An outdoors adventure

Occasionally we decide to ditch the city and head somewhere with a change of scenery and plenty of fresh air. A keen distance walker, Rob introduced me to one of his favourite places in the U.K., Scotland’s mesmirising Isle of Skye. I fell in love straight away. We rented a car and set ourselves up in a local B&B in a village on the mainland, Kyle of Lochalsh, which sits by the bridge that took us to the Island every day. This was a much more affordable way to do things, as we wanted to spend a good week there and take our time enjoying everything that the Island had to offer.

We spent a week walking, exploring, driving and just generally forgetting all about our busy lives back in London. They say that the Isle has it’s own weather system and we can DEFINITELY vouch for that. While we were there we experienced glorious sunshine, torrential rain, rainbows, storms and everything in between, sometimes changing by the hour.

The best reason to visit the Isle is the landscape. Sloping mountains, jagged coastlines and fields of heather and wildflowers make the Isle one of the most visually-stunning places we’ve been to yet. It really is breathtaking and showcases the very best of Scottish scenery.

Transport

We flew to Inverness, hiring a car from there and making our way across the country to the west coast, passing by amazing lochs (including Loch Ness!) on the way. If you can, take the scenic route along the narrow roads as it’s a fun way to experience the landscape as it slowly changes before you.

Eilean Donan Castle

By our base in Kyle of Lochalsh, our first port of call was Eilean Donan Castle, one of the most popular visiting sites in the whole of Scotland and one of the most recognisable (anyone see Maid of Honour recently? No? Just me, then…) Built in the 13th century, it looks pretty spectacular, has an interesting museum as part of the castle that you can have a nosy around in and, perhaps most importantly, has a really nice tearoom too.

Old Man of Storr

One of our first hikes was to the Old Man of Storr and around the surrounding area near Portee. Up high on a rocky hill, Storr is a large standing formation of rock on the Trotternish ridge and it takes just over an hour to climb up to the pinnacle. We visited on a day where the top was covered in mist, making it eerily beautiful and we could definitely understand why it’s one of the most popular hikes in Scotland.

The Quiraing walk

We had to try the Quiraing walk as we were told that it’s home to some of the most spectacular landscapes in Scotland. As part of the Trotternish ridge it has high cliffs and hidden plateaus to discover as you walk. The whole 6km walk is a loop where you start and end at the same point, Flodigarry car park. The average time to complete the walk is around 2 hours (although we took most of the day!) We’d brought a pack lunch and it was lovely to amble along, taking photos and enjoying the little hidden spots along the way.

Neist Point Lighthouse

Just as we thought we had taken photos of all the different types of amazing landscapes this small island has to offer, we took a drive to Neist Point Lighthouse and, for not the first time on this holiday, we were gobsmacked. The actual lighthouse is a historic structure built in 1909, but people come here mainly for the incredibly scenic cliff-top walk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, making us feel like we were on the edge of the world.

Fairy Pools

Another hiker’s dream is the walk through the Fairy Pools, in Glenbrittle. This area is a must-see and with it’s vivid, cascading waterfalls, you’ll be forgiven for believing that fairies do exist in Scotland. With the River Brittle running through them, there are also these crystal-clear (cold-looking!) pools of beautiful blue water. The whole thing makes you feel as though you’ve just stumbled into a children’s fairytale and we loved it!

Applecross

If you have the time, and a car, we would wholeheartedly recommend a trip to the village of Applecross which sits over 600m above sea level. The journey itself was very special; to get to Applecross you need to climb up a spectacular mountain route, where we were treated to sights including the expanse of the sea, mini rainbows peeking out from behind the rolling hills and the majestic Highland cows grazing by the roads. Once there we enjoyed a cosy pub lunch at the Applecross Inn. A day well spent.

Lauren Loves

As a beginner-hiker (blame Rob!) it was my first trip to the countryside of Scotland and I quickly became a convert. Every day it felt like we were exploring something new and it seemed astounding to me that all of these varieties of walks and views were found on the same island. I felt so refreshed on my return to the city after all of the exercise and fresh air. It was also nice to do something different as a couple.

Robert Loves

I love to be around nature, the more isolated the better. In the UK that means there is no better space than Scotland. I’d been to Skye and the Highlands before and was quite keen to experience it with Lauren as well. It’s amazing what a few days of breathing fresh air ( and not having to go to work ) can do to your mental state, it truly recharges the batteries.

There was lots of driving involved with the highlight being the mountain pass drive to Applecross. There is a sign that mentions this route is not advised to be taken by learning drivers or caravans and campers. Lots of sharp turns and narrow roads with cliff edges that leave little room for error.

The Staffin Dinosaur Museum was an interesting find while driving on the island. It is a small building off the main road. Not only does it have some dinosaur fossils and footprints on display, it features some other finds throughout the history of Skye. I’d advise you to have a look at the website and decide if it is your cup of tea as there is a small entrance fee to be paid.

Where did we stay?

A week-long holiday is quite rare for us, and the accommodation part of it can be quite an expense. We researched various places on the island, but the options were slim (as moderately priced B&Bs get booked up very quickly) and as we didn’t want to stay in a hostel, we found the choices to be really expensive, especially in their main town of Portree. We therefore decided to try the mainland as we had a hire car to get around in and in the end it was great, all we had to do was drive over the bridge every day to get to where we wanted to go.

Be prepared to experience a B&B if you haven’t already. These are prolific in the area and much more common than hotels.

We found a great B&B in Kyle of Lochalsh, run by a charming couple. The breakfast was a typical Scottish fried breakfast cooked to order and we had a large room, shared bathroom and also a communal dining area and living room with TV and dvds. One night, tired from our adventures, we found ourselves getting chips from the local chippy and heading in front of the TV for a nice evening snuggled up on the sofa!

What did we eat?

A lot of fried food, I’m afraid! Scottish pub food can be great (soups, stews etc) but we soon found ourselves having chips with everything! One pub we really liked was Seumas’ Bar in Sligachan, which had a great atmosphere, good food and hundreds of different scottish whiskeys to try. Restaurants are quite few and far between, so the local pizza place and chip shop were our go-tos.

Top Tips

• Make sure that you invest in some hiking gear. Comfortable boots / shoes with a good tread are mandatory when exploring, and decent rain-proof trousers and jacket are a good investment. Embrace the outdoors look as you’ll probably want to be decked out in a fleece the whole time!
• Consider staying off the Island if you want a more affordable hotel or B&B. We went in September which is the end of their ‘season’ so it’s generally a lot quieter that time of year too.
• We stayed in one place for the whole week (as we were exhausted from life and wanted a chilled holiday) but many use the Isle as a stopping off point when exploring more of the Highlands and Western Scotland. Consider making it part of a larger trip around this beautiful country.
• Don’t expect a variety of food! We quickly got used to eating hearty foods and found that independent, local pub food was the most diverse and nutrient-rich (we frequently the local chip shop a bit too much ha!)