M & M - Is that you?

First island - Skye

To begin our journey in the Western Isles we wanted to revisit Skye and stay in the same hotel where we had spent our wedding night - Viewfields Hotel, just outside Portree.

We stayed there for two nights, but were disappointed thatwe couldn't get one of the grand rooms in the main part of the building. The other rooms are nowhere near as nice. Once again the food was magnificent though. And it's a nice atmosphere, before dinner people gather in the drawing room and chat over a sherry (or a wee dram) and after dinner the fire is on in the drawing room - to warm your feet while you have a port (or a wee dram).

The scenery just north of Portree is fabulous and we stopped near "the old man of Storr" which is the tall outcrop of rock that you see in the photos. It's a nice little walk through some pine forest and some heather to get to the rocky outcrops. It's amazing how big the old man is once you get close!

Further north is a ruined castle, we spent a bit of time exploring there in the afternoon before our ferry to Lewis. The foot and mouth epidemic was still a major problem down in Emgland and the Borders at the time, luckily the north of Scotland escaped it - otherwise we'd have had to stay in the car.

Here are some Western Isles photos. Click on any photo to see the full-size version in our "photobox" on-line gallery. The gallery will open in a new window, there you will see all the thumbnails, click on any of them to see a bigger version. Sorry about the advertisements, just ignore them (hey, free webspace is free webspace).

: Old man of Storr

: Old man of Storr

: Mal at Storr

: Local flora

: Old man of Storr

: Skye to Rasaay

: Old man of Storr

: View from old man

: No jokes!

: Morag

: Old man of Storr

: Ruined castle

: More ruins...

Click here to see a map of Skye

Second island - Lewis

We hadn't realised until we were planning this trip, but Lewis and Harris are actually one island. The islands are on a long strip of land and the boundary runs east-west along the middle. The story is that the division came about centuries ago after a dispute between one branch of the MacLeods and another.

We landed at Tarbert on Harris and drove north to the capital of Lewis, Stornoway, where we'd booked a B&B. The northern end of Lewis, around Stornoway is relatively lush, and the town itself is very nice. Some of the streets are full of very grand houses and we walked through these in the evening on our way down to the harbour to find a place to eat.

Like our trip to Orkney, which is also famed for it's wet and windy weather, we struck it lucky and had glorious sunshine while we explored Lewis and Harris.

Our main expedition on Lewis was to the prehistoric standing stones at Callanish. Follow the link to see more details about this wonderful prehistoric site.

Click here to see a map of Lewis

: Callanish

: Callanish

: Callanish

: A broch

: more stones

: more stones

: A tower on Harris

: Harris

: Day walk, a loch

: Day walk, valley

: Day walk, view to Taransay

: Day walk a loch

: Day walk a house

: Day walk peat

: Day walk more peat

: Beach on Harris...

: ...with view to Taransay

: Another beach on Harris

: Our car on Harris

: Harris

Third island - Harris

Our other day trip was a drive down to the southern end of Harris, near the town of Borve, where we did a day walk. Our guide book said that we might see some eagles in the valley where we walked but there was no sign of life at all. In fact we nearly expired in the heat ourselves. Luckily we decided to buy some sunblock in Stornoway as we hadn't brought any with us, it was probably only 25c but when your out walking and there's not a tree over a foot high, it can get pretty warm. Still, it is a pretty valley and was a pleasant day out.

On the way there we drove past the old whaling station, though there is not a lot to see, number 19 on the link.

Click here to see a map of Harris

: On the ferry

: Some ruins...

: ...at sunset...

: ...on Uist

Fourth island - North Uist

We really only passed through North Uist, though we did stay the night at a B&B in a little town there - or was it in Benbecula, hard to remember now as these islands tend to run together somewhat.

Anyway, by the time we arrived on the ferry from Harris it was nearly time for dinner, which we had in the restaurant downstairs at the B&B. Afterward we went for a walk and once again, passed by lots of sheep. If foot and mouth had made it this far north we wouldn't have been walking here.

Click here to see a map of North Uist and Benbecula

Follow this link to see the places of interest on the Uists

Fifth island - Benbecula

There's not a lot to Benbecula.

Sixth island - South Uist

The locals from North Uist and Benbecula probably wouldn't like me saying it, but there's a lot more of interest on South Uist. The scenery can be quite dramatic with steep cliffs along the coast. As you drive along the main roads you sometimes wonder if you're on a causeway or not, there seem to be a lot of pools of water about.

We stopped and had a walk along a beach that is quite famous among birdwatchers apparently. Only when we returned to the carpark did we see signs saying the beach was closed due to the risk of foot and mouth - oh well.

Our final B&B was the Pollochar Inn, down at the southern end of South Uist, by now the weather was back to the normal wind and rain, though the sun shone through occasionally.

Our journey back began with the ferry trip from Lochboisdale to Oban. This is a five to six hour trip past some very inaccessible countryside - the Moidart and Ardnamurchan Peninsulas. From Oban it is about a three hour drive to home.

: A "black house"

: A view

: More scenery

: Building the causeway..

: Pollochar Inn

: Wee twins

: Pollochar Inn

Weekend away - Crieff Hydro and Drummond Castle

Later in the summer we went for a weekend away at Crieff Hydro - no not a hydro-electric scheme. The mad Victorians used to come here to drink the foul-tasting sulphurous water from the spring.

We went there to try out all the snappy equipment in the gym, treat ourselves to a couple of nice meals in the bistro, and generally check the place out.

While we were there we went for a few hours walk over the hill at the rear of the spa, and visited the nearby town of Crieff, which is very nice.

On the way back we stopped at Drummond Castle, which is most famous for its gardens, which have been used in a few films, including the recent Rob Roy.

More details about

More details about Drummond Castle

: Rotunda at Crieff Hydro

: The gardens at Drummond

: The castle

: The gardens at Drummond

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