Skye's the limit

A day trip out of our home base in the Highlands. First stop, Eilean Donan castle, home of the MacRae clan. The castle has recently (90 years ago) been restored to its former glory - not surprisingly, its past history includes a demolishing by the English around the time of the Jacobite rebellion, as well as various other comings and goings of numerous interested parties. It hasn't escaped our notice that the MacRae's are sons of the Raes, possibly Rays? The new lady of the manor...

With her brood...

Then off, speed bonnie boat over the bridge (literally), to Skye, first to the postcard pretty Portree:

And then for a (land) cruise up the coast of Skye, where we first spotted a rock called the Old Man of Storr (the distinct volcanic plug below):

In a fit of madness - especially considering our lack of appropriate hiking gear (Vans, Keds and Converse made up the bulk of the footwear)- we decided to get a first hand look at the Old Man. Half way up we emerged from the forrest & clouds for our first glimpse of the ocean/islands below:

Getting closer, the intrepid mountaineers pause before their final assault on the peak:

Then the payoff:

The views were spectacular, the rock formations out of this world. We'd been told that Skye was something special and it did not disappoint. Apparently the local custom is to unwind from a day of strenuous outdoor activity with a dram of the local brew. Fortunately the nearest pub had a reasonable selection:

300 (!!) varieties of scotch. Long winters up here.

PS Emmett made it to the top first--5.6km with a 300m vertical. Not bad.