A Week Kilted on Skye

[Salvianus]

Many thanks to those who gave advice and encouragement for my first trip to Skye for many years. We were celebrating 20 years together and taking the first opportunity with our health to get away. It was a huge challenge for both of us but a great boost: by the end I was often walking without my stick! My girl's first look at the Highlands. I hope this inspires and assists those heading the same way.

I spent the whole week in my two kilts. Not at the same time. A knife pleated 5-yard wool kilt of Scottish Pride commercial tartan by Lochcarron Weavers and a contemporary box-pleated dark blue denim "Indi kilt" with pockets by Union Kilts, North Wales.

A selection of photographs.


Grinning my face off upon getting to Portree.
Portree is the bustling hub of the many peninsulae. Try the Cafe Arriba, especially Veggies.


My favourite picture of my girl on Skye, at Camustianavaig. She recently suffered a complete loss of the sense of balance, so getting onto the beach by herself was a great achievement.
Many roads are single track with passing places, so are best tackled by confident drivers if you do have to use a car.


Sligachan Bridge
Another key crossroads, you don't see it so quiet often in the high season. The Sligachan Hotel is legendary.

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Looking out at the track I once walked.
This is the starting point for several great walks and approaches to the Black Cuillin.


That's what I'm grinning at. Sgurr nan Gillean.

More to follow.

[Woot22]

Great pics dude, thanks for sharing. Making me very jealous right now and may motivate me to spend some time on Skye the next time I make it to Scotland.

[chrisupyonder]

Brings back happy memories of climbing 35 years ago. Thanks for the pics. You look perfectly attired for Skye.

Chris.

[Salvianus]

Between them the fell runners and my second best walking boots (which I don't mind wearing on roads) covered all requirements. Incredibly, I wore the same boots on Skye in the eighties - Vegan Plastic! I took smart brogues and my Argyll, but didn't find the opportunity to dress up.

I know many don't like the contemporary kilt design, but it made it possible to do the whole week kilted, as I'm allergic to my wool kilt and while an evening is fine, all day every other day was surprisingly unpleasant. My denim kilt was wonderful to wear: very practical in hot weather and high winds, handy pockets for walking gear, very forgiving of long car journeys, perching on rocks and my shooting stick, picnics etc, but it does raise a few eyebrows, cos it looks more like a skirt. I have a Poly Viscose in Black Watch on order now, again based on previously posted advice on the forum.


I once pitched a tent here in Broadford late at night. It turned out to be the equivalent of the village green / seafront! We paid for our mistake, though - the sea comes right up across that beach and on this occasion straight into our sleeping bags



We caught a beautifully sunny day, here at Torrin, on the road to Elgol, and Bla Bheinn looked surreal.



The Blue Shed Cafe in Torrin (between Broadford and Elgol) - lovely people and the best view from a cafe table I've ever seen!


The Cuillin from Elgol. What I think Heaven must look like.
There are lots of boat trips around the islands from various points, obviously, but you have to be very careful about planning for the timetable, especially as journey times can be a bit variable if you go by road, or over the tops.



Couldn't have put it better myself!
The Moil road. This 'scenic route' (as opposed to?) around the coast to the Sconser quarry is pretty badly eroded at the moment and unsuitable for caravans etc!



Kilt Rock, Creag an Fheilidh, in the distance, the folds of dolerite resembling pleats, with visual aid for comparison.
There's a viewpoint car park and just up the road, a little fossil museum, but we missed the days it was open. Further into the Trotternish peninsula, we stopped for lunch at the Columba 1400 centre. The cafe is worth supporting, they provide residential courses for disadvantaged young people and I know from my own work the transforming power of the hills on the disaffected and distant.

[cessna152towser]

Super pics. You really got lucky with the weather. Scotland had average rainfall for April and some parts of the north-west above average, yet almost all of April's rainfall fell on those very wet first five days with the rest of the month unusually dry.
It looks like the month long dry spell is about to come to end later this week.

[Standard]

Great pictures, looks like you two had a wonderful time. You are right about the view from the cafe table, one of the best looking views I've seen in a long time.

[Riverkilt]

Thanks for the pics. My ancestors came from Staffin on the Trotternish, just up from Kilt Rock.

[caig]

Many thanks for the pics. You clearly had a great time. May I say you were dressed correctly for a casual trip.

By the way, welcome from Stockton on Tees.

ALAN

[northernkilter]

hi, nice pics, I live just down the road in Huddersfield, yeh thats the trouble with a plain kilt a tarten one is slightly more accepted. I plan to head up there myself soon. Hope there wasnt the midge problem, though it is early for them.

[creagdhubh]

Beautiful photos mate (Macdonald, Macleod, and Mackinnon territory!) thanks for sharing. I have been there many times...such a breathtaking place indeed.

Beannach'd libh,