Europe 2024

Today we left our B & B at 9am as we have a full day of sightseeing ahead of us. We drove north past the red and black coolings- the red coolings are rose granite that is from the outer area of the volcano and the black coolings which is black shist emanates from the centre of the volcano. We then headed to Sligachan where we visited the Cuillin, Britain’s most dramatic mountain range. For over 200 years, these peaks have attracted geologists, tourists, and climbers from around the world. Fire and ice shaped this unique landscape, but local people - like John Mackenzie- helped make Skye the mountaineering destination it remains today.

Two mountain ranges make up the Cuillin. The jagged peaks of the Black Cuillin and contrast sharply with the smooth Red Hills. Both formed deep in a volcano about 60 million years ago. Among the first outsiders to climb in the Cuillin were geologists. Many important theories in geology have been developed or tested in these mountains. Geologists discovered that the insides of extinct volcanoes appear on the surface here. This makes Skye one of the best places in the world to study how volcanoes form.

We then headed off to the Fairy Pools near the village of Carbost in Glenbrittle. Many tributaries of the River Brittle run down from the Cuillin into the glen including a stream with waterfalls known as the Fairy Pools. The Fairy Pools are beautiful rock pools of translucent mountain spring water fed by a series of waterfalls. After that we walked to Glenbrittle beach which is a popular camping spot.

Our next stop was to Portree, the capital of Skye and the largest town on the island. It is a beautiful and picturesque town with a lovely harbour, town square and a number of beautifully restored buildings. We had lunch at the Portree hotel and then did a bit of a wander down to the harbour which was glorious on such a sunny day.

We then headed out of town to the Old Man of Storr which is situated in the north of Skye in the Trotternish area and is famous for its magnificent scenery and views, we just admired it from a distance and did not do the walk due to time. We next went to Kilt Rock, a 90-metre-high wall of multi-coloured hexagonal columns of basalt rock and dole rite sills which resemble the pleats of a tartan kilt. There is also a large waterfall called Mealt Falls in the foreground which is fed by the fresh waters of Loch Mealt near Ellishadder and has a drop of 60 metres down to the rocky coastline.

Our next stop was to The Quiraing. It is a landform on the eastern face of Meall na Suiramach, the northernmost summit of the Trotternish escarpment. It has a range of landforms and other distinctive features. It is another popular walk but due to time some of us did a short walk of about 45 minutes along some of the pathways. The Quiraing was formed when a thick layer of flood basalt spread over the peninsula and destabilised the weak sedimentary rocks below, causing a succession of landslides. The views were amazing and I can only image how spectacular they would be from the summit.

Our final destination before heading back to Pier House was the Fairy Glen which is located in the hills above the village of Uig. It is quite a strange landscape which was created by a land slip. It is a short walk over small mounds and paths towards a rocky and gnarly hill called Castle Ewen. I climbed up about 90% of the way but the last little bit had some large steps that were uneven and a bit slippery so I chose not to climb to the summit. I still got beautiful views of the surrounding area and it is quite magical.

Over the day we drove over 250kms and saw some wonderful sites on this magnificent part of Scotland, I will definitely have to return with Ian as this is where his ancestors came from.Baca lagi