Skye scotland. Isle of Skye - the most beautiful views of Scotland

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 back 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 (elderly, youth, Irish, Chinese, Spanish, Americans, and we are 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, 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 do not know how to drive.
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 instruct the booking of 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, because upon arrival on Skye found on vending houses signs "No seats". The B&B we received was more than satisfied - wonderful rooms, bathroom, hospitable hosts, excellent breakfasts.
The only unfortunate part of the trip was a short trip 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

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 a lifetime. 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 longer. Queen Victoria called Pitlochry one of the 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 soldiers. The memorial offers a view of the most high peak Britain - Ben Nevis (1300 meters). "Ben" in Celtic means "mountain", and one of the variants of the full translation of Ben Nevis - "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 XIII century, but this building was destroyed in the 18th century and the castle lay in ruins for two centuries. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century that 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 drove 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 has 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 severe Highlanders grow.

Legends say that if you dip your face in this river, then 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 cruel 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.

The third day we start with a trip to the 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, in fact, the valley is 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 sad events known as the Glencoe Massacre. In the early years of the Jacobite movement, the government wanted to punish the rebellious mountain clans, 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 Wilhelm 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 McDonald's 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 return here again, but for a more detailed exploration of the Highlands and islands.

With the dramatically increased travel density in the last six months, I chronically do not have time to talk about all those interesting places I have visited. Just 3 weeks ago I was in beautiful Scotland, but I did not manage to publish even half of the articles due to the fact that no less interesting and “layered” then in a continuous stream. Meanwhile, during the week in Scotland, we managed to see a lot; we got behind the wheel at 9-10 am every day and crawled out of the car at 9-10 pm. We drove an incredible number of kilometers along mountain roads, sailed on ferries to the Orkney Islands, reached the northernmost mainland point of Great Britain and much more. Today I will tell you about the most mountainous and picturesque island of Scotland - Isle of Skye.

Geographically, the Isle of Skye belongs to the Inner Hebrides archipelago, administratively to the Highlands, and the history of the island is so deep and rich that it will be difficult to fit it even briefly into a small article. People have lived there since the Bronze Age, later Irish tribes landed on the island and found their kingdom there, then the Viking period, then there were clan battles, then endless wars with the British. Currently, about 10 thousand people live on the island. Even on the island to this day, almost half of the population speaks the Gali language and you will definitely hear it at one stage or another of the journey.

There are two ways to get to the island: through the bridge, built in 1995 and connecting Skye to the "mainland" and by ferry from the port village of Mallaig (Mallaig) to Armadale (Armadale). We tried both methods: we sailed there by ferry, and back across the bridge. The first method takes more time, but it is extremely interesting, you drive the car to the ship and sail for almost an hour among the islands and mountain peaks -

We are the first in line -

It should be noted that ferry crossings in Great Britain are far from cheap for motorists: for a sail of even less than an hour, we paid 40 pounds for four people, including a car. As an average passenger without a car, this kind of pleasure costs around £ 4.50.

Set off -

Scotland is divine, and the Isle of Skye is like the whole of Scotland in miniature. As soon as you disembark on the island, the breathtaking landscapes begin -

Unchanging lambs -

Local cows are distinguished by their powerful build and curly heads -

Pay attention to how the baby looks like daddy -

Beauty awaits you even where you did not expect to see them. Just an example, we stopped somewhere on the principle of "boys to the left - girls to the right" and this is what we found -

The bright green hills are Scotland's hallmark -

After visiting the Isle of Skye, we spent the night in the tiny town of Kuleakin in the southeast of the island and then drove back across the bridge to the "mainland" Great Britain.

Alena publishes in parallel with me crazybagzy , I read her articles with great interest. It seems that we went together, but looking at the same thing through the eyes of another person is always interesting :)

The cost of the trip, if anyone is interested. For the information, a special thanks to my fellow traveler Ilya:

Rent - £ 205 a week, booked by Vauxhall (Opel) Insignia, given to Zafira.
- Gasoline for the same period (2300 km, ~ 190 HP) - 258 pounds.
- Ferry to Skye (Mallaig - Armadale) - 4.5 per person, 23.25 per car
- Ferry to Orkney and back (Gills Bay - St. Margaret "s Hope) - 28 per person, 66 per car (by the way, there may be options here and a little cheaper, but longer).

Hotels in Scotland, in order, prices per double:
39
75
80
79
50
60
67
In Manchester - 54.

I borrow a few more numbers from Alena's post "Scotland. How much does it cost?" I myself kept a very approximate account and if they ask me about the budget of the trip, I can confuse something. So, I give the floor to Alena -

Food. I suffered a lot with food. Firstly, my taste preferences did not agree with my fellow travelers (for some reason I always wanted borscht with cutlets and, quite surprisingly, sneakers). Secondly, the kitchen in the UK is somehow really bad. Here, either fish & chips, or fried sausages with eggs, and more normal food is expensive (for example, seafood, which the northern cities are famous for). I kept trying to find the same delicious haggis as in Edinburgh, but to no avail. The cheapest lunch was in an Indian restaurant - 6 pounds, the most expensive in a Chinese one - about 15-18 pounds. The rest of the time we bought food at Tesco and ate right in the car, since there was simply not enough time, and so on the first day we exchanged food for the mountains.

Food in supermarkets is cheap and tasty, not at all equal to ours. A good piece of cooked salmon or their local fish is 2.5-4 lb. Various types of ready-made meat, ham, sausages - 2-4 lbs. Fruit - 1 lb. Berries - 2 lb. (and blueberries grow everywhere for free). Salad package -1-2 lbs. Box of cherry tomatoes - 1 lb. Pack of 6 yoghurt desserts - 1.3 lbs. Even a pack of 6 large sneakers costs £ 1. And I took a piece of delicious blue cheese for a ridiculous 2 pounds. Only coffee - expensive - 2.3 - 2.5 per glass. I drank coffee in liters, because the insanely fresh air all the time made me sleepy. In the mornings, there were breakfasts in the hotels, although on the 8th day I hated eggs and sausages. A pint of evening Guinness - 4 lbs, whiskey - from 3 lbs. for 50 gr.

Residence. Day in the hotel - from 30 to 40 pounds per person per double, + 10 pounds surcharge for single accommodation in double (they simply do not have singles). The hotels here are very funny and unusual. We have lived in the Be spoke hotel chain three times. Their trademark difference: a beautiful building on the outside and everything is very tangled inside, the absence of wi-fi and full coverage of the floors with wool plaids in plaid. When someone walks along the labyrinthine corridor, the whole hotel probably hears his stomping.

The hot water switching system is a kind of rebus. Not only was it different in all hotels, but also in each room water was turned on differently or was absent altogether. In some you need to press the buttons, in others the tap is on the tap, and the one, like a nesting doll, is in another tap. And thirdly, in general, who would have guessed that in addition to all the turns and presses on the tap, you also need to pull the rope on the ceiling. I wish I had photographed them all.

But we drove through our last refuge several times and ignored JPRS, as we could not believe that this was our hotel! Moreover, in this city there was not a single person anywhere, only hares ran in droves along the roads. We even joked that there was a plague in the city and all the inhabitants died out. But then it turned out that the entrance was in a nearby building. Imagine the price of a room per night is £ 74. Although in spite of the building and the sign, the hotel turned out to be homely comfortable and with friendly hosts. I loved him the most.

What you can get for free. A lot, for example, if you walk past the ticket booth with an impudent face, as we did at Fort George in Inverness.

Parking in cities is paid everywhere. To stop somewhere to eat, you still need to find a place where to leave the car. Once we did it near the church. The second time they threw it under some hotel with a sign “only for insiders”.

Wi-fi is a problem in Scotland. It turned out by chance that there is one at the Inverness airport, and even free, which I had no longer hoped for. But in Gatwick, an hour of wifa is approx. 3 lb. But under the price tag it is written in small gray print that they give “complimentary” 30 minutes, after which you need to register. After these 30 min. I decided to try to register a new user and, oh gods, the wifi went. So until the very departure, I got a lot of new users.

Even in Scotland itself, many tours and excursions are organized, which are unreasonably expensive. But all the most interesting places are located in non-touristy places, you just need not be afraid to climb over the barbed wire. And even cats can be seen for free, if you really want and not be afraid of anything ...

Next, you will be faced with the need to hire workers. Since the game does not want to help us with this, we will try to figure out where to find them.

Recruitment missions will appear after the construction of special terminals at their base. The game has 5 types of specialists that can be hired: builders, scientists, gunsmiths, technicians and farmers. Such a team will allow you to get rare and valuable items in the command center. Each of these workers has its own series of tasks, after which you can get various blueprints.

Where can I find a builder?

First, you will be asked to find a builder. To do this, we go to the Geks, to any of their space stations. We talk there with everyone until we find out the information we need.

Where can I find a gunsmith?

We are going to look for the gunsmith at the space station of the Vay'kin race. We find a suitable specialist there. The Wy'kins are good at weapons.

Where can I find a scientist?

We are going to look for the scientist at the space station of the Korvax race. We talk with everyone on the space station and choose a worker. The Korvax are very smart.

Where can I find a farmer?

We are going to look for the farmer at the space station of the Geck race.

Where can I find a technician?

We are going to search for the technician at the space station of the Vai'kin race. Sometimes found on a common platform.

Other guides

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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 homeland of the legendary Scottish Macleod clan (everyone watched the Highlander movie). The island has always been isolated from mainland 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". Quiraing pass, cliffs and Kilt Rock waterfall, and an unreal storm at the Cape of Neist Point, and at the end of all - the most soulful hostess in our wonderful mini-guest house. I even left a review!

By the evening we finally reached the capital of the Isle of Skye - 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. 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 kilometer of the way.

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

I saw 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 after getting out of the car we all settled down for 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 their rocky slopes directly to meet the fierce northern Atlantic winds!

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

In general, there are already 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 things 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, along a 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 the inhabitant of the Isle of Skye means nothing. There are ten bays for each inhabitant!

If you love picturesque natural landscapes, feel free to go to the Isle of Skye. This is one of beautiful places not only Great Britain, but all of Europe. In addition, the island is interesting for its architectural monuments.

Isle of Skye: photo and description

Skye is an island in the western part of Scotland. Geographically, it belongs to the Inner Hebrides archipelago, and administratively to the Highland region. Isle of Skye is the second largest off the coast of Great Britain. Its total area: 1656 sq. km. The length and width of the Isle of Skye are 80 and 42 kilometers, respectively.

The terrain here is hilly, and the highest point reaches a height of 993 meters. The sky above the island is almost always covered with gray clouds. The local climate is characterized by high humidity and frequent precipitation.

Skye is home to about 10 thousand people. Many of them speak a special language - Scottish Gaelic. Students and linguists from all over the world come to the island to study it.

There are two ways to get to the Isle of Skye. It is connected to the mainland (if you can call the UK so) only one bridge, near the town of Kyle of Lokolsh. You can also get to Skye by ferry that runs between settlements Mallay and Armadale. The length of the crossing is 7 kilometers. There is an airport near the city of Broadford, but there is no regular passenger service with it.

The island is mentioned several times in popular Harry Potter novels. So, according to the book, this is where the Hebrides black dragon lives.

Isle of Skye: attractions and points of interest

The Pearl of Scotland, a nature reserve of natural, pristine natural beauty. This is how the British often refer to the Isle of Skye. Here you can admire the amazing landscapes woven of gentle hills, rocky ledges and sea bays. Sometimes these landscapes are harmoniously woven or

The Isle of Skye is not only a picturesque nature, but also a huge number of legends, legends, tales. And all this is carefully preserved by the locals.

Here is an incomplete list of must-see sites on Skye:

• dunvegan Castle;
• Magic Bridge;
• the Kuirang plateau;
• pools Fairies.

Dunvegan Castle

One of the most famous sights of Skye is located in the western part of the island, in the vicinity of the village of Dunvegan. The castle was founded in the XIV century and belongs to the Macleod dynasty, famous in Scotland. One of its representatives, Hugh Macleod, still lives in it. True, his apartments are located in one of the buildings, while the rest are free for tourists.

Dunvegan Castle is very interesting from an architectural point of view, as it has several historical styles. Around the fortress there is a wonderful park with flower beds, ponds, waterfalls and tracery bridges.

Magic bridge

This popular tourist attraction is located near Dunvegan Castle. A miniature arched bridge made of large boulders is thrown over a small stream near the A850 highway.

One of the local legends is associated with this bridge. So, one of the representatives of the Macleod dynasty, Jan Kiar, was allegedly married to a fairy. They had a son, but a year later, the fairy spouse was summoned back to her magical land. Jan fell in love with his wife and did not want to let her go. But the fairy still soared into the sky and flew away to her people, leaving Jan a piece of the finest silk. "Three times he will save you in difficult times" - she managed to say goodbye. All this happened just on the bridge, later called Magic.

By the way, the flap donated by the fairy was used twice in history. It is now kept at Dunvegan Castle.

Fairy Pools

A charming, heavenly place on the Isle of Skye - Fairy Pools. This is a whole complex of waterfalls and cascades formed by a water stream flowing down from the mountains. The attraction is located in the southern part of the island, near the Glenn Brittle forest (3 km from the coast).

The waterfalls are surrounded on all sides by picturesque rock ledges. The water here is clear and clean. It is best to come here after heavy rains, when the Fairy Pools become particularly turbulent and full of water.

An interesting point: there is an interesting photo of this wonderful natural corner of Skye on the Internet. But in the picture, Fairy Pools are surrounded by bright purple trees. Many tourists who come here have been trying for a long time to find these unusual plants in the area. In fact, the purple trees are nothing more than a Photoshop trick.

Kuirang plateau

The Quirang Plateau is another picturesque place in Skye, located in the far north of the island. It is a grand plateau with sharp rocky peaks, deep depressions and colorful meadows. The whole area is generously indented with tourist trails. A walk here will be very impressive and informative.

The plateau began to form at the end of the Ice Age and is an actively crumbling massif of solidified lava. Many strange geological formations can be seen here. For example, Prison ledge, which resembles a massive medieval fortress, or the sharp 37-meter Igla rock. Landscapes of incredible beauty open to the traveler's eyes from any point of Kuiranga.