Skye

On Friday morning, Brendan and I packed our bags for our first weekend excursion in Scotland. The Catholic Society had discussed a trip to Skye earlier this fall - Brendan told me he lobbied hard for the trip to take place after the study break. I'm glad he did!

We left Stirling around 1:45pm, Brendan, Liam and I travelling with Fr. Kenneth in his car, and the rest of the crew in a minibus. We stopped once on the way and made it to our destination -  a hostel in Flodigarry, along the North Eastern coast of Skye - at around 7:30pm. It was dark by the time we crossed the bridge into Skye, so we would have to wait until the next morning to take in the glorious landscape. 

After settling into our rooms, we had dinner and then headed out to the beach for fireworks and sparklers (our celebration of Guy Fawkes Day!). We discovered in the morning that the beach was quite near, but in the pitch dark it seemed miles away. The path there was wet and swampy and littered with what appeared to be cow patties (although we didn't see any cattle!). Though we all returned to the hostel wet and dirty, we thoroughly enjoyed the fireworks display and the adventure of setting out into the unknown!

Saturday was a very full day. We left the hostel in the morning and made our way to Kilt Rock (a rock that looks pleated, like a kilt) to enjoy the view. 

Kilt Rock

We then headed further down the road to the Old Man of Storr hiking trail. The Old Man of Storr is an impressive rock formation that juts out of the Storr hill. Hiking up was challenging but enjoyable. Fortunately, we had perfect weather - the forecast had been for rain, but the day turned out to be crisp and clear. Brendan carried Liam in the Baby Bjorn and I took loads of pictures - one of my new favourite things to do!


The view from the top of the hill was absolutely breathtaking. The landscape of Skye is powerful and rugged. It's colours are deep and dark, mystical and earthy. My pictures capture a hint of that, but don't come close to disclosing the full impact of the place. The rocks and hills and trees of Skye spoke to me of the majesty of God... something that is difficult to seize in a mere photograph! 


We paused at the foot of the Old Man to eat lunch and take in the view. Brigid and Christy, who had eaten their lunch at 10:30am, managed to trade juice boxes and fruit for extra tuna sandwiches... they had been working on the terms of this trade from about halfway up the hike - lamenting the fact that they had already eaten their lunch and wondering aloud if anyone might be willing to offer them an extra sandwich! I don't know who ended up succumbing to the trade - it didn't seem like a very fair one to me (although I must admit that the whole thing was quite entertaining!) Pascal was disappointed that there was no pub at the top of the hill - apparently this is what he looks for on every excursion! I nursed Liam  and enjoyed my tuna sandwich (which I did not trade for orange drink!). It was cold that high up, so after a brief rest, we were all eager to get moving again.    

The Old Man of Storr

View from the top

 Our next stop was in the town of Portree. Brendan and I got hot drinks and wandered around, enjoying the quaint harbour town. We made a brief stop at a craft fair and Brendan bought me a wool hat, for which I was especially grateful the next day (Sunday was windy and cold). As we walked, we marvelled at how wonderful it was to be there together in Skye - the adventure we had dreamed about for so long was now a reality!

The harbour in Portree

Back at the hostel we enjoyed some well-deserved rest and then Fr. Kenneth celebrated Mass for the group. One of my favourite things about travelling with a group of Catholics is the chance to celebrate Mass together. We were a group of 18 people (including Liam) from all over the world, gathered around a common table, sharing the same liturgy. The Mass has an incredible unifying power that highlights our shared humanity - we are all children of the same loving Father.


After Mass we had dinner and then spent the evening having a raucous good time! Christy, representing the entertainment committee (which consisted of her, Brigid and Brendan - an explosive trio, as I've come to observe!), moderated some games for us. The first was a modified version of Cranium, and the second was a contest to see who could pick a cereal box up off the ground with their teeth without touching it or the ground with either hands or knees. The catch was that after each round, the box was cut down shorter and shorter. It was quite hilarious! Brendan was immediately disqualified, being far too tall and no where close to flexible enough to even survive the first round! He took on the role of game show host and camera man for the rest of the game, entertaining us with his loud and hilarious commentary. I always enjoy seeing how Brendan can animate a group, and this was no exception! I'm sure most people like to have fun with friends, but Brendan really thrives on it, and has a knack for boosting the fun index for everyone else while he's at it!!! The prize at the end of the game was a bottle of wine, which was to be shared by four of us - all girls, and all quite flexible! Once the game was done, Fr. Kenneth decided it was time to sing sad songs about how the Scots were oppressed by the English - which he did with vigour. His last number was The Skye Boat Song, which Jessie, Leah and I had learned when we took singing lessons with Mrs. Thompson. It was neat to be singing it again so many years later, this time from the coast of Skye.

Dinner at the hostel

Liam on his 2 month birthday

The cereal box game

Sunday morning we packed up our things and began the trip back to Stirling. B and I left with more luggage than when we arrived: in addition to our things, we now had a giant garbage bag full of baby clothes! The hostel owners had an 11 month old son and were looking to give away his old clothes - Liam was the perfect recipient! We were very grateful - with the amount of clothes we got, the trip to Skye practically paid for itself!


 We made several stops on the way home to take in more of the island. The first place we stopped had been recommended to us by the hostel owner as the best view in Skye. It was spectacular. Again, the pictures hardly do it justice. Next we stopped in a small harbour town for a tea break and then made our way around the western coast of the island towards Dunvegan Castle. The castle grounds were closed to visitors (apparently a clan chief still lives there!) but we could see the castle as we drove by. Eventually we parked and hiked to a beautiful coral beach. The wind was now quite fierce - so strong, in fact, that it made walking difficult, especially on the higher ground. Once again, however, the view was phenomenal - definitely worth the hike. 

The view at our first stop on Sunday

Another shot from our first stop

Above the coral beach

Our last sightseeing stop was Eileen Donan Castle, on the mainland. We couldn't go into the castle but it was still nice to stop and take it in from the outside. Some of my favourite pictures are from that spot.

We arrived back home at around 8:45pm, having enjoyed a fantastic weekend. The weather was perfect, the company was great, and the landscape was absolutely magical. We had listened to Scottish pipe music as we drove through the highlands on the way home... and I thanked God for having once again extravangantly exceeded my expectations.

Group shot taken on Sunday

The Skye photo gallery would not be complete without
a picture of sheep - they were everywhere!

P.S. Check out Facebook for more photos of our trip!