Day 49 – July 7, 2025 – Portree, Scotland
This morning, we had a great breakfast that Lance, the owner, prepared for us before we headed out for our drive around the Trotternish Peninsula Loop. We made a couple of stops for photo ops before stopping at the Old Man of Storr to do some hiking. It is a 160-foot tapered slab of basalt and was formed due to massive landslides. It slid down the cliff about 6,500 years ago and landed on its end, where it has been whittled away by weather. Amazing how the weather changes as you make your way up. We started with some sun that quickly turned to very gusty winds and rain as you ascended. I really did not come prepared as I had jeans on which quickly got wet, but we carried on. (Vance was in shorts! and Michelle had on white capris, lol! I’m sure we stuck out like tourists, but we didn’t care 😉) It was quite a trek up and you had to be careful on the rocks as they got a little slick from the rain. Even though it was foggy as we got to the top, it was still a beautiful view and we came to conquer and did, lol! The journey down was a little more difficult since the rocks were covered in rain, so you really had to watch your footing. I love coming down, but it does start to get to your knees.
We got back in the car, cranked up the heater and headed for our next stops, the Lealt Gorge and the Kilt Rock, which was just a quick walk to a good view and again, grabbed a few pictures. We stopped a couple more times then headed to find a bite to eat and ended up at Flodigarry Hotel and they had a light lunch menu that was great. John and I split the cauliflower soup and Crofter’s Lunch, which consisted of glazed ham, some local cheeses, and salad. It was just enough to keep us satisfied along with a cup of hot coffee, lol! We ended the meal with a sharing of sticky toffee pudding, which Michelle and Vance never had, and they liked it!
Back on the road again to finish the loop and we got back to the B&B around 3:30. The boys had planned to stop at Talisker Distillery, but it would have been closed by the time we got there. Maybe next time! We had Emma do laundry for us (thank goodness!) so we could start out with another round of clean clothes and then headed to the Cuillin Hotel where the boys had a double scotch, and I had a glass of wine. They have a beautiful view, and the weather was behaving so we sat outside.
After our drinks, we headed into town and checked out both of the fish and chips places that Rick Steves mentioned and luckily The Harbour Fish & Chip Shop was open! Each couple got a serving of fish and chips and split them. They had just had a fresh batch of fish come in, so it was very tasty!
We headed back to the B&B and then played a round of Hand and Foot, which the girls won, and then called it a night.
Tomorrow, we make our way to Oban with a stop at Fort William, where we will hop on the Jacobite Steam Train. This train provided the steam engine and carriages for the “Hogwarts Express” as seen in the Harry Potter movies.
It was a great trip to Portree and the Isle of Skye, now the next adventure begins!
