The Trip
My friend Christine & I went on a two day road trip to Isle of Skye passing via the Scottish Highlands. It probably qualifies as one of the most beautiful drives I have been on. To make things all the more breathtaking, the weather was sunny with very little sign of the oft-mentioned unpredictable rain. I hope the photographs capture a side of the Highlands that is different from the cold and harsh weather they are normally associated with.
We covered little under 500 miles in 2 days! As insane as that sounds, the drive was mesmerizing enough to make you forget the fatigue of the journey.
Edinburgh
We flew in to Edinburgh and explored the city briefly during the night. From what little I saw, it proved to exceed my expectations. It's a charming small town with gorgeous houses that all look like mini palaces.
And then there is this gorgeous building that is being sold right now. If I had that kind of money I would buy it and use it to create a Hogwarts like school.
A84 & A82
We left Edinburgh by noon next day to start our road trip. Driving via Callander, Gelncoe, Fort William and finally to our destination for the night, the town of Portree on the Isle of Skye.
Pretty Roads
The winding turns surrounded by the most beautiful nature on both sides and wild purple flowers that seemed characteristic of the terrain made for a perfect photo target.
Kissed by the beautiful sunset
Golden light of sunset makes everything in the Highlands a postcard material. Just the perfect shade of warm.
A roll of toilet paper, a bar with live music & strangers
We arrived at Portree late in the evening and went out to explore the town. We quickly realized that the whole town was only a few blocks large. Luckily we ended up finding our way to a pub with great live music and a tourists who were looking to unwind just like us. We met a French group where one of the guys had a roll of Toilet paper in his pocket. We reached a point in the night were pretty much the whole bar ended up writing notes for the dude on that sheet of toilet paper. I have not had a spontaneous fun experience like that in a really long time.
Portree
The quaint and quiet town of Portree was a pleasing sight to wake up to. It reminded me more of a tiny European town than something heavily inspired by rest of Scotland.
Around Isle of Skye
We left Portree to start our trip of the Isle of Skye. More mountains. More shades of green. And sheep. Lots of them.
We stopped at the Dunvegan Castle and spent a while admiring the life of kings and queens. Almost wishing we had a family that owned a palace similar to one we were touring.
Realizing it was 5 in the evening we decided it was time to hit the road again for we still had half of the Isle left to complete and then had to drive to Inverness, which was to be our halt for the night before our flight the next day. Luckily the sun had begun its descent which meant everything became a tad bit extra gorgeous again.
Of Sheep, Cows and Horses
We saw our fair share of animals during the trip, but it is pretty clear that if you are a sheep, then Scotland is the place to be.
Back to Portree
We finished the circle by coming back to Portree for dinner before heading our final journey to Inverness. We had the chance to see the last few minutes of sun in Portree and the town was blushing in the golden light of the evening.
