Isle of Skye

There are two ways to get to the Isle of Skye, by ferry or by crossing over the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. The weather was quite grey and cloudy so the views from the bridge were limited. As soon as our bus landed on the Isle of Skye, it felt like we had entered someplace magical. Our tour guide Chris told us many legends of how the various mountains, rocks, and rivers had received their names. This really added to the mystical feeling of the Isle.

Our first stop on the Isle of Skye was the village of Portree. This is the largest village on the island and has an enclosed bay where you can see many boats docked. We spent a couple of hours here so we could walk around and have lunch. I had a wonderful sweet potato casserole at Cafe Arriba and actually had to wait to be seated since it was such a popular and eclectic place. They also had Texas barbeque pulled pork on the menu which I thought was interesting. Too bad I don’t eat pork!

Even though it was cold and raining, the village had a very warm and welcoming feel. Right next to the bus stop is a WWI memorial that included the name of a Sinclair. I would have loved to spend more time exploring and going to the visitor center but we had more places to see!

Our first stop after lunch was Lealt Falls. There was a nice overlook that looked down into the narrow gorge where the falls were. If you hiked the other way, you could see the coastline and the ruins of the old diatomite factory below on the beach.

Until the 1950s, this area was known for the production of diatomite. Loch Cuithir, about 4 miles inland from here, contained diatomite, a chalky white clay. It was brought here to be cleaned and dried so it could be sold until it became too expensive to produce.

This is another place I would have loved to have spent more time hiking around and exploring. There were actually trails down to the beach where you could walk around the factory ruins. But alas, the bus was leaving for our next destination.

Our final stop was at the overlook for Kilt Rock. As you look beyond Mealt Falls, the cliffs in the distance look like a kilt. This area was given the name Staffin by the Vikings which means “the place of pillars”. The columns of basalt are what make up the cliffs here and the “pleats” of the kilt.

According to Chris, the Mealt Falls are usually much more robust than what we saw on this day. Like many areas of the world, Scotland has been in a bit of a drought in recent years. This can be seen in the lower water levels in the rivers and lochs and in the size of waterfalls like Mealt Falls. It was very noticeable at Eilean Donan Castle which sits on an island but is not totally surrounded by water at the moment.

The Staffin coastline is also known for the collection of dinosaur bones and footprints that have been found here. This includes the world’s smallest dinosaur footprint. A replica of the footprint can be seen at the Staffin Dinosaur Museum with the original housed at the Hunterian Museum in Glasgow.

It was now time to start the long drive back to Inverness. While this tour was informative and gave a high-level overview of the Isle of Skye, it really left me wanting to see more. The Fairy Pools, the Old Man of Storr, Brother’s Point and so many other places would have to wait for a future visit. We made a quick stop in Kyle of Lochalsh before taking the shorter, non-touristy route back to Inverness. I found and booked this tour on Tripadvisor. The tour cost $89.47 for 12-hours on a tour bus with 12 other people and one guide/driver.