By breakfast time, the overnight rain had quit and even the distant mountains on the Isle of Skye began to slowly appear from beneath the gray flannel clouds. We broke into two groups ... one to go for a walk in the Black Cuillins of Skye; the other to visit Eilean Donan Castle and the sweet village of Plockton.
Eilean Donan is famous as a picturesque backdrop for a number of movies and also for its history. The castle was sacked in 1719 but rebuilt between 1913 and 1932 as a memorial to Clan MacRae.
Plockton gained notoriety partly through a television program “Hamish MacBeth,” which was about the misadventures of a small town policeman in The Highlands.
The sun came out over Skye and the walkers were treated to splendid views of the rounded, granitic Red Cuillins and the sharp-edged gabbro Black Cuillins. Plus, at the end of the hike, we enjoyed a pint of the local Sligachan brew. After lunch, Stewart Aitchison gave an introductory talk about digital photography and promised to help us make memorable images of our trip.
We then docked on the southeast coast of Skye on the Sleat Peninsula. Here we disembarked for a visit to the Clan Donald Center in Armadale. Konia Tack led us through the lovely gardens while talking about all the flowering plants.
Our last port of call for the day was Inverie, back on the mainland. This small collection of houses, a church, and a pub, The Old Forge Inn, can boast that they are the most remote in the UK. Inverie is only reachable by sea or a 16-mile hike over some formidable mountains. Although plenty of little midgies seemed to have found their way here. But a spectacular sunset got the shutterbugs out anyway.
