With the weather once again being picture-perfect, the captain decided to take full advantage of it and we spent several very pleasant hours cruising Loch Nevis and the Sound of Sleat before heading for Kyle of Lochalsh. This is a truly beautiful part of Scotland and just to sit on deck in the warm breeze and enjoy the mountains, lochs and flat-calm waters was beneficial to the mind and soul.
On the way Jim gave a highly informative – and practical! – discussion on the various types of whiskies produced in Scotland. This was liberally sprinkled with personal anecdotes from Jim and tales of some of the more worthy characters he encountered in his researches.
Just before lunch Steve had time to fit in an explanation of the impending Scottish referendum on separation from the United Kingdom. Whatever the outcome may be this is a pivotal time in Scottish history and Steve did a great job of examining the finer points and more complex issues involved in what is apparently a simple “yes" or “no” vote.
After lunch several hardy souls took advantage of the continuing great weather and headed with Konia for the Cuillin mountain range on the Isle of Skye for a steady hike. The rest of us opted for the short bus drive to famous Eilean Donan Castle, not far from the ship. This is the most photographed building in Scotland and rightly so. The restoration job has turned what was a pile of rubble into a fairy-tale castle. But it is also still the private residence of the MacRae family whose ancestors restored their ancestral seat.
Another short drive took us to the tiny village of Plockton. There is no “focus” here for our visit – no castle, museum or other buildings – but rather we went here just to walk the narrow waterside streets and enjoy the natural beauty of this well-sheltered West Highland fishing village. The small, brightly colored houses and their accompanying immaculate gardens, all with the backdrop of great Highland mountains, made this a photographer’s paradise and a dreamer’s dream.
The captain’s farewell dinner was not only mouthwateringly good but also highly entertaining as Brian, the hotel manager, gave us his very personal, and grossly exaggerated, version of Robert Burns’ famous poem “Address to the Haggis.” And the haggis was delicious!
But tomorrow our Highland odyssey ends and we make our separate ways back to our homes or on to yet further destinations. It has been wonderful, simply wonderful and, as they say in Scotland, “haste ye back!” We will!
