Hike Day

Today was due to be a big day of walks and I was excited for it. Scotland is great for hiking but we haven't been able to do too many, so any opportunity to stretch the legs and see the natural beauty got my excited. We started at the Quirang Circuit, which was suppose to be about 8km of walking, however, that was cut very short before it even really began when we found the path destroyed by water and erosion. As such, we had little option but to turn back. We still got some great photos of the natural monument but would have been great to see from the top. Nonetheless we have plenty more walks so it didn't affect my mood. We stopped at a beach near portree to see if we could find dinosaur footprints on the rocks. As we wandered around aimlessly looking at the ground, with a entourage of other people doing the same thing, we had just about given up. Then on our way out we spotted a definitive set of prints that meant we could leave satisfied with ourselves. Before we left we were also lucky enough to spot dolphins. The Portree cliffs were the next stop and provided a great opportunity for Andrew to fly his drone. It was the perfect place for it. The immensely green Scottish grasses (No doubt made this way by the climate) just abruptly fell into the ocean creating amazing dark cliffs that went as far as the eyes could see along either coast. Only large boulders at the base disrupted the waves and the cliff. We watched the birds flurry around the skies and cliff faces where they nested, and the water cascade into the ocean.

We then stopped for a brief walk toward brothers point, another beach near Portree. It was a nice walk down but the walk also became a bit treacherous as we approached the end. It wasn't particularly pretty so we also decided to cut the walk a bit short and head back to the car. Still cool to see the types of beaches Scotland has on offer. After another couple of brief stops for viewpoints we continued into the hike of the day, Old Mann Stor. t was due to be quite significant, about 6km up some brutal hills, but well worth it. The views were incredible, with amazing rock formations, lakes, oceans, grasslands, and more. Brendan and I chose to do a longer path to ensure we got a bit of an extra work out while also traversing a split between two rock spires that stood out in the landscape. It was a bit of a scramble getting up but the view was very cool from the top. We re-joined the rest of the family as they approached the top, got some amazing photos and videos. The wind and cold up the top was brutal and the weather appeared to be rolling in so we had to head but the views were easily worth the walk. Although not a great day it didn't impede our view and that was all you could ask for. The whole circuit and took us about 2 and a half hours. The long way back wasn't as exciting but was a bit more gentle on the knees and backs that were still sore from the Scarborough bike ride. We went home afterwards, enjoyed some warm showers, and ate about 30kg of nachos between us all. Well earned after a big day.Read more