Making the Most of Bad Weather on the Isle of Skye

We are no strangers to the moodiness of Scottish weather. There is a reason why plant life thrives here and everything is vibrantly green: It rains...a lot. Most of the time, in fact. Aberdeen is actually one of the driest areas in Scotland, but as you head West, the annual precipitation values go way up. 

We are familiar with the old Scottish adage, ‘There is no bad weather, only bad gear.’ But I am hear to tell you that sometimes there actually is bad weather. Sometimes the weather makes it physically impossible to enjoy yourself outdoors. And sometimes this weather makes an appearance during your 2 day stint of Scottish vacation on the Isle of Skye. 

When we arrived on Skye, the rain was pouring down, and the wind was blowing it sideways making it feel more like hail than rain.  This was different than the usual Scottish breed of rain which usually involves short periods of misting, followed by periods of sunshine which leads to plentiful rainbow sightings. That sort of rain would have made our 3 mile round trip hike to the fairy pools doable. 

As it was, we kept seeing walkers arrive back to the carpark soaking wet and looking absolutely miserable. Misery wasn’t what this baby-moon was about, and since Jonathan was taking it easy due to his bum foot and I was taking it easy due to the 4.5 lb human currently residing in my abdomen, hiking in the storming rain in a fog so dense it decreases your visibility to about 5 feet just didn’t sound like a fun time to us.

So we skipped it and decided we’d try again on Sunday. Flash forward to Sunday and, if possible, the weather was even worse. We had a few things on the itinerary that we wanted to see while on Skye, including a few ‘easy’ hikes. Since I’d already seen the Fairy Pools when I came to the Island last September with April, I decided to lessen the priority of that particular walk and instead set my sights on The Old Man or Storr and the Fairy Glens. The Old Man of Storr hike was closest to our B&B so we decided to start there. 

When we arrived at the carpark, there was a slacking in the rain so we grabbed our equipment and headed up the hill. I was under the impression that it was a fairly easy climb, and maybe in good conditions it is, but the conditions we had were pretty horrendous. The wind was the worst part, howling by us at at least 40 mph and only increasing in force as we got higher up the mountain. The path was slick and wet making both Jon and I nervous that we might slip and injure ourselves in our fragile states. 

I started feeling apprehensive when we came across a Ranger who pointed out the geological formation to us ahead. He warned, ‘It’s windy up there.’ and my apprehension grew that conditions were going to get worse before they got better. Still, he encouraged us to keep going and that the views would be worth it. 

About 2 minutes later the rain started pelting down and we scrambled to get our camera into it’s waterproof baggie before proceeding with the climb. 

We already decided we weren’t going to attempt the summit, but just wanted to get close enough to get a good photo and call it a day. Unfortunately, by the time we reached a good photo op elevation, the fog has rolled in and greatly diminished the view of The Old Man of Storr, but at this point we were so wet and cold and miserable from the pounding rain and wind that we just wanted to get down the hill and back into the car. 

You would think that going down would be easier than climbing up, but on such a slick day, it was much more treacherous to descend. I was worried about Jonathan the whole time due to his recovering foot fracture and he was worried about me slipping as well. We agreed to each just be careful and concerned with ourselves since it was way too dangerous to be focused on each other while getting down. 

Once we got down to the car we were both bad news bears. We instantly resolved that our hiking for the remainder of our time on the Isle of Skye was over and that we required a nice warm drink before we could continue with our sight seeing. We had a brochure for an Artist’s Café and gallery just a bit up the road in Ellishadder so decided to head there. 

Along the way, we saw signs for Kilt Rock so I pulled in to take some photos. Jonathan was still so grumpy that he decided that he’d wait in the car while I braved the elements to get the perfect shot. 

I even captured some video for him to get the full experience. Notice the bird struggling against the force of the wind.

After the detour we pulled into the Ellishadder Artists’ Café and warmed up by the fire with Peruvian Coffee and scrumptious hot cocoa. The main artists featured in the café are Maggie and Stuart Quigley. They were both present while we were there and were nice enough to chat with us a bit about their work. Jon and I both really love Stuart’s impressionistic landscape style, and though we didn’t buy any artwork while we were there, we have his info in case we want to order a particular piece down the line. 

SOURCE

I did buy a necklace made with seaglass found on the beaches of Skye, so we didn’t leave souvenir- less. 

The warm hot cocoa and coffee were just what we needed to get us back into our good attitude/explorer mode and we spent the rest of the day pulling over to the side of the road to take photos and visiting artist’s galleries and shops.

We also swung by the Talisker Distillery for Jonathan to scoop up a souvenir of his own. Due to our experience on Skye, he choose the appropriately named Talisker 'Storm' edition.

The last stop of the day before dinner was SkyeSkyns which is a ‘wool-on’ leather tannery famous for their sheepskin rugs. My parents have some rugs from this very tannery and we’ve always loved them. I knew I couldn’t go to Skye without scooping up a few for myself. First we listened to a demonstration on how the rugs are made and then we were sent up to the shop for a looksee. 

We ended up buying one smaller rug for our downstairs bathroom. This will come in handy when I’m bathing baby or the dogs in the tub since it gives me a soft padded surface to kneel on. 

We also bought a larger super fancy and soft merino wool one for the baby’s nursery. I’ve been looking for a rug to place beside the crib and this will be the perfect fit. 

Like wearing Ugg slippers:)

Our dogs are already trying to claim both rugs for their own, so we have to be strict about letting them know that these are not dog beds. 

We said the same thing about our French Linen chairs… 

Oops. 

We finished out or last day on Skye with dinner at the famous Three Chimney’s Restaurant, but that experience deserves a post all its own. Stay tuned…

Bump Day: 33 Weeks!

Happy Bump Day from the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond! Today I am 33 weeks, y’all! That’s like really pregnant. And over the past 4 days I feel like my bump has transitioned from cute to enormous. 

Twice yesterday I bumped my belly on hard surfaces because I underestimated just how big my bump had grown. Baby boy is somewhere in the ballpark of 4.5 pounds, which is how much I weighed at birth. That’s a big milestone for me for some reason, and the reality of this baby boy’s imminent arrival has been hitting me big time this week.  

 I’m trying to enjoy my last few weeks of personhood before motherhood takes over, but I definitely feel like in 7 weeks’ time I will be super ready to get this baby out of me. Plus, I’m excited to meet the little guy! 

Today is our last full day of baby-mooning, so I’ll go ahead and cut to the pictures so that Jonathan and I can finish exploring the beautiful scenery surrounding us here on Loch Lomond. 

I’ll fill you in on our time in Skye and in the Trossachs later on this week. Stay tuned!!!

Island Hopping in the Outer Hebrides

One of the names on our ‘short-list’ of options for baby boy is 'Harris'. We like it because it’s similar to Henry without being as common, and it’s also similar to Harry, which we love, but can’t use due to the fact that it rhymes with our last name. Also, Harris is the name of one of the Outer Hebrides Islands of Scotland, giving it a special reference to the country of our child’s birth. 

However, since it is technically a ‘Place’ name, we couldn’t very well name our baby 'Harris' without scoping the island out first. Otherwise, we would be total phonies. And plus, what if it turned out to be a dump? So when we decided to take a baby moon in Scotland, we knew that the Isle of Harris had to be on the itinerary. 

Though Harris is a crazily remote island, it’s pretty easily accessible from Skye via a daily fairy that leaves from Uig at 9:40 AM and returns from the town of Tarbert on Harris at 8:00 PM. Since the island is teeny tiny, we figured 8 hours would be sufficient time to see what we needed to see. 

When we arrived at the ferry terminal, we were sent to the line of cars ‘without a ticket’ and told that the ferry was already completely booked and we’d only be allowed on the ferry if there was room. 

Jonathan was hoping and praying that we’d snag a spot while I was secretly thinking that staying on solid ground would be A-okay. (I was slightly apprehensive about the hour and 40 minute ferry ride over very rough Scottish waters so I popped my Dramamine an hour before take off.) 

As luck would have it, we were the very last car permitted onto the ferry, so I set my eyes on the horizon and tried not to hurl. 

Though the seas were very rough, the ferry was quite sizable, so despite feeling a bit queasy, I made it across just fine. When we arrived in Harris, we were greeted with blue skies and sunshine. We exited the ferry ramp and headed straight to Luskentyre beach. Along the way we pulled over for a snack and some photo ops of the incredible scenery.

Once we got to the beach car park, we had a short hike through some dunes that lead us to one of the most beautiful beaches on earth (according to National Geographic, at least). It’s cheesy to say, but it was truly magical. 

I felt like I had been transported into Narnia. 

The ocean was crystal clear blue, the beaches were pristine with white sand, but instead of looking out onto an infinity of ocean, we stared across at the silhouette of the majestic and wild mountains of Western Scotland.   

I could have stayed out there all day but someone forgot his wind breaker in the car so wasn’t as keen about camping out on the beach in 30 mph winds. He was keen on proving to the universe that despite being thousands of miles away, his heart still belongs to the LSU Tigers on gameday. 

Not to be outdone, I also documented that I was sporting my purple in support of LSU. 

We also made sure to get some photo ops in case Harris ends up being the name of our wee lad. 

After the beach, we headed off in search of souvenirs, specifically Harris Tweed. We stopped in at a little shop and bought some gifts for our family, and a few for ourselves. 

Other than tweed and beaches, the only significant tourist attraction in Harris is the sheep. They are everywhere and significantly outnumber the human population on the island. We were shocked to see that they were completely unphased by traffic whizzing by. We saw several of them using sign posts and guard rails as back scratchers. 

When coming back from our souvenir hunt, we came across one little guy who decided that the middle of the highway was prime real estate for a nap. We drove up slowly, prepared to drive around him, but instead, he politely got up, moved over to the side, and then went right back to the same spot as soon we drove by. 

By 2 pm we had checked off everything on our Harris ‘to-do’ list so decided to try to see some of the Isle of Lewis while we were in that direction. Harris and Lewis are actually connected by land, meaning that it is just one big island.

Lewis is a bit more populated, but still extremely isolated. You can see why by looking at the rocky landscape and feeling the wind pound your face all day. 

It’s harsh and rocky and rugged and wild, which gives it a stark beauty but also makes you respect any one who could call it home. Lewis is known for it’s standing stone circles, particularly the Callanish set. Within a mile and a half there are 3 sets of standing stones, and after being in the car for 2 days straight, Jon and I decided to hike the 2.5 mile loop to check them all out. I was extremely excited about this because it was the first set of standing stones I ever saw. 

I don’t know if any of you have ever read the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, but in her epic historic novels, standing stone circles are a mechanism for time travel. Almost all the women in my family have read the series so it’s kind of a unique symbol that we all appreciate. So suffice to say, I was giddy with excitement as we made our way to the first and largest set of stones, Callanish I. 

They were every bit as magical as I hoped they’d be and I couldn’t believe that we were allowed to walk right up to them and touch them for ourselves and pose for pictures right smack dab in the middle of them. 

At first, I was a little spooked that I might transport through time, but was relieved when I  stayed in place. (Epidurals definitely weren't available in Scotland in the 18th century...) 

Once a tour bus arrived, Jonathan and I decided to move on to Callanish II, where we had the whole landmark to ourselves. 

Callanish III was even more remote so we spent some time really observing the stones and pondering the people who might have put them there. 

From there we hiked back to the first set of stones where we had parked and started making the drive back into Harris. 

We had time for dinner and coffee before we were due to check in for the ferry back to Skye.  The ferry was super easy and convenient, but I will say that the 'checking in' process nonsense was annoying. Check in was 45 minutes before departure, yet our return boat was 20 minutes late arriving to port. So for over 1 hour we just had to sit in our car and wait to be waved onto the vessel. Annoying. 

But at least it gave my Dramamine plenty of time to work it’s magic, because the return trip was even more rough than the morning ride. We ended up getting back to Uig at 10:00 pm and had a 30 minute drive back to our B&B in Portree. It was a long day, but we’re so grateful that we made the trip. We were also grateful that we were blessed with so-so weather, which was not the case the following day when we attempted to see all that Skye had to offer us. (Worst. Weather. In. The. World. Ever....More on that later).

As of now, we are relaxing in our self catering apartment on Loch Lomond after the 5 hour drive from Skye. 

This part of the trip is all about relaxing, getting massages, and taking in the beautiful scenery of Loch Lomond and the Troussachs. And the best part? There is a 24 hour drive thru McDonald’s within a 5 minute drive from here. It just might be heaven. Stay tuned…