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Published: March 21st 2015
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Today we left the abbey in MY little race car, better known to the lay person as the Fiat 500. When we rose for the day, we were greeted with brilliant sunshine and a fabulously sunny forecast! We quickly decided that our travels over to the Isle of Skye was a must today. It takes about two and a half hours of driving to get over to that region so we enjoyed a Tia Marie coffee and hit the road....it was my turn to take on the task of driving!
The roads here are two way with no shoulders, much like driving the needles highway of the Black Hills of South Dakota....I absolutely thrived on the thrill with my navigator white knuckling it for about the first thirty minutes of the trip...I cannot help it if I am pulled to whatever I am looking at? We zoomed down the road fairly flawlessly once Clayton relaxed and enjoyed the immense Glens and scenery. My speeding and racing style curving became the norm. I loved -absolutely loved- it! I WAS a formula one racer complete with stylish sunglasses and blue hair! Road signs quickly started turning into gaelic as did the street
signs...let the adventure begin!
We marveled at the scenery....wonderful grand scenes you might find in photographs...snow capped mountains with daffodil encrusted bases, waterfalls forming out of the clouds pooling into oblivion, clouds hugging the rocky ranges and sea port villages filled with fishing vessels and seagulls and salty sailors. Our first stop was the Eilean Donan Castle, built in 1220. It is the most photographed castle in Scotland and we can see why! It is breathtaking! Steeped in history as well as been host to films like Highlander and a James Bond movie this castle is amazing! The restoration of this masterpiece makes it a true gem of Skye.
We returned to the car looking forward to more ? Hunger pains took us in the direction of the Isle of Skye Brewery...which ended up being closed (rural community strikes again as some of the business hours are open for only two hours a day) but we found a quaint little shop, Elle's, around the corner ran by an elderly woman. Delicious homemade spinach and potato soup and homemade bread filled our aching bellies.
The car trip was filled with laughter, ferrel goats lazily parading across the road,
bicyclists and a few potholes (more expert driving skills unfolded?) and Indie techno music...the only radio station we could find. The rural life of the Highlands is a wonder....we laughed as two crickets teams met for a match seemingly in the middle of nowhere special to play a game...the field was between a pasture of sheep and a pasture of cattle...the adults posted signs along the road to slow down and parked in tiny obscure parking slots! It was great!
We stopped along the road to hike a little. Although we didn't find the Fairy pools, you would swear the fae folk are most certainly everywhere...the land just sparkles with lichen and life. It is a magical place! And the best part was the vastness and beauty. There weren't many people and those we encountered were simply happy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the driving today! From the tightly winding roads to driving over the bridge of Skye. It's decided that Clayton is a magnificent navigator and my style of careening down the road without a care in the world is the way to go?
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