Isle of Skye & Inverie, Scotland

The crossing from the Isle of Eigg to the much larger Isle of Skye was smooth, warm and very pleasant. We came alongside at the ferry terminal and from there it was but a short walk to the Clan Donald Centre and Gardens in Armadale. This is the ancestral seat of the Clan MacDonald and the modern museum and interpretation centre lays out clearly and attractively not only the history of the MacDonald’s but also the structure and importance of the dynasty that became known as the Lords of the Isles. There was plenty of time to enjoy the substantial and well laid out gardens before taking the short walk back to the ship for an early lunch.

The reason for the earlier than usual meal time was to allow sufficient time for the afternoon activities – a visit to Dunvegan Castle or a hike in the Cuillin Mountains. Dunvegan, seat of the Clan MacLeod, is in the north of Skye and involves a long but scenic drive across the island. Half-way across is the well-known Sligachan Hotel. Here we dropped off a large party of our friends who chose to take advantage of the excellent weather and stretch their legs along the many trails that criss-cross the foothills of the Cuillin mountain range.

Those of us who carried on to Dunvegan enjoyed the self-guided tour of this mainly 13th and 14th century castle, sitting high on crag overlooking Loch Dunvegan, that has been continuously occupied by the chiefs of Clan MacLeod for more than 500 years.

During dinner we made the short sail from Armadale on Skye back to the Scottish mainland and the remote community of Inverie. Our dining was interrupted twice, first by a group of dolphins sporting directly ahead of the ship, and then shortly afterwards by a shy Minke whale off our starboard quarter.

Once alongside in Inverie we had the opportunity to take a very pleasant evening stroll along the single road that stretches the length of this isolated community hugging the shoreline of Loch Nevis. A focal point is definitely the Old Forge Inn, recognized as being the most remote pub in Britain as access is only possible by sea, there being no roads linking Inverie with the rest of the Scottish mainland.

All in all, this second to last day of our trip has been full, varied and very pleasant.