26 June 2023
Today we decided to change things up, so we made a detour and went to the Isle of Skye. Why? Well, why not. As it is so close, and who knows when we will be back here next, we took advantage of the opportunity. Also the next section of the NC500 consists of “single minor” roads, the lowest grade of road. We did not think that Maxine would appreciate those windy roads with her motion sickness today.
As it would still be a longish drive, we packed up quickly and headed out. Once we were on the actual Isle of Skye we stopped at the first cafe that we could find. It was a really cool! The owners took an old abandoned house, missing walls and no roof, and made it into a unique fun cafe.
The scenery is gorgeous whilst driving up the Isle. However at one of the stops we made, to look at a waterfall, Robyn managed to trip and do a real number on her knee. Luckily the girls sprung into action and got an ice pack, antiseptic and a plaster to fix their mommy right up. What great little first aiders!
Next we drove to the Fairy Glen, which is a beautiful natural formation near Uig. We had lunch and took a lovely walk though the hills. We even climbed up some of the mountain bits to get a fantastic view of the surrounding area. Very green and lush.
Next stop was further north along the coast to the the Croft museum. It was very interesting to see how people lived many many years ago. It was a very hard life and makes us really appreciate modern living. Just having a warm and non-draughty house makes a huge difference. Not to mention that back then, a family would have 10 children in essentially a small 2 room house. we still can’t figure out WHERE they would all sleep (we only counted 3 beds). We also learnt about the role of the Isle of Skye with Bonnie Prince Charles.
We continued driving round the top of the Isle and back down the other side to stop at the Storr. It is a unique rock formation just north of Portree. Unfortunately the hike up the mountain put a lot of strain on Robyn’s injured knee so we enjoyed the lovely view from half way up to the Storr. The wind was blustery and unpleasant too.
Portree was close by, hence we decided to park and have a look around. Whilst the town is really pretty, especially the coloured houses by the harbour, we made the mistake in parking in a car park that did not allow camper vans! We got a ticket! Ouch!
The plan tomorrow is to visit Dunvegan castle, so we camped outside Dunvegan. We thought that if we went all the way to Skye, we might as well spend the night. Or else it was another 2hr drive to our old campsite. It was a good decision as we made a yummy dinner and we had some silly giggles with the girls!
27 June 2023
Wet and Soggy! This morning we woke up to some very strong wind and lots and lots of rain. From what we have been told, this is more typical of Scotland…. It also means that it has put a bit of a kink in our plans as we planned to see Dunvegan castle, the Fairy falls and the Rogue falls… Nobody was very keen today in getting soaked to the bone. Even the dogs refused to stay too long out in the wet.
As we took a detour and went further West than planned yesterday, it meant that we had a longer journey to get back to the Inverness area. This resulted in a long drive (for us), through the constant rain. Not a very exciting day.
Eventually we made it to Inverness. And to escape the rain we camped out at a cafe with our school work. Once the rain finally stopped we heading to our campsite on the Black Isle and settled down for the evening, ending the NC500 loop!
28 June 2023
Slow morning today, and when we eventually left our campsite we headed into Inverness. There we had a stroll along the river, before heading to Loch Ness!
As we drove down the Loch, we stopped to admire the view and pick up a few geocaches. Half way down the Loch, we stopped at the Loch Ness centre and did the video tour. We learnt about how Loch Ness was created by the glaciers, the mythical legends from the old times, to how the current legend of the Loch Ness Monster started and has been investigated. It was interesting to hear various points of view including the scientific data. The debate is ongoing!
We carried on along the Loch and had to stop at a bridge that was opening to let a number of vessels pass. Right next to the bridge was a really interesting suspension bridge called Oich bridge. Instead of wires and cables, it was assembled using rods that were bolted together in sections. Mish found the construction to be very interesting. Reminded him of the old Meccano kits.
Our drive took us along more lochs and rivers until we got to our campsite at Fort William. It’s a cute little campsite next to the river and some woods. We took advantage of this and went on a lovely walk along the river and through the woods. Quite overgrown paths, with all the brambles that kept on attacking out ankles.
Simple dinner and usual Tetris game to get everything ready for bed. Maxine had a bad dream and came down to our bed about 3:30, but there really is barely enough room for 2 on teh converted back seats, let alone 3! So a disturbed night all round.
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