Isle of skye scotland. Isle of Skye - untouched beauty

The Isle of Skye is probably the most attractive of the Scottish islands, which can be explained by its majestic uninhabited landscapes with the unique Coolins Mountains, with the most picturesque coastline, old castles and an interesting story.

The peaks of the Coolins Mountains are shrouded in fog for most of the year. Therefore, the most popular assumption about the origin of the name of the island is associated with the Scandinavian words "sky" - a cloud and "eу" - an island. Perhaps that is why In Gaelic the island is now called "Eilean a" Cheo "-" Misty Island ". If you look at the map of the island, you can understand the second version of the name associated with the Gaelic word" sgiath "- a wing. Sky seems to consist of wings These are the peninsulas Sleat, Minginish, Duirinish, Waterenish, Trotternish, separated by sea lakes cutting into the land.

It is interesting to note that all Scottish lakes - both inland freshwater and long narrow sea bays - are called "loch" - a lake. On the island of Skye, the coast is so deeply indented by sea lakes that any point of the island is no more than 8 kilometers from the ocean, although the distance between the most extreme points is about 100 km, and the length coastline is 600 km.

Each corner of the island is remarkable in its own way - from the slightly hilly, lushly vegetated Slate Peninsula in the south, through the climbers' dream of the Red and Black Cooling Mountains (about which you can read in detail on The Cullins page in the "Mountains of Scotland" section), further through the peatlands and forest plantations to the Troternish Peninsula with vertical cliffs in the Storr and Quiraing rock formations, high cliffs and waterfalls falling into the sea. Dunvegan Castle is located on the Waternish Peninsula, which has not changed its owners - the leaders of the Macleod clan for 8 centuries.

Even geologically, Skye is different from the rest of the Highlands. 50 million years ago, Skye was a cauldron of seething magma, here and there splashing out streams of boiling lava, from which later these basalt mountains and rocks were formed, admiring thousands of people who cannot sit at home. Tourists are also attracted here by history, which can be touched by the castles of Dunvegan and Armadale. And many English-speaking visitors are themselves descendants of those who were forced to emigrate from their homes due to the brutal Clerarances policy of the Scottish Highlands, and come to their ancestors' homeland with nostalgic feelings, especially when here and there on the island you can see the settlements left by the inhabitants ... Today, only about 9 thousand people live here, and once this number was several times higher.

The island can be reached in two ways.
- By rail or by car from Glasgow (Edinburgh) to the village of Mallaig, and then by ferry to the Ardvasar pier on Skye. It is located one mile from Armadale Castle (see map).
- By car or bus from Glasgow or Inverness across the Skye Bridge built a few years ago.

For all of us, the Isle of Skye was perhaps the main highlight of the entire trip. Judge for yourself: a mountainous island in the far northwest of Great Britain, located in the Inner Hybrids archipelago, with a population of only 10 thousand inhabitants who speak Gaelic and are direct descendants of the Scandinavian Vikings!

The Isle of Skye is the home of the legendary Scottish Macleod clan (everyone watched the Highlander movie). The island has always been isolated from the mainland of Scotland, and the first bridge was built only in 1999. In general, the wilderness and wild beauty unreal for Europe! "Island of impressions" and "photographer's dream". The Quiraing pass, the cliffs and the Kilt Rock waterfall, and the unreal storm at the Neist Point, and at the end of all - the most soulful hostess in our wonderful mini-guesthouse. I even left a review!

In the evening we finally reached the capital of the Isle of Skye - the city of Portree. The town is tiny, with a population of only 2,500, but 100% authentic. Only one bar with seafood at the marina is worth something. No doubt I would have spent at least one summer here!

It was in Portree that we were lucky to stay in a wonderful mini-hotel run by a wonderful granny. +100 more to the place. Must do! I recommend everyone to spend at least a couple of days here. An immersion in serenity is guaranteed! I generally keep quiet about delicious jams :)

The island is large enough (more than 60 kilometers long) and is literally stuffed with fantastic beauties of the North Atlantic!

As I said earlier, I went on this trip absolutely unprepared and when I saw this inscription in an incomprehensible language, I literally fell into a stupor. It turned out that Gaelic is the second official language of the island, on a par with English.

And when I came to the edge of the cliff ... I think comments are unnecessary here.

On this day, we made the maximum number of stops per 1 kilometer of the way.

A waterfall right into the sea. Behind the Kilt Rock!

I have seen few such bright, powerful places, but I had to move on to the mountains!

The Quiraing Rocks are the main natural attraction of the Isle of Skye and we even planned a small two-hour hike, but getting out of the car we all arranged a picnic right on the green lawn, and when we were getting ready for the hike, it started raining. Well, that means not destiny!

Quiraing, the place is, of course, mega powerful! Remains of ancient volcanoes facing the fierce northern Atlantic winds with their rocky slopes!

We went down a narrow mountain road to the western coast of the island. The most beautiful place Uig in full view! When driving through such places, I always think about the same thing. What will happen if a person who was born and has lived half his life in such beauty is relocated to our cities ?!

In general, there are more than beauties for this day, but there is a plan, and we stopped at another popular place called Fairy Glen. We climbed funny karst sinkholes and bulges, found (ancient?) Stone gizmos and photographed the Most Beautiful Sheep in the World!

In the evening we walked around Portree. First of all, to the pier. Here with all your senses you understand what life at sea is!

The second day of our stay on the Isle of Skye turned out to be a shock! The first half of this day's route: Portree - Dunvegan Castle of the Macleod Clan - Cape Nest Point - Sky Bridge

Early in the morning we ran through Portree again with our iPhone. There will be no more chance to see the city!

This is the view of the secluded bay that opened up to us every morning!

We were out of luck with the Macleod Clan Dunvegan Castle - it was pouring like buckets! It's a pity! Incidentally, this is the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland. The MacLeod clan has lived in this place for over 800 years !!!

Despite the bad weather, beautiful road along secluded bays and tiny villages, we stubbornly moved to the north of the island. Here I realized that the phrase "House by the sea and its own secluded cove" for a resident of the Isle of Skye does not mean anything. There are ten bays for each inhabitant!

My heart is in the mountains ... To this day I am there.
I follow the trail of the deer over the rocks.
I chase a deer, I frighten a goat.
My heart is in the mountains, and I myself am below.

At 8:30 in the morning, my husband and I stood next to a travel agency on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh and got acquainted with the group with whom we were to spend the next three days on a trip to HighLands and the Isle of Skye.
The tour was selected and paid for while still in Moscow, through the website www.highlandexplorertours.com. There are quite a few websites offering tours from Edinburgh, once they were different companies, but now they have one owner, one office and the only difference is in programs (more expensive / cheaper, youth / "retirement"). For us, the main selection criteria were the size of the group and the size of the bus. In the end, we stopped on a three-day tour to Skye (the first day is the road to Skye, the second day is a trip to the Isle of Skye, the third day is to explore the south of the island, travel on the Jacobite steam train and return to Edinburgh). The group was the most motley (the elderly, the youth, the Irish, the Chinese, the Spaniards, the Americans, and we are also the Russians). The driver (aka the guide) is an Edinburgh with a decent Scottish accent and a great sense of humor. Our guide tried very hard to entertain the group - during the transfers he constantly talked about the history of Scotland, about the places we pass by, and just funny stories. I must say that it was thanks to the "presentation of the material" that a fairly clear picture of the history of these places was formed in my head. Of course, the tour imposes restrictions on the duration of stops, but in general I was very pleased with the tour - we saw the maximum possible in a very short time, and I can safely recommend such a tour to those who do not want or know how to drive a car.
Hotels (your choice - hostels, B & Bs, hotels) are booked separately from the tour. If you wish, you can find a dwelling on the spot, or you can entrust the booking to the same company in which the tour is booked. We preferred the second option, choosing a bed and breakfast. I must say that this was a very correct option, since upon arrival on Skye found on vending houses signs "No seats". The B&B we received was more than satisfied - beautiful rooms, bathroom, hospitable hosts, excellent breakfasts.
The only unfortunate part of the trip was the short journey from Mallaig to Fort William on the Jacobite train (http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk/Jacobite.cfm). The train itself is very beautiful from the outside, but when you are sitting in the carriage, from all the beauty you get unwashed windows, an unbearable smell at the entrance to the tunnels, and your face in coal dust. The only joyful moment is the passage through the aqueduct, which appeared in the Harry Potter film. Riding this train is optional, so if the trip to Harry Potter is not an end in itself for you, I would advise you not to spend money on it.

So let's go

The first stop is Dunkeld Cathedral. Dunkeld is famous for its cathedral.

The second stop is the town of Pitlochry. On this tour, you can spend very little time in Pitlochry (literally eat and buy souvenirs), although the city itself and especially the area around it deserve much more. A couple of years ago I spent a full day in this place, and I will remember this trip for the rest of my life. Absolutely magical places with pastoral landscapes that literally take out the soul. Here, in Pitlochry, there are two distilleries - Erdadour and Blair Atoll, as well as the famous Moulin Inn pub, which has the Scottish Pub of the Year and Michelin Guide to Eating in Pubs awards. The food is inexpensive and delicious. So if you have the opportunity, be sure to stay here a little longer. Queen Victoria referred to Pitlochry as one of the best resorts Europe, and did not lie a bit)

Perhaps the oldest McDonald's in the world

Then a long drive awaited us, stopping at the memorial dedicated to the commando warriors. The memorial offers a view of the most high summit Britain - Ben Nevis (1300 meters). Ben in Celtic means mountain, and one of the variants of the full translation of Ben Nevis is evil mountain.

From the bus window

The last stop before arriving at Skye is Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland's most photographed castle. Eileen Donan was shot in many films ("Highlander", "And the whole world is not enough"). It seems that this castle has stood here for an eternity, but, by and large, it is a "remake". The original castle was erected in the 13th century, but this building was destroyed in the 18th century and the castle lay in ruins for two centuries. Only at the beginning of the 20th century, it was restored according to old drawings.

And so, we enter the Isle of Sky over the Sky Bridge. Until 1995, the crossing was carried out by ferry, and then a bridge was built. The residents of Skye themselves were not happy about the bridge, mainly because of the toll that was charged to travel across it. The only option for free travel was the transportation of livestock, as a result of which the residents unwittingly turned into cattle snatchers - in the evening, on the way home, they borrowed poor sheep from farmers, and in the morning they took them back. Subsequently, the toll on the bridge was canceled

In general, the first hour on Sky passed under the sign of looking for something open and selling food. The opening hours of one local shop and three restaurants are not very loyal to tourists. But this cafe surpassed everyone. It looks like the most dust-free job in the world.

The landscapes of our refuge for the next day - the town of Kyleakin. He has his own website - http://www.kyleakin.com/

In the morning we went to explore Skye.
Playground. It is in such conditions that the harsh Highlanders grow.

Legends say that if you dip your face in this river, you will remain forever young.

We saw the cemetery where Flora MacDonald is buried - the woman who hid the Handsome Prince Charlie, in my opinion a rather inglorious character. Charlie captured almost all of England, and near London suddenly turned back to Scotland, lost the uprising, fled from persecution in a woman's dress, and as a result drank himself to death. After the unsuccessful uprising of Prince Charlie, the British authorities took brutal measures - the Scottish clans were disarmed, kilts and other symbols were prohibited from wearing. As a result, both the clan structure and the economy of the mountainous regions were destroyed - here it is, the price of loss.

We stopped at the Museum of Peasant Life. This is a traditional farmer's lodge.

Then we went to the Kuirang mountain range. The massif is still moving - pieces break off the mountains and slide down. This is one of the most breathtaking landscapes of the island - a place of absolutely extraordinary energy.

We begin the third day with a trip to Botanical Garden, which was founded by members of the MacDonald clan. In the same garden there is a museum that tells about the history of the clan and about its most famous representatives.

Mallaig is a very picturesque port with a smell of fish and the cry of seagulls over the sea. We have 15 minutes to board the train to Fort William.

The Jacobite Steam Train, who played the Hogwarts Express.

Viaduct built in 1897-1901 by engineer Sir Robert McAlpin. Consisting of 21 arches, the viaduct rises above the gap to a height of 30 meters. The viaduct has been laid Railway from Fort William to Mallaig. The viaduct is also familiar from the Harry Potter series

Further, our road lay through the Glencoe Valley, along the bottom of which the Ko River flows, after which the valley is actually called ("Glen" - valley). Our guide said that this is where the size and grandeur of the Highland Mountains is felt the most. It seems to me that these places should make the strongest impression in autumn weather, shrouded in rain and gloomy clouds. But when we visited here, the weather was very sunny, warm and the atmosphere was the most joyful. The Valley of Glencoe is also known as the Valley of Tears, which is associated with the unfortunate events known as the Glencoe Massacre. V early years Jacobite movement, the government wanted to punish the rebellious clans of the highlanders, for which it issued a decree according to which all the leaders of the clans had to swear allegiance to William no later than January 1, 1692. This was done in the hope that the Jacobite mountaineers would not obey, and then the government would have every reason to severely punish them. But the exiled Jacob realized that this was a provocation, and agreed that the clans would swear allegiance to the English monarchs. All but two clans swore allegiance to William and Mary. One of the non-sworn clans was one of the branches of the MacDonald clan from Glencoe. And it was them that the government chose for exemplary punishment. Troops were sent to the Glencoe Valley. The MacDonalds received them with hospitality: Captain Campbell and his unit spent two weeks under their roof, resting and having fun. On February 12, the captain received a secret order. In the evening, he and two of his colleagues went to dinner with the leader of the clan, while government troops blocked all exits from the valley. At five in the morning, the soldiers began to carry out the order: they went from house to house, killing sleeping mountaineers, including women and children, and setting fire to their homes. In total, more than 70 people died in the Glencoe massacre.

And the last stop on the way to Edinburgh, notable only for the fact that these places are owned by Sean Connery. It tastes good, I must say.

To say that I enjoyed this little trip is to say nothing. This is one of my most memorable travels. Someday I will come back here again, but for a more detailed exploration of the Highlands and islands.

Isle of Skye (Scotland, UK)

The Isle of Skye is located in the west of Scotland. This is the biggest north island Inner Hebrides (partHebrides), has an area of ​​1656.25 km², which is also the second largest island in the country (not counting the UK). The terrain is mountainous. Highest point-993 m. Above sea level is located near the city of Skur-Alasdair, and the largest of settlements the Isle of Skye is the city of Portree. The climate is humid, maritime, with frequent precipitation at any time of the year.
The Isle of Skye is well known to tourists for its nature, amazing uninhabited landscapes of grassy hills, lakes, rocky places and ancient castles, where magic folklore abounds. That is why the Isle of Skye is considered a real pearl of Scotland, the abode of myths and legends. Traces of dinosaurs were also found here - one more pros in favor of a visit to this island.

The most famous and visited places on the Isle of Skye for tourists are: the Fairy Pools, Dunvegan Castle, Fairy Bridge, The Quiraing.
The Fairy Pools are considered one of the most beautiful places not only the Isle of Skye, but perhaps one of the most beautiful sights in all of Scotland. The pools are located southeast of the Glen Brittle Forest in the south of the Isle of Skye, three kilometers from the beach. Formed by the flow of water flowing down the Cuillin Mountains. Fairy Pools are a cascade of small but very beautiful waterfalls and all the lakes are crystal clear and surrounded by large rocky cliffs and walls and lush foliage.

Dunvegan Castle belonged to the famous Macleod family for eight centuries. There is a beautiful garden in front of the castle, and in the castle itself you can see many paintings and other relics of a famous family. The castle is open to the public.

The Fairy Bridge is best known for the legend that the Macleod chief's wife, a fairy, gave him a flag to protect him from danger before returning to the magical land. By the way, this flag is kept in the castle (see photo).

Quirang (Gaelic Cuith-Raing) - beautiful and amazing place combining various landscapes: a majestic plateau, sharp peaks, abrupt cliffs, meadows and trails.

Skye - the second largest island in Scotland, part of the Inner Hebrides archipelago, in the Russian Wikipedia is devoted only a scant couple of paragraphs.

The following is said: the island from the point of view administrative division refers to the Highland region (that is, the "highlands"), by and large, the only region of the country where the population still speaks not only English, but also the almost disappeared Gaelic language; several castles have survived on the island, and main city Skye is Portree's small fishing port. In short, nothing special, ladies and gentlemen, a typical Scottish backwater.

However, sometimes a lack of information is preferable to an overabundance, since it excludes the moment of overestimated expectations. At least that's the case with the Isle of Skye. Going there, I did not expect anything special, but ended up in a real fairyland.

You get to the island from the mainland of Scotland via a bridge that is invariably shrouded in fog. Because of this, while crossing the bridge, there was a feeling that our little Fiat 500 was literally diving headlong into the clouds, when the fog cleared away, as in the old Soviet song, suddenly "everything became blue and green around."

Only the black basalt rocks on the horizon gave the landscape a light touch of drama, otherwise the feeling that we were suddenly inside a photograph processed by a designer who did not know how to reinforce the colors would have been one hundred percent.

Isle of Skye and Old Man of Storr Rock Outlines

You need to move around Skye by car, public transport the island is not particularly observed, but you notice hitchhikers voting on the road every ten minutes.

You don't have to work out the route in advance, just move along the road and stop at each View Point. Of the must-see places, I would like to recommend the Old Man of Storr rocks, and the gorge near the diatomite road, the rest - as the map will lie in the literal sense of this expression. It is easy to recognize the observation deck - opposite there are signs with the description of the place in English and Gaelic.

Famous rocks Old Man of Storr whose silhouette resembles a Cambodian temple complex Angor Wat is the first thing that guests of the island tend to see, among whom there are many Scots who travel across Skye on motorhomes.

With the Scottish old man Storr (this is how the name of the rocks is translated), as expected, a mysterious story is connected in which the Vikings are involved. The fact is that at the end of the nineteenth century, among the stones of the Old Man of Storr, researchers discovered a "stash of silver" left in the Scottish rocks by the Norwegians. The scientists dated the coins in 935 AD.

It is curious that, according to the chronicles, the first Norse Vikings arrived on the island a little later, at the very end of the tenth century, and now scientists think: these are the chroniclers telling about the migration of the Vikings were mistaken for a couple of decades, or the Vikings hid a treasure in Old Man of Storr with old coins.

Lakes near Old Man of Storr

However, tourists are not too interested in this small discrepancy in dates, but prefer to make hiking to the cliffs formed after the ice that covered Skye during the last ice age came off the top of the island.

The duration of the walk is about 40 minutes, but contemplating the Old Man of Storr rocks is still more interesting from the valley, from below they seem to be such formidable giants who have been silently watching everything that is happening on the island for many centuries.

The second observation deck- right on the course, located next to Diatomite Road, that is, the place of extraction of diatomite - sedimentary rock, the main material for the production of dynamite.

Observation deck next to Diatomite Road

Previously, there were villages of miners, but today you can only observe on the green slopes near Diatomite Road, and only ruins remain of the local diatomite processing factory.

The cliffs covered with soft green grass hanging over the azure sea, like the eyes of northern beauties, look like scenery for a fantasy film with a story about how she "waited, waited until she waited."

Indeed, if somewhere beautiful ladies should live, every day going out to sea in the hope of seeing a boat on the horizon with a betrothed returning from an overseas campaign, then better place than the cliffs of the mountains with the true Scottish name Kilt and not worth looking for.

Of course, in reality, on the coastal cliffs, one can observe not at all sad ladies, longingly peering into the horizon, but tourists desperately photographing local beauties.

However, all without exception at some point catch themselves thinking that constantly clicking the camera in an attempt to capture the changeable colors of the sky and the sea is nothing more than a deliberate refusal of the pleasure of contemplating the amazing beauty of this place, and therefore put the camera aside and do not care on caution, they sit down at the very edge of the cliff and begin to peer into the deep blue sky, thoughtfully clinging to the transparent sea surface.

The Skye Coast is a place of amazing energy

From the point of view of meditation and contemplation, the shore near the diatomite road is an ideal place, and this is not only due to the amazing beauty of Scottish nature. Here, every stone breathes with majestic tranquility, it's hard to believe that material for dynamite was mined in these mountains earlier, and in the thirteenth century Norse saga with the difficult name Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar this place appears as a bloody battlefield.

Having meditated a lot, we decided to become like mountain sheep and went down to the waterfall rustling at the foot of the mountains. Although the Kilt slopes from the top seem to be absolutely impassable, you can go down and ascend along their paths, however, slowly and carefully.

And the local waterfall, as it turned out, is an excellent place for swimming. In shape, it resembles a deep bowl, into which you can easily and naturally dive from a stone side. While swimming in the waterfall, I remembered a scene from my favorite childhood movie "Robin Hood" with Kevin Cosner in the title role, in about the same conditions the king of robbers "took a bath" when he was noticed by Lady Marianne who arrived in Sherwood Forest.

While swimming in a mountain waterfall, you experience an amazing sense of unity with nature.

Unfortunately, few decide to go down to the waterfall, and only the most stubborn get to the local bay, which is located near the gorge and the abandoned factory.

The fact is that the entire coast near the bay is dotted with large smooth boulders, on which you have to step with extreme caution so as not to injure your leg. Thoughtfully sitting on the shore of the blue-blue sea is also unlikely to fail - the local boulders, although smooth, are not at all a pillow chair or even a soft carpet of grass.

Of course, from the point of view of impressive views, it is best to stay at the top rather than crawl up and down the mountains, but descending into the bay is a full-fledged exercise on the theme of "feel like a real Scottish Highlander."

A destroyed factory that used to produce raw materials for dynamite.

Having admired the duet of the blue sea and green mountains from the bottom of your heart, go inland. Here you find yourself in a country of a thousand shades of green, where the blue of the sky already seems to be nothing more than a background shading the green slopes of the mountains.

In the center of the island, the mountains are covered with a green carpet of grass.

Arrogant, but at the same time fearful Scottish sheep jump out on the road every now and then, but people and cars, on the contrary, are not present at all. It seems that you somehow ended up on a planet that people left behind a hundred years ago, and now you are the only one who can observe these green slopes frozen in silence.

You won't find people and cars in the center of the island.

Lonely sheep in the center of the island

By the way, the fantasy on the theme of "the last man on earth" is not too far from reality, because a little more than 10 thousand people live on the island, whose area is 1,656.25 km², and in the largest local city - Portree, according to official data, it does only 2490 inhabitants.

Although in essence Portree is just a small fishing village with colorful houses and a promenade with even more seagulls than people, after the desolation of the mountainous regions, the place seems to be full of life.

Fishing Boat Harbor, Portree

Shoppers swarm at fish stalls, in pubs (here the word is pronounced with a Scottish accent, which makes it sound like "pub"), visitors pass an evening pint of ale, and from cafes you can hear the recognizable buttery smell of Fish & Chips, which locals take away and eat right on the embankment, not embarrassed by the greedy glances of the eternally hungry seagulls.

In Portree, it makes sense to take an example from the Scots - to sit on the embankment bench, devour Fish & Chips and periodically feed them to the hungry birds. After the desolate expanses of Skye, go to the relatively Big City- the decision is not very successful, it is still worth returning to human noise gradually.

And finally, another interesting one historical fact associated with the Scottish Isle of Skye. When I wrote about, I did not mention one interesting document that was created in Ravenna in 700 AD. It is called the Cosmography of Ravenna and is a map of the world. The Isle of Skye on it is also designated under the name Scetis, which means that the ancient Romans or Byzantines visited here long before the Vikings.

Photographer Davide Bacelle

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Yulia Malkova- Yulia Malkova - founder of the site project. In the past, the chief editor of the internet project elle.ru and the chief editor of the website cosmo.ru. I'm talking about travel for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my readers. If you are a representative of hotels, tourism office, but we are not familiar, you can contact me by email: [email protected]