Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Fairy Glen and Skye, magical Skye

So many people told me that the Isle of Skye was a must-see in Scotland. And I was totally down with it because I could drive there. I would love to visit all the other isles, but ferries freak me out a bit, not only because I get seasick, but also the idea of driving a car onto one worries me. I can drive on the "wrong" side of the road and am finally getting good at roundabouts, but don't ask me to back up or squeeze into a small parking space.
I had three things I hoped to see on the Isle of Skye. But by the time we got to our hotel (it's a long drive from the highlands), I only had an hour before it got dark. So I chose the Fairy Glen as the my "must see" and drove like crazy to the other end of the island to Uig, an amazing little village surrounded by spectacular scenery.
Outside of Uig I found, on the third try, the tiny road my internet directions told me to take. I followed it, hoping I wouldn't meet another car (it was barely wide enough for my tiny vehicle). I'd almost given up when I saw in the distance another car that looked like it might belong to a fellow tourist. I drove a little further and found the fantastical place known as Fairy Glen.
It gets its name from the whimsical land formations and overall enchanted vibe. I never seen any place quite like it, in all my explorations in the British Isles. All I can do is show pictures.
 
 
 
By the time I took the pictures and absorbed a bit of the enchantment, it was nearly sunset and I knew my daughter was waiting for me to go to dinner back at the hotel. So, I got back in my car and drove back on the winding, mountainous road as fast as I dare, given the errant sheep I knew might be lurking around the hairpin curves. Not to mention the distraction of the incredible visions of sky and sea and mountains, cliffs and rolling hills. For such a small island, the variety of landscapes Skye offers is amazing.  We barely spent fifteen hours there, which was not nearly enough time to begin to absorb the magical beauty of the place.
In the morning, I managed (despite the cold, raw wind) to get a couple more pictures of the coastline by the hotel. 
 And then it was goodbye to Skye... at least for this trip.
 
 
 

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