First the Photo I knew it was a Scotish one but could not remember where, so looking at my Scotish sketchbook from a coach touring holiday of the west coast (about ten years ago….

This confirmed the location as Portree on The Isle Of Skye

Ok i should always have noted photos but did in the sketchbooks  and proovers a usefull reminder on why its a good thing to do to keep a visual diary when travelling, you are more likely to keep notes of where you are for one thing!

I read with real delight today the BBC  news  story about the Hebridean farmer who turned up a possible Viking anchor on the Isle of Skye.   The farmer,  Graeme Mackenzie,  was out trying to clear the drain from a pasture he wanted to turn into a potato field,  when,  lo and behold, he came across  what  looked to be a 10-cm-long rusted iron spike.   When Mr. Mackenzie went to pry it out, the piece of iron seemed to go on and on under the peat,  and eventually he had himself  a four-foot-long medieval anchor.

I have a great fondness for people who stumble upon important artifacts while out puttering around the garden or pasture,  and who then report their treasure to the authorities.  First of all, these accidental discoveries always open up the tantalizing possibility that any one of us could unearth something really crucial to archaeology while digging a new flower bed,  say, or putting in a  garage–especially if you live in the British Isles.   Moreover, people who find these dirt-crusted marvels often say really wonderful things to reporters,  quite off the cuff. Mr. Mackenzie, a former skipper,  admitted with modest pride,  for example,  to having ” some knowledge on anchors.”  He then went on to lay out his argument for the anchor being of Viking origin.  ” The metalwork,” he said, ” is totally different from the modern anchors.  It felt like a blacksmith had hammered it.  On the internet I saw a picture of a Viking anchor and it looked exactly the same as mine.”

Whether or not this will prove to be a Viking anchor,  however, remains to be seen.  Viking ship experts will want to take a very close look at the evidence before making any pronouncements.  But a Viking find of this nature would be very important for the Isle of Skye. History tells us that the Norse were a major presence on this North Atlantic  island from the 9th to the mid-13th century A.D.   Indeed,  there’s an absolutely fabulous line from a 13th century Norse saga,  Heimskringla,  about an ancient battle in Skye:    ”The hunger battle-birds were filled in Skye with blood of foemen killed.”

But for all the long Norse presence on  Skye,  rather few Norse artifacts have yet turned up.  I sincerely hope,  for the sake of all Norse historians and archaeologists and all the Hebrideans who take such pride in their Norse heritage,  that Mr. Mackenzie is right about the Viking anchor.

By Heather Pringle

Who doesn’t have seeing the northern lights on their “kick the bucket” list?

If you’re wondering where on earth is the best place to see the aurora borealis, check out this list of TP bloggers who have successfully experienced the natural light show in the sky.

1. Reykjavik, Iceland

Dc314 went on a Northern Lights bus tour in Reykjavik

“As we are heading back, and midnight approaches, the right side of the bus could see the northern lights. The bus pulls over in the middle of nowhere and everyone gets out in the street. We saw the dancing white light in the air, and it was actually pretty cool. We got to see it for about 30 mins. Then we drove a little more and hopped out of the bus again. I was able to take a few pics, but unfortunately I am not able to hold a camera still for 10 seconds without a tripod, so they are a tad blurry (you can get the idea). Interestingly enough, the lights are green in the pictures, instead of white. At about 1 a.m. we head back to the city. We finally went to bed and called it a night, very tired but very happy to have witnessed this natural phenomenon.” – Dc314

2. Svolvaer, Norway

Everardt snapped this picture while searching for Moelje in Norway

“When I came outside I happened to look up in the sky and there were 2 pale green bands of light in the sky. All of a sudden there was some electrical activity and I just managed to get my camera out in time to photograph the northern lights.” – Everardt

3. Iqaluit, Canada

Yours truly in the northern tundra

“On our way home, I look up in the sky and it is FILLED with green and grey colours. The northern lights! On my last night in Iqaluit, the sky is clear enough to see it! It’s not more colourful than in Yellowknife, but it’s a LOT more monstrous. It just fills up the entire sky with dancing light. It lasts for about 30 or 45 minutes and just abruptly as it began it stops.” – starlagurl

4. Tromso, Norway

Jimborussell in Norway

One of the workers rushed into our tent and excitedly pronounced that the Northern Lights could be seen outside. I was outside in a flash and stood there gaping at the sky for about an hour. The lights were quite faint, but definately visable. They covered a third of the sky at their most intense, and fluctuated and moved slowly in large waves which seemed to point downward from the heavens in a way I find very difficult to explain. They didn’t last all that long, but were amazing. – Jimborussell

5. Fairbanks, USA

Margiewilson spent a week enjoying the wilderness in Fairbanks

“The afternoon was great, but the evening was better than we could have ever have imagined. We were told that the night would be a good night for the Northern Lights, so we could hardly wait to see them. Around 9 p.m., the first line of Lights were showing but they came and went. We went outside and another band of light was showing around 10 p.m. A group of us were outside in awe of the lights and we were all trying to get pictures of the lights. The lights started dancing around in the sky and we were mesmerized by them. We watched for a while, then went to the room and watched from the balcony. The lights were very active that night, there were some other people watching from their balcony and when the lights went dancing again one man from Russia started screaming and jumping around on the grass saying it was a miracle. And I think it was. What a wonderful way to end the day. We will never forget the sight and we are so thankful that we were able to experience the colors in the lights.” – Margiewilson

6. Tok, USA

Neeterb and her dog in Alaska

“As we prepared for bed, Warren came in and said he thought we were going to see northern lights. Back outside to stand with our necks craned to see the display that seemed just for us. To the naked eye, the lights appeared faint and white. I wasn’t able to get pictures with my camera, but Warren did. The lights, to the camera, were actually green. Absolutely astounding and another checkmark off my list of things to see in Alaska.” – Neeterb

7. Yellowknife, Canada

Lolly's fiancee proposed under the Northern Lights in Yellowknife

“We found a dock on Great Slave Lake and watched the northern lights until they disappeared and the sky started to lighten again around 1am. It was then that Senica proposed to me on bended knee – how romantic!! What a beautiful setting on such an auspicious day – the highlight of the trip, literally!!” -

8. Cantwell, USA

Docn saw a glimpse of the Northern Lights amidst a herd of caribou

“After cooking myself dinner and resting for a bit I headed back to the dog sled jump off point to check out the norther lights…which were amazing. Even cooler though was the fact that as I was standing there checking out the lights I started to hear what I thought were footsteps…quadraped footsteps…then out of the corner of my eye I saw what was making the noise…Caribou…they were all around me…apparently they were crossing the road where I was parked…I couldn’t get any pictures because it was pitch black…but they were everywhere!!!” – Docn

9. Edmonton, Canada

Nancydeb visited the West Edmonton Mall and saw the Northern Lights in the same day!

“We did get to see the green haze of northern lights one night when we were in Edmonton. I was surprised they were visible even in town with all the street lights but there they were, so that was pretty cool.” – Nancydeb

10. Isle of Skye, Scotland

Hannahfoster with the standing stones in Callandish, Scotland

“The second night we were high up on the hills on the Ilse of Skye and that view was pretty awesome too. The night we stayed there we could see the Northern Lights. They weren’t that spectacular because we werent quite far north enough but still it was a pretty glow in the sky.” – Hannahfoster

Woke with much excitement this morning; off to the Isle of Skye today.   Had breakfast and packed a picnic lunch and set off real early. We wanted to make good progress as the island is over 50 miles away and would take about an hour or so to get there.   Hahaha! Little did we know!

On the way out I stopped at reception to ask for a new kettle; ours had died and to take a photo of the reception area.   This set the tone for the day!    Everything is so gorgeous and we didn’t stop once or twice, we stopped dozens of times!

We barely left the grounds of the park when we made or first stop!   At Laggan Swing Bridge.   The day was absolutely glorious and the water on the Loch such a beautiful blue, it just begged for a photo or two.

Laggan Swing Bridge

part of the bridge mechanisms

The valley we are in is just breathtakingly gorgeous and yet we had no idea of the splendour that waited ahead.   The next stop was hardly a mile down the road and so it went.   We eventually got to Invergarry where we were to turn left for the Kyle of Lochalsh and the Isle of Skye.

Invergarry Hotel

Of course we stopped once again in Invergarry to take photos of the wonderful hotel

the bridge with river running swiftly below

the beautiful stone bridge we had just driven over and the river that rushed by in the ravine below.

colours too gorgeous to imagine

The colours of the forest are just too gorgeous to imagine.

We did not linger too long and soon made our way towards Skye.   Oh my word!   The scenery was absolutely spectacular.  We hardly got anywhere at all with the frequent stops along the way.   Driving through hills of Glen Quoich was such a treat.  We gasped with disbelief when we rounded a bend and there before our eyes was Loch Garry! 

Loch Garry

Stupendous is just insufficient to describe the beauty.   The Loch is huge and stretches for mile upon mile, a massive expanse of beautiful blue water snug amongst the steeply sloping tree covered hills.

wooded slopes leading down into glacial valley; Loch Garry

A left-over from the glaciers that formed these valleys 12,000 years ago, the water is a flat expanse of icy-blue.

mile upon mile of blue water

We spent ages just looking, reluctant to leave, but time was fleeting and we still had quite a way to go.

The road twists and winds, up and steeply down through towering hills and wooded glacial valleys,

gushing waterfalls everywhere you look

gushing waterfalls round every corner and rushing headlong down the mountain sides.

rushing, gurgling down the mountainsides

At one spot where we stopped, right at the top of the mountain, we were greeted by a really strange spectacle: a large flat expanse of ground with countless little cairns dotting the area. Really bizarre.

hundreds of little cairns dotted the hilltop

countless cairns, blue glacial waters of Loch Garry in the backround

We kept saying: ‘Ok, no more stops now till we get to Eilean Donan Castle’!   Pointless words, every corner revealed another view, another waterfall,    

another bridge, and we screamed to a stop so many times that it eventually became a joke.

welcome to Skye and Lochalsh

Welcome to Skye and Lochalsh

Nearing Kyle of Lochalsh we passed through a tiny village situated right on the edge of the Sound of Sleat, a massive stretch of water on the left and on the right a valley cut in the cleft of the mountains we had just driven through.

The village of Dornie in the background, the Sound of Sleat on the right

As we passed through the village I noticed a statue high on top of a hill and a ramshackle church in the middle of an ancient graveyard.  

roofless church in graveyard

We screamed to a stop once again (I am sure I wore the brakes out!) and parking the car snug against the hedges, walked along a winding dirt path that took us up the steep sides of the hill and eventually to the top and behold: the statue.   It was actually a memorial erected by the clan Macrae and friends in memory of Macrae’s home and abroad who fell at home and abroad in the Great War of 1914-1918. 

Memorial inscription

the stone memorial and statue

The stone edifice of a man in uniform with the family crest carved into  the stone; has a view second to none, as far as the eye can see,

a view as far as the eye can see

across the hills and along the valleys far, far away. 

me on the hillside

There are a couple of benches atop the crest and even though the wind was attempting to blow us off our feet we sat and tarried for a while in the peace and quiet. 

CJ sitting on the bench atop the hill

Then we clambered back down through slushy mud and peat, ever mindful of holes and uneven ground just waiting to twist an unwary ankle!

Thence to the graveyard; to explore the tumble down roofless church, with

tumble down church

new memorials alongside ancient gravestones and memorials; I love those old cemeteries, the stories they tell.  

As we clambered about the sun broke through the clouds and shone down in a stream of silver light onto the loch and hills. 

sun touching the mountains

What is quite amazing is that these two photos were taken within minutes of each other from slightly different angles!

Not long and just after we had said no more stopping till we get to the castle, we rounded a bend and there it was!

Eilean Donan Castle

Eilean Donan Castle perched on its island at the head of Loch Duich.

Eilean Donan Castle

Only one of the most photographed castles in Scotland and on every calendar you get of castles of Scotland.   Awesome.

an island fortress

When you see photos of the castle it always looks like it is in the middle of the Loch, but although on it’s own little island, in fact it is not in the middle of the Loch.   Just a short walk over a beautiful stone bridge

the bridge leading up to the castle

and you are on the wee island that supports the structure.   The castle per se is closed from October till March, but that did not stop us exploring the outer perimeters.

CJ exploring the outer walls of Eilean Donan Castle

the bridge leading to the castle Eilean Donan

At the entrance to the castle is a family memorial carrying the family crest or arms and listing all the names of fallen Macraes from the 1914-1918 war       

Clan Macrae memorial to family members fallen during the Great War 1914-18

and alongside 2 fine cannons pointing across the Loch and along the bridge.

....down the barrel of a gun!

after exploring I then clambered down to the rocks below to look at the views from under the bridge.

view of the Loch from under the bridge at Eilean Donan Castle

Amazing views from under the bridge.

The castle is situated on a tidal Loch and the rocks were covered with seaweed, with that wonderful salty sea smell. With a long history dating back centuries, the castle is famous for many events, and more recently the film Highlander starring Sean Connery.

me and CJ at Eilean Donan Castle

The castle is a fabulous stone structure,

Eilean Donan Castle

imperious and imposing as castles are meant to be,

view across the Sound

and with an incredible view across the loch and mountains.

I can see that once the tide comes in how the castle would be inaccessible from the road.  

Very near to the Isle of Skye now and with the day waning, we decided to hotfoot it along and get there before the sun disappeared.   There is a fantastic new bridge that crosses the Firth from Kyle of Lochalsh to the isle.

bridge across the sea to Skye as seen from the car

The views are just incredible and we gasped at every turn.   As we drove over the sea to Skye and onto the island we cheered, hooray!   It had taken us 5 hours to get there!

Making a sharp turn to the left we stopped off in a wee town called Kyleakin, the gateway to Skye, with a long and proud history.

history of Kyleakin; gateway to Skye

Kyleakin is a harbour town with views to die for.

Kyleakin harbour

On a rocky outcrop near the edge of town are the remains of Castle Moil.

Castle Moil on the Isle of Skye (this is CJ's photo)

Looking across the Inner Sound we could see Scalpay Island across the water.

Scalpay Island across Inner Sound

The bridge looked magnificent against the blue sky and with the sun beginning to set, looked mystical in the soft misty air.

a soft misty look across the Sound to the bridge

We decided to explore further inland so set off along the road to Broadford.

a tiny croft, a stunning view

The views are just incredible and we saw tiny little crofts snug amongst the grass with a fabulous backdrop of sea and sky.

dusk falls on the Isle of Sky

Now it was starting to get darker so we stopped off at a hotel for tea and scones with cream.   Thence homeward bound.

crossing the bridge from the Isle of Skye to Kyle of Lochalsh

Re-crossing the bridge we pledge to return at a later date and explore the whole island.

A quick stop at the castle for some sunset photos,

night falls on Eilean Donan Castle (one of CJ's photos)

Eilean Donan Castle as dusk falls (one of CJ's photos)

then with the rain starting up again we set off for home.

Driving along the winding roads we were once again enchanted by the waterfalls that plunge down the slopes of the mountains!

plunging waterfalls

Earlier on in the day before we reached Kyle of Lochalsh we had noticed a wonderful old-fashioned stone bridge (no longer in use) along the way, but as we had no-where to park decided to stop on the way back home.   The rain was pouring down by now and we almost missed the stop when CJ happened to glance out the window and noticed it again.   I slammed on brakes and did a quick turn to the left onto the hard-shoulder and pulled into a lay-bye nearby.   Jumping out the car in the rain we splooshed and splashed along slipping and sliding in the mud and reached the crest of the road in one piece.   So far, so good!   Hahaha.   Not wanting to get soaked to the skin we ran along to the centre of the main-road bridge to get a good viewpoint. 

old stone bridge

As we ran CJ happened to glance up and noticed a huge puddle of water on the left of where we were heading and a great big truck heading our way.   As she turned to shout a warning: “Puddle!” the truck roared by and all I had time to do was duck my head and turn my back as a huge arc of dirty, greasy, black water poured over my head.   I was soaked to the skin.   Thankfully I had, had just enough time to raise my camera into the air just out of reach of the torrent as the water poured over me.    We were laughing so much that it wasn’t just the rain that was to blame for my trousers being wet .    By now we were absolutely soaked so with no further ado snapped away with the cameras (with very blurry results)

a very blurry photo

and then ran lickety-split for the car.   With no time to spare we jumped off the road and down onto the lay-bye as another stream of cars whooshed by.    What a scream.

one last photo for the day!

And so to home!  One last stop along the way in the waning light to photograph one last river

icy rivers rush headlong down the valleys (Cj's photo)

by the time we got back to the cabin we were wet and cold and still hysterical with laughter.   Next up; a hot steaming shower…of clean water accompanied by a towel.   What a brilliant day.

Looking at a map of Scotland after our adventure, I was amazed to see just how many islands are off the west coast.   There is of course Skye, then Rana, Raasay, Scalpay, Canna, Rum, Eigg, Muck, Coll, Tiree, Mull, Lismore, Colonsay, Jura, Islay, Kintyre, Arran, Bute, as well as farther northwest is Lewis, Harris, North Uist, South Uist, Barra (a tiny little island with it’s own airport), hundreds of little splotches of land with no names, and way north are the Orkney Islands (including the isle of Hoy), and even farther north are the Shetland Islands.   Awesome!”

Hello again!

Well, it’s been manic in london these past few weeks.. I’ve joined the netball group at work and this past monday was a particularly violent match with the goalkeeper knocking me to the ground and giving me a hole in my knee! I also got hit in the face by the ball and someone’s nail in my palm. And we didn’t even win!!! Body been aching the last few days

Last week my mom and I went to the Scottish Highlands. WOW!!! The most beautiful place in the world!

Saturday 14th November: took a flight and saw beautiful scenery (but I didn’t have my camera!!) Went to Tescos and drove to where we were staying. Cute place, looks nice! Saw stars that were amazing!

View from Lodge window

From the bridge near our lodge

Bridge House on Loch Oich near our lodge

Sunday 15th November: walked around in the forest, laughed at my mom climbing up the hill and then trying to get down!  After that I was exhausted so went to lie down and have a sleep. Gave my mom my camera and let her loose on the world

Mushrooms in the forest

Bracken in the woods

Autumn colours

Monday 16th November: went to visit Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness today (no monster though.. just us ) The castle was lovely! Saw some fighter jets go over where we were staying, which was very exciting!!

Urquhart Castle

Urquhart Castle from the castle tower

Mom claiming the castle

Mom and I at Urquhart Castle

Tuesday 17th November: went for a drive today and saw the most incredible scenery! Also visited Eilean Donan, now my favourite castle. Took photos of an old graveyard, and drove over to the Isle of Skye where we had scones and tea! Also got absolutely soaked by a truck driving past… I saw the puddles on the road at the last minute and yelled ‘Puddle’ but it was too late… hilarious seeing my mom get soaked.. we were wet all the way back to the lodge… very funny… laughed so much almost peed my pants!

Glen Garry Viewpoint

Graveyard

Eilean Donan

The bridge to the Isle of Skye

Eilean Donan at night

Wednesday 18th November: day that I left Scotland Snow on the mountains in the morning… lots of photos and a detour before the airport to take lots of photos! Visited a beautiful bridge and saw some of the gorgeous highland cows! Went into Inverness, where they have a very modern looking castle, we had some starbucks before my mom took me to the airport. What a great holiday!

Snow on the mountains

Close-up of the snow

Highland Cow

Bridge

Inverness Castle

For those who don’t really know Scotland, we have put together a map with the routes that we have traveled since we arrived in September.

The RED Line indicates the route and the GREEN Dots indicates the places we have stayed in.

We will do up a new map for Ireland/Northern Ireland, once we have finished our travels here. And also a map of England (when we travel there).

The Cuillins from Bla Bheinn, Skye. The black marks at the centre of the photo and on the white cloud were not specks of dirt on the lens, but ravens.

My new book, The Roman Conquests: Italy, is out now.

The Highlands were nothing like I expected.  They were about ten thousand times better.  I haven’t had the opportunity to upload any more pictures, but when I can I will.  Although photographs can’t do them justice. 

The tour consisted of four South Africans, four Chinese people, two Indians, two Americans–me and a boy from Kansas City–two Polish ladies, a Londoner, and a buttload of Aussies. 

We saw Loch Ness, visited innumerable impressive old castles and wee villages nestled in the glens of the craggy mountains, saw Glen Coe and visited a whisky distillery.  We saw the Isle of Skye, which was gorgeous.  We went to a place called Fairy Glen.  The legend goes that the natural rock formation on the top of this hill was a fairy castle (it looks like it.)  A man built a house in the glen, and the fairies, angered that he built so close to their castle, cursed him.  First his livestock died, then his children, and finally his wife.  Then his house collapsed and the man killed himself. 

Talk about a happy legend, eh?  The ruins of the house are there still.  Oddly enough, all of the trees in this fantastic area are wee stunted little things, except for three or four great big things that have rooted themselves right in the stone walls, as though to continue tearing it down and conceal it from the fairy castle.

We weren’t supposed to climb up to the top of the fairy hill to the castle, so we immediately did so.  The small expanse of ground at the top feels hollow when stomped on and you can see how a big slice of the hill will occasionally shear off into the valley below.  Definitely not safe.

We were told not to whistle either, or sing, as apparently it calls the fairies. 

The Aussies amused themselves by whistling and chasing sheep.  That must be the fun thing to do in Australia. 

Loch Ness was disappointing as Nessie didn’t actually appear and it really isn’t that remarkable of a spot otherwise.

The Isle of Skye was the most gorgeous thing I think I’ve ever seen.  We spent two nights there.  During the day we climbed a mountain.  It’s all bogs and mud and treacherous wind and quicksand all the way up.  We were told very firmly to stay on the path.  This climb was about five million times worse than climbing the wee little mountains on the Dingle Peninsula.  At the top we got the treat of seeing a giant natural stone formation that looks exactly like a huge erect penis.  This thing must have been thirty feet high, what we could see of it through the mist. 

Of course there is a legend for that, as well.  Apparently it is the penis of a giant.  There’s another rock formation on the island that is supposed to be his head, and the island itself is the body I believe. 

After that exciting adventure we spent our last night in Oban, a truly nice town.  We went to our second caile.  A caile is a tradiational dance session with a live band.  They’re a lot of fun, because no one knows how to dance but do it anyways, and as the evening progresses and the weather gets more drunk out, the dancing gets progressively worse instead of better. 

After the tour was over I felt kind of weird–just as I was used to having people around all the time and not having to plan anything, I was on my own again.  But Thursday night I had booked a flight for Amsterdam, and so Saturday morning at about four o’clock I headed for the airport. 

There’s this great feeling that you get after successfully navigating something strange or new in a foreign country on your own.  I have yet to actually use my guidebook.  So far I’ve managed everything on my own.  Besides, that guidebook is really really heavy to carry around all the time.

The Quiraing rock formation and Staffin Bay

Dear ——–,

Our amble through the Quiraing in the northwestern Skye gave us the most spectacular views of the entire trip. We passed rock formations with names like the Prison, the Needle and the Table. We had a great time making our way over rolling, emerald hills and scrambling over scree (a new word we learned when a fellow hiker warned us about the fragments of shattered rocks covering a slope). The wind was stiff, but the sun came out for a few hours. Everything sparkled. By the time the sun resumed its regular position behind clouds, we had driven past many crofts and started browsing stores in Portree. “That’ll probably be the last sun I see for the rest of the year,” sighed one of the shop girls. (How sad — but another sign we were a long way from Los Angeles!) We drove to Inverness that evening and warmed ourselves up with the most delicious version of minestrone soup I’ve ever had (butternut squash, green beans, peas, finished with a spinach and basil pesto) at Rocpool, overlooking the River Ness.

Sunset, at the jetty a short walk from our guest house

Dear ——–,

We’re definitely into the highlight reel now. Sunsets and sunrises are cinematic here, though the sky strangely turns gray for much of the main part of the day. We had an amazing view of Loch Pooltiel and purple-colored islands in the distance from the dining room of Carters Rest guest house, our home base on the Isle of Skye. The proprietors Betty and Freddie — possibly the nicest people in the universe — cooked up chicken soup, a succulent pork chop and bread and butter pudding for about $25 a person. After dinner, we took a walk down to the jetty and marveled at the amazing view that the grazing sheep get to enjoy every day. One of the other couples in the guest house had just gotten engaged at the lighthouse nearby. I could see why. Everything was perfect right then — dramatic lighting, a strong wind, and silence all around.

The Isle of Skye is simply one of the most dramatic looking island in the world. It has snowcapped mountains, rugged coastlines, castles, stone temples, waterfalls that plunge into the sea, green farming pastures and massive lakes (lochs). Add a completely unpredictable weather pattern and you have all the right ingredients for landscape/travel photography.

The island is surprisingly large and would take at least one full day of continuous driving to circle. Quite conveniently, the island is split into four main clusters of attractions. We had four days on Skye and planned spending a day in each section, but due to the weather, decided to skip the south east. You could easily spend a month in Skye and still have plenty to photograph.

The South West

In terms of sheer variety, the South West has the most to offer. The highest peaks of the Cuillin Mountains are found in this section as well as the most breathtaking beaches. A must see in the South West is the Fairy Pools.

The Fairy Pools are a series of about 20 luminous blue pools, most if which have a waterfall. The pools are fed by a river that passes through some sort of limestone that gives it its stunning colour. The pools were once thought to have  a magical power, the ability to reverse aging.

I arrived at the start of the walk at about 8 pm to shoot the pools. I was met by torrential rain which was blowing sideways from the wind. Because of the weather, I left all my camera gear in the car and took only 1 body and a wide angle lens that I wore like a necklace. I had a waterproof jacket on, which kept my camera dry. Because the storm made it so dark, I also took my tripod and started jogging down the path.  Never in my life have I experienced such a wind-the gusts would literally blow me off my feet, then the wind would die and I would fall the other direction.

That evening was the only chance I was going to get to shoot the pools, which was why I braved the weather. I spent about 2 hours at the pools and managed to shoot 12 frames. I would set up my tripod, whip my camera out, start the 20 second plus exposure whilst I covered the camera with my jacket like a mother hen. Even with those efforts, my camera got soaked, which meant drying it after every exposure. It sounds like torture, but it was actually exhilarating – experiencing the fury of nature head on with a camera is quite an experience .

The North West

Most photographers who travel through the North West would do so to see Neist Point. It is Skye’s Table Mountain (i.e. overly photographed landmark).

Other noteworthy sites in the Northwest are Dunvegan Castle, a 300 pound per head restaurant and a pub in Stein that belongs in a Viking movie.

We had relatively clear skies when we shot Neist Point, although the wind had not lessoned from the previous day. Coupled with a temperature of about 0, it made standing still for long exposures quite challenging.

To prevent my tripod from blowing over, I placed the legs in what looked like a pothole and then wrapped my legs around them. I used this technique to avoid camera shake and managed to get a few shots that I was happy with.

My shoot was cut short by a massive storm which seemed to come out of nowhere. I had to hike back to the car in the rain again, much to the amusement of Tina who had been shooting from the car.

The North East

The North East of Skye is a dangerous place for a photographer. There are so many highlights to photograph, you may find yourself forgetting something important, like eating!

Our day started off in typical Skye weather; overcast, drizzling and windy. Our first stop on the North East was Portree – a colourful fishing village full of historical landmarks and places of interest. Because it was raining, it was difficult to find a compelling subject so we quickly moved on.

Most people would have seen pictures of Kilt Rock, the waterfall in Scotland that falls into the sea. It is the next stop after Portree and another “landmark” photograph. Because it is so popular, a fenced off section has been built for photographers/tourists to view the waterfall. This makes it very difficult to get something original. To make it even more difficult for us, the wind was blowing rain and waterfall spray straight onto our camera lenses. If you’ve ever shot with rain on your lens, you will know that raindrops don’t make the best filters. Luckily, because of the rain, a rainbow hovered over the sea and we were able to get a couple of shots that we were happy with.

Shortly after Kilt Rock is a rock formation known as the Old Man of Storr. Its unique shape and structure make it popular with tourists as well as being very photogenic. At this stage, the drizzle had turned into a mild flood and convinced us to move to the next location.

Personally I think the highlight of the North East is the Quirang mountain range. Because dinosaur bones were found here, it is known as the Jurassic mountain, but one look at the landscape and you’ll be convinced that it is “The Land Before Time”.

A tar road takes you right to the top of the peaks where a car park is conveniently situated. Good luck finding a place to park though – we arrived in the rain and couldn’t even find one!

Even though it was raining, there were patches of sunlight which made the light quite dramatic. I decided to use a technique of shooting I refined in Skye. Equipped with running shoes, a camera around my neck protected by a waterproof jacket and a lens cleaning cloth I took a jog around the top of the Quirang. Every time I saw something compelling I would stop, shoot a few frames, wipe the drops off my lens and then carry on running. This is quite a departure from the carefully composed tripod method, but works quite well in the rain.

You could easily spend an entire day in the Quirang peaks, but the lure of the undiscovered was too powerful so we moved on to find more mountain ranges, old castle ruins and pristine beaches.

To Sum Up

The National Geographic team rated the Isle of Skye as one of the best islands in the world to travel to. In terms of sheer diversity, character and history, it would be difficult to find a spot that tops it. For that reason, travel photographers will be well rewarded with a trip to Skye.

Originally published in Pix magazine

My blogs on Scotland as well as other videos of the week!

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Isle of Skye, 1999

A respectfully reverent review of Sarah Maitland’s latest book, A Book of Silence, appeared in the Sunday Times Book Review. Written by Dominique Browning, the review and book both speak to many of the aspects of silence that I have written about here in earlier posts. It is something I think about a great deal and feel increasingly drawn to.

Sara Maitland is a writer who reached her 50s and found herself with a disintegrating marriage and a home empty of children. Free to make any kind of life she wanted for herself, she decided to seek a life with silence at its center.

Her friends and family found this prospect unnerving and were not supportive of the idea. Instead of thinking of silence and solitude as a selfish choice, a “the place of death, of nothingness” as one friend put it, Mait­land was convinced that silence was a positive presence, not a negative condition.

From the review:

She begins her life-changing adventure by spending 40 days and 40 nights alone in a tiny house set high on a ridge on the Isle of Skye…Surprisingly, Maitland’s journey provokes a crisis in her work. A successful novelist, she had long depended on her ability to imagine alternate worlds. But the deeper she went into silence, the more her fiction eluded her. “This gave me the idea,” she explains, “that there might be something profoundly different between the silence of the hermits and the silence of creative artists.” The first kind of silence requires an emptying out of the self in order to be receptive to God; the other fortifies the self in order to be inventively godlike. “Silence has no narrative,” she concludes. “Silence intensifies sensation, but blurs the sense of time.” Building on this speculation, Maitland’s ambitious, wide-ranging book investigates the varied nature of creativity and dives into considerations of both madness and joy.

Browning’s conclusion made me even more compelled to read this book for myself:

This is not a silent book, intimate and generous as it is. We even hear Maitland strike matches to light her cigarettes under a canopy of stars. To my mind, it’s an open question whether reading can be part of any experience of silence. Nor did Maitland’s book leave me speechless. Instead, I found myself arguing, conversing, exclaiming at every page. I wanted to be with her every step of the way. And I can hardly wait to see what comes next from this marvelous writer, thinker and seeker. I only hope it isn’t . . . silence.

If you’d like to read my blogs on Scotland, please do so to get all in touch with these photos.

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