Thanks for taking me along.
Any time, Jane. Any time. If Denis and I ever win a huge Powerball, I'm
going to be a wastrel and figure out how much it costs for transportation,
food and lodgings for an APFPY Meet somewhere like Scotland!
--
--Cathy AKA Friends Fly Free.