Scotland Road Trip – Part 2

Day 2

Day two of our Scottish Highlands road trip, on our way to the Outer Hebrides, saw us leave Oban on route to Portree, the largest town on Skye with a population of 2500.
It was chilly and windy and the weather quickly changed from sun to rain. Slightly wet, the road and surrounding pastures glowed with contrast and the flat light enhanced the stone of passing houses and farms.

With a day of practice under my belt, my driving had improved and with my eyes now able to unglue themselves from the road, I felt more comfortable taking a look at what was starting to unfold around us. Slowly winding North, the scenery gained intensity with every mile and incredibly, so did the weather.

Castle Stalker

Castle Stalker was next on our itinerary, as we motored through Portnacroish we caught a glimpse of it through the trees. Going up the hill, a popular look out and cafe sit on the hilltop looking down at Castle Stalker from a distance. Their coffee was excellent and their baked goods as well, but the view, although still beautiful, was too far back. So we turned around and headed down the hill again towards the castle and made a quick turn off the main road to get down as close as we could to the water.

At the end of the road we found the remains of an old train line and a great path that led right to the shoreline in front of the castle. The rain picked up just as we got out of the car, but again almost felt appropriate for the moment as we trundled down the path towards the best view. We were rewarded with a few friendly sheep who posed in front of the castle for some great photos.

Inverlochy Castle

Back on the road the rain continued, heavy in areas, and clouds started to obscure our view as the mountains grew steeper and the road a little more challenging.
Fort William was next on the map and just a short detour out of our way so we decided to check it out. Sitting beside River Lochy since 1280, all that remains now is the skeletal remains of what was once a classic four turret castle, Inverlochy Castle.

It appeared to be under some restoration, but we could still walk within its four walls and get a feel for what it may have been like defending a castle from within.
Back in the car we made haste to make up some time since we had a ways to go to make our next stop in Portree on the Isle of Skye.

The road once again became a factor as we began to see short snow squalls mixed with the rain. On one mountain pass the rain gave way to all snow and the narrow road was soon covered in a thick slush.

Poor visibility and slippery roads slowed us down considerably, but as we moved north the road opened into a huge winding valley where the mountains on either side disappeared up into the clouds and the snow clung to their impossibly steep slopes.

The snow lightened enough for the scenery to show itself completely and we soon found ourselves pulled over to the side of the road to take in the epic scale of our surroundings. Bend after bend we gasped in amazement at mountain goats, rivers, bridges, the weather and everything in between.

Eilean Donan Castle

At a sight seers pace we approached yet another castle to have a look at, Eilean Donan Castle, sitting on an outcropping of rock where three sea lochs meet. Impossible to miss, we pulled in for a few pictures and a rest from our adrenaline filled drive.
One of the highland’s most popular castles it is well equipped with a gift shop and bathrooms and also well populated with tourists who stop by the bus load to get a selfie with the castle in the background. Tours are available to explore the inside of the castle, but we pushed on across the soaring Skye bridge and onto the isle of Skye.

It wasn’t long after we again were immersed in scenery spectacularly lit by the late day sun and the approaching sunset. Mountain ranges glowed in the evening sky and shadows accented the severity of the landscape. Portree was near but the taste of whiskey was getting the best of me so we decided to make one last deviation and bolt out to the Talisker distillery.

A great single track road winds you down along a hillside next to the huge Loch Harport until you reach the distillery complex. A polished and beautiful facility, it is definitely the major employer in the area and the pride of its employees.

Inside we had a fantastic discussion with a tour/tasting guide who poured some sublime whiskey tasters, one aged in Port barrels and another that was aged for thirty years. Both were fantastic and expensive and if I had the coin for the Port barrel aged one I would have bought it, but my budget only allowed for a small ten year aged bottle, which is quite excellent but a quarter of the price.

Portree

Within legal limits and bottle in hand, we made a beeline towards Portree so we could catch the setting sun and a glimpse of this cute little fishing town before nightfall.
A tidy and colourful town, Portree is the capital of the Isle of Skye and a great spot to stay the night while seeing the Isle. Our hotel , the Royal Hotel, was clean and warm and although the restaurant and pub looked very middle of the road, the food, service and beer was excellent. A Guinness paired with Haggis served along side neeps & tatties for Nat and a Tennants and crispy fish & chips for me, finished us off for the day and it was lights out as soon as our heads hit the pillow.

We were up at first light the next day to pack in a few more pictures and see more of the town before we left. It had snowed over night, enough to cover the roads completely and make driving very slippery. The desk clerk reminded us that we were at about the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska and that the weather can be unpredictable and move in and out fast up here.
It was going to take more than snow to slow this Canadian couple down though, and being concerned with time we skipped our full breakfast to make sure we made it to the ferry, a slippery 40 minutes away in Uig. Our destination, the Isle of Harris, would be as far north as we would be able to get but as we will find out next time Mother Nature had different plans for us.

Thanks to Visit Scotland for the use of a car to explore their fine country.
For more information visit their website at Visit Scotland.