The atmospheric (rainy) Scottish summer just won’t let up, one minute it’s glorious the next atmospheric and on day 6 we experienced at bit of the dramatic (lots of rain). At least we were doing a bit of driving that day and could jump out of the bus, take our photos, and hop right back on, no lollygagging around. We started the day driving from the Isle of Lewis down to the Isle of Harris, which didn’t require a bridge since they are both the same island but both called islands, oh the Scotts, they decided that the two parts of the large island were vastly different so they should have two separate island names even though they are the same island, confusing, I know. But they are right, while Lewis is full of rolling hills and fertile farm land; Harris is mountainous and rocky with poor soil. Our first stop on Harris was Luskentyre beach, were our very free-spirited Aussie friend decided she needed to go for a swim in the freezing water, while the rest of us stood there stunned that anyone would want to swim in the wind and rain and the COLD Scottish sea. She assured us the water was fine, but I’m skeptical and a big cold water wimp. Next we took the Tarbert ferry to Uig on the Isle of Skye and promptly off to Cuith Ruing viewpoint for some viewing of sexy Scottish scenery. On the bus we heard the Scottish version of the Giant’s Causeway (I heard the Irish version in Ireland, both very different) and saw the Kilt Rock (looked like a miniature Cliff’s of Moher but less spectacular, well the waterfall was beautiful). Then we heard the tale of the old man and woman of Storr and saw where they have been sitting for hundreds of years. Lunch was at Portree a quaint and beautiful little harbor town, then off the Culligan Mountians; one half of the range has been dated as some of the earliest mountains, the Red mountains and the Black are much younger, you can tell the difference because the Red mountains are very worn down and gentile while the Black look gnarly and sinister. Dividing the Culligan Mountians is the river Sligachan, where the tale goes that if you stick your face in the river you will be forever beautiful, I tried and I managed to look more hideous with running mascara! Damn Irish luck. Our journey on day 6 also took us to our overnight stop in Kyleakin, were we stayed at Saucy Mary’s. Interesting story, Mary was a queen of some sort and made a living my lining her boats up across the narrow waterway that separates Isle of Skye from the mainland Scotland, well the shipmen got tired of paying her fees to pass so they started sailing around the island to avoid her, she realized she needed them to come through the inlet and pay her fees for her income so she started the world’s first strip show, where she showed her boobs to the sailors after paying the fee, it worked and they returned to using her route. Men.
That evening we went on a brief walk about town to see Castle Moyle and the Skye Bridge and finished off the evening in the pub chatting with the locals and playing pool. Day 7 found us driving across the Skye Bridge and back to mainland Scotland on our way back to Edinburgh. The rain was still with us. We saw Eilean Donan Castle, Glengamy Mountians and Loch, the Spean Bridge and Mill in Inverness-shire, Glencoe and the three sisters mountains (or what we could through the rain and haze), in Glencoe we learned that anyone with the surname Campbell is not welcome and it is legal to refuse service to anyone with that last name in the area, due to the massacre of the MacDonald clan by the Campbells; only Scottish law would make it legal to discriminate against a surname, even 200 years after the massacre; although the Campbells were ruthless and horrible people. The story goes that the king of England at that time (I forget when but related to the Campbells) wanted all the Clan chiefs to sign a document swearing loyalty to him, well the MacDonald head heard about this document very late and went off to sign but was mislead and then held up by weather, he eventually signed it 4 days late, but signed it none-the-less, well the king thought this was an act of spite and sent his men up to Glencoe to kill the MacDonalds, after getting pampered by the hospitality of the MacDonalds for a week, the Campbells received orders to kill everyone, so they awoke early one morning and, well, killed many before the MacDonalds realized what was going on. Horrible story and if you’re a Campbell I suggest you steer clear of hiking in the area or someone might not rescue you and they definitely won’t give you food or shelter at the hotel.
On to happier tales, we stopped at Tyndrum and the Green Welly Stop (I love this name) for lunch and then it was off to Kilmahog to meet Hamish and Heather, Hairy Coooos (Highland Cows). They were adorable and fun to feed. I also learned where Scottish black mail came from. There was this Scottsman Rob Roy MacGregor who was a great Highland Cow thief (the cows back then were mostly black, not red like the ones today and they called them blacks) and he had the brilliant idea one day to sell himself as a thief watcher to the local farmers for a small rent (mail was the word for rent back then), the farmers weren’t dumb and told him he was the cow thief, why should they pay him? He told them he wouldn’t steel his cows (black) if they paid (mail) him. Oh good Scotts. Our last stop was Stirling and the Wallace Monument, the tallest monument built for a man that was not Jesus, and basically William Wallace fits right up there next to Jesus to the Scotts (not the Braveheart version, since the movie was off on many ways, but he was a true leader and protector of Scotland). We reached Edinburgh for some sun, a nice walk, some of the best lobster ever and laundry.
Our last day in Scotland was spent trying to stay out of the rain that seemed to follow us from the Highlands and Islands. We checked out the National Gallery, St. Giles Cathedral and the highlight, the Lewis Chessman at the Museum of Edinburgh. They are these awesome Scandinavian intricately carved whalebone chess pieces. The funny faces were the best part. We then walked around town poking our heads into shops in the rain and then back to the hostel to relax and have some hot tea. It was off to a lovely dinner and catching the end of the Uruguay and Germany game before bed. I do hope England is much warmer, but the weatherman says the rain will follow us for the next few days, boooo.
*as noted if you want the facebook photo link please email me as I won't be including it in my blogs anymore, thanks!
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