Sunshine and Skye
- Jun 11
- 5 min read
A Welshie Big Adventure in Scotland
After spending a week in the rain and clouds on Skye, I was about ready for some sunshine. On Friday, our friends Claire and Neil popped up to visit us for the weekend. The sun came out just for them, and sunshine and Skye are an excellent combination indeed.
Claire hadn’t been to Skye since she was a young woman, and Neil had never been, so it was fun to have another couple joining us on our adventure. And what an adventure we had!
I first met Claire through our mutual love of Welsh Terriers. While we still talk about our dogs, the time we spend together now is more about sharing our lived experiences and enjoying a lot of good food and laughter.
Since we only had two full days to explore Skye together, Brian and I planned several options for them to choose from. Because the weather is so mercurial, we offered both walks and visits to indoor places.
Neist Point and Dunvegan Castle
Fortunately, our first day together was full of sunshine, with only spotty showers to distract us. So, we headed to Neist Point Lighthouse for a view of the sea and the cliffs rising up from the water.
Set back from the edge of the cliff, the carpark sits high on a hill. It wasn’t until we were standing at the start of the walk that we realized what kind of a walk was ahead of us. For every steep decline, there is an equally steep incline and that is what we were in for.
Down we descended, passing people breathing heavily as they headed back up the hill.
As we reached the first flat spot, the views were captivating. We moved closer to the edge to look down at the water far below us.
Water lapped as it hit the rocky shoreline, while the seabirds soared all around us, attending their nests in the rocky crevices.
Peering over and looking out ahead at the coast I felt I was a very small part of a much larger world. The sunshine, and the surrounding water and cliffs, made me feel incredibly happy.
It was a bit wet when we arrived for a visit to Dunvegan Castle. Having worked up an appetite at Neist Point, we decided to eat lunch at the cafe before setting out to explore the castle.
Dunvegan is one of the original homes of the MacLeod clan. The MacLeods have lived here for over 700 years.
A waterfall at Dunvegan's gardens. So many beautiful shrubs in bloom. I love these almost black pine cones.
Touring the home, I saw many family paintings with people dressed in the clan tartan. The Highlands is the epicenter of the tartan, and there was at least one family visiting today wearing their kilts.
An intricately carved sideboard. Representing the Clan.
Though I’m not a MacLeod, seeing volunteers and families casually sporting their kilts while wearing trainers on their feet, it made the Scottish part of me swell with pride. Just another day out sightseeing with the kids in our kilts.
Portree in the background of The View restaurant.
That night, we had a lovely meal in Portree at a place called The View in the Cuillen Hills Hotel. This is a fine dining experience and we were lucky to find a table.
We dined on scallops, smoked salmon and twice baked cheese soufflé. The service was warm and the food was fresh and flavorful. It was a wonderful way to end our first full day of sightseeing together.
Maisie telling Claire about her day. Neil telling Winston about his day.
An Unplanned Adventure
It wouldn’t be a Welshie Big Adventure if we didn’t have a bit of unplanned excitement. After spending a morning at Almadale Castle and gardens without the dogs, we felt it was time to include them in our travels.
The remains of Almadale Castle. Spring time flowers at the garden. Lush greenery at the garden.
Claire and I wanted to visit a place called Kylerhea Otter Hide in southern Skye. It was listed as an easy hike so we thought we could bring the dogs and see some otters.
As Brian drove down the narrow, single track road, he would occasionally pull off the road to let cars pass. This road is both narrow and full of rocks and some deep potholes immediately off the roadway. Actually, potholes were sometimes on the road itself, and quite challenging to navigate around.
While pulling over to let cars pass, which is required, he ran into several deep divots, shaking the car. After pulling over quickly for two swift-moving motorcycles, he hit something and immediately popped a tire.
We were miles from anyone or anything, with spotty cell reception, and no spare tire in the boot (trunk) of the car.
As Brian and Neil inspected the tire, slashed by a sharp rock, Claire and I tried to find a taxi to come and pick up part of the group and the dogs.
It took several tries with both Sixt the car rental agency and a couple of taxi companies before help was on the way for the tire and a cab came to pick up half our group.
I’ll say, the dogs were such troopers during the entire episode. Winston sat in the car snoozing on my lap, while Maisie sat next to Claire and assessed the situation without making much of a fuss at the commotion outside.
Several hours later, with the car fixed and sitting at the cottage, we left the dogs at home and went to Ith do Leor restaurant for dinner. Brian and I ate here last week and thought the food and ambiance was worth sharing. We dined on salmon and Cullen Skink (a local smoked fish soup), venison meatballs and steak.
At dinner, we laughed about the flat tire and agreed that we were lucky to have been together when it happened. Had it been either of us just as couples, we likely would have lost our tempers and quite likely made the dogs upset.
Saying goodbye on Monday was hard. We spent three glorious days laughing and exploring together. Sharing experiences with friends makes everything just a little more fun. And it can also build stronger relationships for the future.
Making Friends
The Welshie Big Adventure started as a way to travel overseas with our dogs and experience life in a more local fashion. What happened instead is that we are making new friends and strengthening some relationships from previous visits.
I don’t think Brian and I will ever forget this weekend with Neil and Claire. In fact, I look forward to our next couples holiday together, whenever and wherever that will be. I know it will be filled with bad jokes and an exploration of the sights around us.
Comments